Shocking Edelman Survey Results Reveal Less Trust In Social Media Referrals

HUBSPOT INBOUND INTERNET MARKETING BLOG — Public relations firm Edelman recently released its 2010 Trust Barometer, which highlights some findings regarding social media marketing that may shock you. According to the latest survey, the number of people who view their friends and peers as credible sources of information about a company has dropped from 45% in 2008 to 25% in 2010, decreasing almost by half! I don't know about you, but as social media continues to be a marketing hot topic, I've seen a lot of discussion emphasizing the importance of company/product referrals and word of mouth marketing. So do these findings about the decline in peer-to-peer trust completely undermine the power of referrals?...