September signals a time of change. Summer ending. Schools starting. And from a social media point of view, new digital marketing reports being released.
In this blog I will be rounding up the latest statistics in social media, from how consumers and brands view the platforms, to the challenges that social media marketers face.
So, let’s begin!
Sprout Social
Sprout Social is a great platform to offer the latest data in social media. Their latest digital marketing report surveyed over 1,800 consumers and 900 marketers across the UK and the US, and details what these groups want from these platforms, and their behaviours.
A key part of the report was their research into consumer expectations.
Firstly, Sprout’s data showed the primary reasons that consumers have for following a brand on social media. The top reason? To stay informed about new products or services (68%).
The next best reason was to have access to exclusive promotions and deals (46%), with the least popular reason being because a brand’s vision and values aligns with the consumers’ (21%).
This is interesting data for brands to see if their social media presence matches with what consumers are wanting.
However, a brand’s vision and values are still important to consumers as shown by later data in the report.
Perhaps slightly contradictory to the above data, Sprout Social reported that the top element that consumers don’t see enough of from brands on social media is authentic, non-promotional content.
Coming second was transparency about business practices and values, followed by how products are made, educational content about the brand’s industry, and user-generated content (UGC) or customer testimonials.
So, although consumers want to follow brands on social media mainly to scout for deals, there is still an argument to say that they want to get to know your brand. This could be more in the form of behind-the-scenes content, and insights into how products are developed or how the company works.
Finally, as reported by Sprout Social, ‘The most memorable thing a brand can do across all age groups is respond to customers’ (51%). This shows that customers are likely to remember a brand for their responsiveness, or lack of, and that could be the difference between your brand becoming a fan favourite or being a reminder of weak customer service.
There’s plenty more insights in their digital marketing report such as the impact of AI use, and how social media teams fit within a wider business structure. It is definitely worth a read!
Hootsuite
The next report comes from Hootsuite’s latest survey which looks at the key challenges that social media marketers face. The digital marketing report surveyed over 3,800 people working in social media to gather insights into job satisfaction and expectations, salary, and more.
First off, Hootsuite detailed the main hardships that social media managers face. These were having too many responsibilities, working long hours, not being fairly compensated, and feeling that their bosses do not understand social media.
Despite all this, 77% of social media marketers still reported that they were happy working in the industry.
Interestingly the happiest marketers were the ones whose roles were almost entirely dedicated to social media.
Finally, the report also looked at the individual tasks that social media marketers find difficult.
Tough tasks
- planning and managing influencer marketing partnerships, adverts, and campaign strategy,
- filming and editing videos,
- sourcing UGC.
These tasks could be a specialist role within itself and probably correlates to the earlier stats that suggest social media marketers feel they have too many responsibilities.
Easy tasks
- responding to comments and messages,
- taking and editing photos,
- scheduling posts.
These are just some of the many stats that the digital marketing report details, which also covers other elements of working in the social media industry, such as mental health, gender balance, and industry salaries.
Summary
Keeping up with the latest changes in social media can be challenging. Frequent reports like these can be great for a social media specialist to ensure they are in the loop with the latest data, which they can use in their work with brands and be on top of their game!
If you want to discover more industry insights, check out Escapade’s blogs on Mastering Crisis Management in Food and Drink PR and The Difference Between Consumer PR and Marketing.
In need of a consumer PR agency? Click through to our Contact page, we would love to hear from you!
Sources
https://sproutsocial.com/insights/index/
https://www.hootsuite.com/research/social-media-career-report
Blog Cover Photo: RedVector/istockphoto.com
