Four Things You Need to Know About Social Media in Australia

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Extending your social media strategy into new a country requires a strong understanding of that region’s online behaviors and cultural considerations. To help you build your strategy, I thought I’d share insight from Text 100’s Sydney office and provide a quick look at what makes social media engagement unique my country:

·      Australia currently lags behind other developed nations in what we consider to be fast Internet connectivity. Rural areas are waiting for their connection speeds to catch up their city counterparts. If you’re looking to reach people outside of the major metropolitan capitals, YouTube might not be your best bet. However, earlier this year the Australian Federal Government announced that it would invest $43 billion over 8 years to build a National Broadband Network. The new network is expected to deliver high-speed Internet access linking metropolitan cities, major regional centers and rural towns, eliminating existing ‘blackspots’ and in turn driving uptake of online video, e-commerce, online education and social networking.

·      Flickr use grew by 14 percent last year, making it the third most popular social media site in Australia by year’s end. Be sure to consider a photo stream as part of your strategy to not leave this audience untapped.

·      2009 really saw the critical mass adoption of Twitter in Australia. In fact traffic to Twitter grew by 1,067% in January, with Australia’s being the 4^th largest group on new users globally. However, Aussies still only make up 2 percent of the total Twitter users.

·      According to research by Forrester, Australians are more likely to be creators of social media content than their US counterparts and 41 percent have published opinions specifically about brands. You’ll see this trend in action the most in blogging. In fact, in the tech space the ratio of “journo bloggers” to true” bloggers who are simply passionate about their technology is beginning to change. More true bloggers are becoming more prominent in the social media-scape.

Interesting cultural tidbit: While Australians have long been known for their sense of adventure it doesn’t translate to their love lives. Aussies are very reluctant to use the Internet for online dating.

Want to learn more about social media in Australia? I’m happy to share a larger presentation on the topic or answer specific questions in the comments.

Image Credit: Forrester’s 2008 Australian Adult Social Technographics Report.