We look to provide insights into the dynamic world of social media and provide steps that can be taken to leverage this growing opportunity based on the data.
1. 2022 Social Media Overview
The pandemic has accelerated the consumers’ takeover of your brand’s development, as consumers are now less loyal and more demanding. With 4.6 billion social media users content needs to be more personalized and your services delivered at a faster rate to satisfy your audience.
If you’re not capable of meeting these new demands consumers will quickly jump to a new channel and find someone who can deliver.
2. New Game in Town
8 New Users Every Second
TikTok is a social media platform that has taken the world by storm. The first mobile entertainment powerhouse of our time, it was born and built for smartphones — an era where every person on earth can be reached with just one tap.
At this point, TikTok is leaving other platforms to adapt. Internationally launched in September 2017 and owned by Chinese company ByteDance Ltd, TikTok is projected to reach 1.5 billion downloads by the end of 2022. By the end of 2021 they were generating $4.6 billion in revenue, a 142% increase over prior year.
Despite this rapid growth most marketers have not added the platform to their social media arsenal.
TikTok is vehicle to explore and express creativity. It doesn't necessarily show you the "reality" of what's happening in our world, but it does provide a platform for people from all over with different interests or experiences who want share them.
Focused, Localized and Direct
TikTok is very adept as using computer assisted video serving algorithms. This ensures the videos of interest to the consumer are the majority that get served. Not to mention with a 60 second limit, it fosters a succinct platform to share thoughts and get them to an actively engaged targeted audience (a marketers dream!)
With the addition of TikTok For Business (similar to Facebook Ads Manager), the platform allows companies to advertise directly and quickly - choose a goal, find your audience, pick a budget, and create your ad. And in the world of data, you can monitor performance, get insights, and optimize towards your business goals with the real-time dashboard
3. Keep a Laser Focus on Your Audience
The future of social advertising continues to be in a state of flux as Google works to phase out cookie tracking by 2023. These changes will require that social media ads increase in sophistication resulting in a more target approach to reaching new consumers.
This micro-advertising approach will require that you understand your customer’s demographics and implement a laser like strategy to reach these potential customers economically and efficiently.
4. Using Social Media in the Workplace
It’s no surprise that social media is becoming a major form of workplace communication.
The trend will most definitely continue with this upcoming generation of millennials or "digital natives who became the largest generation in the work force as of 2016.
GWI’s latest numbers show that almost 1 in 4 internet users aged 16-64 now uses social media for work-related activities.
Workplace Applications
Social Media Marketing
In order to be successful, marketing needs the help from social media channels like Facebook and Instagram that have more traditional uses for companies looking at driving awareness or getting people interested in what they offer while also using consistent branding across all materials
Employee/Internal Communication
Internal company communications social media tools are an excellent way to improve your brand's reach, create a stronger connection with consumers, and engage employees. Beyond just good internal publicity, it can providing benefits such increased employee satisfaction and better recruiting.
Direct Sales
Many of today's top companies are turning to social media in order to stay ahead. With so many consumers using these platforms, it is imperative that you take advantage and use them too! Not only does this allow for staying up-to date on what your customers want but also helps position yourself as an expert within the industry or business.
The great thing about social media in the workplace is that it's a two-way street. You can use these platforms to build relationships with your coworkers, clients or partners in ways previously impossible!
In fact 82% percent of employees say they've seen improvement when using social media at work. Not only does this help create better working environments but also helps make decisions more easily because you can get real-time feedback.
5. Improving the Customer Journey
Social media selling will need to simplify the customer journey to increase advertising effectiveness and increase conversions. For example, Instagram introduced new shopping that allows social media users to purchase items without leaving their app. This creates a seamless shopping experience and a better social media app UX.
6. Content is Still King
25 years after Bill Gate's made the saying famous, the sentiment is as true today as it was in 1996. Content marketing is a strategy for creating and sharing consistent, relevant content. This is done in order to engage existing customers, create repeat visitors, and build your consumer base.
Post-pandemic content is even more crucial as the quantity will increase putting pressure on businesses to stay ahead of the curve. In order to remain visible to their potential customers, brands must communicate in local and detailed terms, targeting specific audiences based on what is most relevant to them.
This might mean creating specific content for a generation, location, gender, or hobby. Now that companies have personal data, users expect them to provide tailored experiences and relevant across the entire customer journey.
7. Social Media = Connections
Social media has always been about maintaining and building social connections.
Those connections reached personal and professional lines, but were designed to
make individuals feel like a part of a bigger whole.
The Covid-19 pandemic made that even more important as personal contact was kept to a minimum. While the primary social media platforms will remain strong, brands will need to develop their own “social network” housed on their site. The more you are able to create an internal community the more likely you will be able to stay relevant.
8. Social Advertising Trends
Social media ad spend up 17%
The social media world is booming, and it's only going to get bigger. In 2020 the number of people worldwide who use social networks was 3.6 million; by 2025 that figure is expected grow up past 4 million. That means nearly half Earth’s entire population will have access to some form of social media.
With a 17% increase in spending on social media advertising, it’s clear that companies are not slowing down anytime soon! A recent report from Hubspot said there will be a projected $23 billion increase in 2022.
Audience Representation
Instagram is quickly becoming an even more popular platform for advertisers, with their ad reach increasing past that of Facebook. The Audience page of the Insights tab in Creator Studio's Instagram section provides insights about gender, age range, location and when frequency of use.
Hootsuite provided a perfect succinct list of how to gather demographic data about your audience -
Log in to Twitter Analytics. Click on “Audiences.” You’ll see your audience’s key demographics, interests, and languages.
Go to your company’s LinkedIn Page and click on the Analytics tab. Here, you can see the seniority of your followers (e.g., managers, directors) and the industries that make up your audience including company size and job function.
Go to Facebook’s Audience Insights tool.
In the “Choose an Audience to Start” window, select “People Connected to Your Page.”
Enter your Facebook Page URL in the box that says “People Connected to Your Page.
You’ll now see demographic and buying behavior data about your social media audience.
Navigate back to the “Choose an Audience to Start” window. Select “Everybody on Facebook.” Add your competitor’s Facebook Page as an “Interest” category. This will show you the demographics and behaviors of your competitor’s social media audience..
9. Corporate Social Responsibility
Corporate Social Responsibility is no longer a buzzword that you can address in a
peripheral manner. Audiences are tired of empty promises and one-time programs
that were developed to sell product. They are willing to support brands that have
genuinely taken on a cause.
With a real commitment audiences are willing to support your brand and help you build the community needed to champion your chosen cause.
More than ever, consumers need to be the focus of every piece of content, strategy, or campaign put into action. The secret to winning over your audience is engaging your audience.
Brigantine Can Help
We're a full-service add-on agency with the brains to help you get ahead. We act as an in-house growth marketing team.
Regardless of your company's size, our specialized team crafts a targeted strategic plan that seamlessly connects website design, analytics, SEO, and digital marketing.
Start Growing Your Business Today
If you're ready for data-driven online marketing, contact us at hello@thebrigantinegroup.com.