Social media is engrained into the cultural fabric – so much so that it’s become a standard part of the marketing mix. But to what degree is this a marketing imperative today? That question hinges on a few things, such as how much time consumers are spending on social, and how influential it is. Sprout Social endeavored to answer these questions and quantify the answers in its latest report, What Consumers Want on Social.
This new report from Sprout Social confirms what we all know (but with meaningful findings and data): social presence is a must-have for brands and businesses of all sizes. It’s where most consumers live.
For example, among channels of influence, social media leads the way with 90 percent of consumer participation according to Sprout’s survey (n= 4,000). That compares with word of mouth (66 percent), TV & streaming (60 percent), digital media (54 percent), podcasts (35 percent) and print (23 percent).
As for leading social networks and apps, Facebook surprisingly holds the lead with 90 percent of respondents’ participation. That’s followed by Instagram (82 percent), YouTube (76 percent), TikTok (58 percent), X (50 percent), Snapchat (46 percent), Pinterst (42 percent), and LinkedIn (43 percent).
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Do’s & Don’ts
The above covers the why… what about the how? It’s clear that businesses need to meet users where they are, but the hard part is actually doing it. So what are today’s success factors and best practices for finding and interacting with customers on these channels? There are a clear set of do’s and don’ts.
To get right to the most concrete and actionable recommendations from the Sprout Social report, we’ve synthesized the following takeaways for Localogy Insider readers:
Social Media Do’s
- Keep up with online culture and listen to your audience.
- Publish original and entertaining content. Humanize your brand.
- Actively combat misinformation.
- Provide fast, personalized customer care.
- Sell products directly through social platforms, not just upper-funnel marketing.
Social Media Don’ts
- Don’t jump on every trend.
- Don’t post constantly just for the sake of posting.
- Don’t build out a content calendar too far in advance.
- Don’t adopt a salesy or corporate brand voice.
- Don’t provide slow, generic customer care.
Be Real
One theme that stands out in much of the above is to “be real” on social media. This is a common refrain for all things Gen-Z as the generation gravitates towards authenticity, and can easily sniff out corporate marketing vibes. It’s all about being snarky, tongue-in-cheek, and even self-deprecating.
Along the same lines, one of the biggest takeaways from the report is that it’s a bad look to jump on viral trends. In fact, 33 percent of respondents labeled this behavior as “embarrassing.” 27 percent say that this can be attractive if brands are present in the first 24-48 hours of a trend. After that, it’s too late…
Lastly, picking up on another finding that’s hinted above, brands shouldn’t just be present on social media for awareness goals. They should also sell directly on social channels like Instagram and YouTube. The tools are there to do so, as part of the broader social commerce movement of the past decade.
To back that up, 13 percent of the Sprout Social respondents said they buy things on social apps, and 25 percent plan to do so in the next year. Top channels include Facebook (39 percent), TikTok (36 percent) and Instagram (29 percent). That’s where to be… depending on TikTok’s looming fate, of course
