• by Laurie Sullivan , Staff Writer @lauriesullivan, October 8, 2014

Selfies tell a lot about a person, but not necessarily what many think. Where people take the selfie, with whom, and how often they become the subject of the photos posted provides nuggets of data based on intent, but it may not be enough to put the resources behind the campaign. It may, however, provide fodder for search and social ad targeting.

Some 61% of recent survey takers in a panel of a million admit to taking a selfie, per SurveyMonkey. Men tend to take more selfies compared with women, at 55% vs. 35%, respectively. What can marketers learn about consumers who take selfies to help better target search advertisements? While some people take selfies, not all post them.

In fact, 44% of survey respondents said they take selfies once a month or less, and 28% don't share the photos after taking them. Of those who do, 32% said they post the photos to Facebook, followed by 27% who send the selfie as a text message, and about 15% of the 18- to-29-year-olds participating in the survey tend to share selfies via Snapchat.

Opinions vary when it comes to using selfies to promote or market something. One in four of the 18- to-29-year-olds participating in the survey view it as fairly effective. Some 46% find selfies are not effective as a marketing tactic, and 27% view them as slightly effective.

The younger generation is more selfie-obsessed, with 75% of 18- to-29-year-olds noting they have taken a selfie. About 44% of survey respondents said they take selfies once monthly or less, and 28% don't share them. Of those who do, 32% said they post the photos to Facebook, followed by 27% who send the selfie as a text message, and about 15% of the 18- to-29-year-olds participating in the survey tend to share selfies via Snapchat.

Of those surveyed, 71% admit they are not at all likely to participate in a selfie contest. Even when it comes to traditional social media contests, 65% said they were not at all likely to participate. About 88% have never considered purchasing or have purchased a product or service because of a selfie promotion.

It turns out that vanity isn't the driving force behind taking selfies. Some 2% of women cite being sexy as their primary motivation. About 45% take selfies for fun, and 39% take them to share a special moment. There are two selfies in my past, and both were to share a special moment.

To conduct the survey,  SurveyMonkey used it Audience panel containing millions of responses to better understand opportunities, or lack of, in selfie marketing. The 518 respondents were randomly selected and are a representative national sample of Americans. They online survey was completed on Aug. 22, 2014. The reported data has a 3% margin of error with a 97% confidence level. Some percentages were rounded up.