RESTON, Va. -

Automakers, dealers and service providers are looking to connect with consumers on mobile devices for good reason. Data from the comScore MobiLens service showed 72.2 million Americans accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device in August, an increase of 37 percent in the past year.

The recent study also provided new insights into how mobile users interact with social media, finding that more than half read a post from an organization, brand or event while on their mobile device.

“Social media is one of the most popular and fastest growing mobile activities, reaching nearly one-third of all U.S. mobile users,” explained Mark Donovan, comScore senior vice president for mobile.

“This behavior is even more prevalent among smartphone owners with three in five accessing social media each month, highlighting the importance of apps and the enhanced functionality of smartphones to social media usage on mobile devices,” Donovan continued.

More Than Half of Mobile Social Networkers Access Sites Almost Daily

Researchers reiterated more than 72.2 million people accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device in August, an increase of 37 percent from the previous year. They referenced the figure because they also found nearly 40 million U.S. mobile users — more than half of the mobile social media audience — access these sites almost every day, demonstrating the importance of this activity to daily routines.

Officials from comScore also indicated that although more people accessed these sites via their mobile browser, the social networking app audience grew five times faster in the past year.

While the mobile browsing social networking audience grew 24 percent to 42.3 million users in the past year, the mobile social networking app audience surged 126 percent to 38.5 million.

Facebook Mobile Audience Approaches 60 Million Users

A look at selected social networking brands, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn, revealed that each grew their mobile audiences by at least 50 percent in the past year.

August data revealed Facebook was home to the largest mobile audience among the three destinations with more than 57 million mobile users, up 50 percent from the previous year.

Researches noticed Twitter saw its mobile audience jump 75 percent to 13.4 million people, while LinkedIn’s mobile audience climbed 69 percent to 5.5 million users.

70 Percent of Mobile Social Networkers Post a Status Update While on Mobile Device

Officials from comScore believe understanding how mobile users interact with social media is important for brands looking to engage with on-the-go consumers. As a result, the company recently released new social media metrics through its MobiLens service, offering deeper insights into mobile consumers’ social media activities.

Of those accessing social networking sites or blogs on their mobile device in August, comScore determined 80.3 percent read posts from people known personally, while 69.5 percent posted status updates while on their mobile device.

Furthermore, comScore said mobile social networkers also were likely to interact with brands on these sites with more than half (52.9 percent) reading posts from organizations/brands/events.

The company added one in three mobile social networkers received a coupon/offer/deal with one in four (27.7 percent) clicking on an ad while on a social networking site.

“Advertisers and marketers should take note — mobile users are not only engaging with their friends through social networking — but a majority are also interacting with brands in these social media environments,” Donovan insisted.

“Knowing that fans and followers engage with branded content on mobile devices opens the door to a world of opportunity for location-based services,” he concluded.