As experts in Social Media Marketing, our Team and clients appreciate the importance of a strong social media strategy, content and engagement. A recent study by The Manifest surveyed a selection of social media users in the US to explore how they interact with brands, and their findings make for some interesting reading on the state of social media…
Feel The Love
Consumers follow brands that they like and love. This passion is reflected in the survey, with 74% of people saying that they follow brands on social media and a further 96% saying they interact with the brands that they choose to follow. Whether it’s likes, shares or comments, engagement is king on social media. Our social media strategy is different for each client. Every brand is unique, and so your social media strategy and narrative should be too.
People Buy From Social Media
Whether it’s shoppable tags on Instagram, tuning into the possibilities on TikTok , working with influencers or creating an Ad campaign on Pinterest, the opportunity to fine-tune your Ad targeting on each platform offers brands freedom like never before. This survey found that 67% of people have made a purchase on social media after seeing an advert. The state of social media means there is ample opportunity to pull in new customers.
Are We Surprised?
No!
For Him Or Her?
This report observed that Facebook , Instagram and Pinterest were enticements for women to buy, yet YouTube and Twitter were highly likely to influence men’s buying decisions. However, remember that there are no set hard and fast rules. One of our clients has a large male following on Pinterest. The client is a luxury jewellery company with substantial traffic to their website from this platform. In the luxury sector, we find that many of our brands are purchased by men too. So, always review your Ad targeting with this in mind.
Age Is Just A Number
It’s essential to look at your target audience’s age when looking at the best platforms to focus on, and also where to place your social spend. The survey revealed an interesting insight into the state of social media with that Millennials (18 – 34 yrs) unsurprisingly, spend the most time on social media and social media holds considerable weight in their purchasing decisions. However, that’s not to say that Generation X (35 – 54 yrs) and Baby Boomers (55 yrs +) don’t make buying decisions from social media. Our recommendation: Think about your brand’s target audience and the best route to take to reach them and succeed in grabbing their attention.
The Report Take-away
Those interviewed in the survey said they were more likely to buy from a brand that they followed on Facebook than seven other popular social media platforms combined. However, our advice on the state of social media is to look at your brand and decide which platform your target customer is most likely to be active on. Put energy and emphasis into this platform, but don’t neglect the other channels and opportunities that come with each. The state of the social media landscape is expansive so choose your platforms wisely.
The digital landscape is forever evolving, keep your brand ahead of your competitors with our range of social media marketing services.
Enjoyed reading this blog? You might like to read about why Cornerstone Content is crucial for your brand’s website.
* Information Taken From The Manifest 2019 Consumer Social Media Survey
