Everyone loves social media—even customers. And customers are turning to social media more so than ever before to voice their feedback on the companies they do business with and make purchases from. Nearly 18 million consumers (17.8 million) say they’re strongly influenced by online opinions when it comes to their purchasing decisions. And 15.1 million consumers head to their favorite social networks before they consider making a final purchase decision. It’s clear a solid social media presence is crucial to your online success, not only for brand recognition, but for responding to customer concerns. Even the health insurance industry is impacted. More than three-fourths (76 percent) of survey respondents said they went online to look for information on health insurance this year, and 21 percent say their friends’ online comments influenced their decisions about health insurance. Need more info on what industries and companies are successfully implementing social media as a customer service strategy? Take a look at the statistics in the infographic below.