Unbelievably, we’re over half way through 2012, so we thought it was time for a round-up of social stats to show how social platforms, consumer behaviours, trends and business activities have been evolving this year.

It’s a good idea to take any research with a heart-stopping pinch of salt, but graphs and figures are undeniably useful for helping demonstrate the value and nature of social to sceptical bosses and colleagues.

Go forth and evangelise.

The meaty overview

This presentation is a 2012 mid-year update and complement to the original ‘State of Social’ presentation by Esteban Contreras. It’s packed with stats on topics as broad-ranging as global social user growth, how Pinterest drives sales, where social ads work, what’s really going on with Google +, and the social priorities for business execs. Grab a cup of coffee and dig in…

The surprising US stats

A team of bright social sparks (Jason Falls, Jay Baer, Tom Webster, Mark Schaefer) have produced The Social Habit 2012. Edison Research and Arbitron conducted a national telephone survey offered in both English and Spanish language of 2,020 people aged 12 and over in the US. You can download the full study here but below are five of our top wow! factor stats:

1. 47% of Americans say Facebook is the social network that has the greatest impact on their purchase behaviour
2. From 2010 to 2012 the percentage of Americans following any brand on a social network has increased from 16% to 33%.
3. 22% of Americans (approx 58 million) have a true social habit, using social networking sites several times per day
4. The fastest growing segment in social media is 45-54 year-olds
5. Twitter users are 33% more likely to be Democrats

The whole hog

Social strategist Cara Pring has done some impressive legwork in compiling the latest and most reliable research on a whole range of topics such as social commerce, mobile and apps, small business, social TV and customer service. Read her full list here or check out our highlights below.

1. 43% of marketers have noticed an improvement in sales due to social campaigns- while 72% of marketers who have worked in social media for three or more years said that they saw a boost in turnover due to social channels (the longer you’re working in it the better you get)
2. 40% of Twitter users regularly search for products via Twitter
3. Social media users are willing to pay a 21% premium for brands that deliver great service through social media
4. Smartphone owners now spend as much time using social networking apps such as Twitter and Facebook as they do playing games
5. 77% of social network users tweet to tell friends what they’re watching on TV

The talking heads

OK, it’s not exactly stats, but Salesforce’s State of Social Media 2012 provides a nice series of interviews from savvy social business people such as Christer Holloman (Head of Digital Product Development for The Times) and Richard Weaver (Ecommerce Director for Majestic Wine Warehouses Ltd) on their journey so far and where they will think social will take us further into 2012. Download the free ebook here.

The inevitable infographic

Finally, here’s a less detailed but more digestible graphic from The SEO Company reviewing the year in social so far. Enjoy!