Social media has continued to grow over the past few years.According to the Bureau of Statistics
In 2020, there were approximately 3.6 billion active users worldwide, which is expected to increase to 4.41 billion by 2025. Social media marketing has also received well-deserved recognition as a critical business function. That said, the social media landscape is continually changing. Platforms that are popular today may become unpopular next year. Audience behavior on the platform continues to change as well. Marketing professionals need to meet their audiences on their favorite platforms.So how can marketers take advantage of the opportunities social media presents? Sprout Social recently published a study to understand where social media is heading, consumer expectations, marketing challenges, and opportunities ahead. To find out, we surveyed over 1,000 consumers and 500 marketers.
Below are some of the key findings from the study.
Human resources are a top priority for companies
As the social media landscape continues to change and the responsibilities of social teams increase, finding the right talent is a challenge for marketers. About 52% of respondents cited it as their biggest challenge this year. Additionally, approximately 88% of marketers expect to hire at least one member of their team in a social media role in the next two years. About 62% expect she will hire between 2 and 6 new members. These statistics show that job seekers, regardless of their level of expertise, have opportunities for social roles.
But what’s driving social media’s growth? Because social awareness goes beyond marketing. Other departments are also recognizing the need for social media, such as customer service, corporate communications, human resources, and even research and development. But as more functions become involved and social strategies become more sophisticated, it becomes essential to identify who owns what and what capabilities are needed across the team.
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Marketers need to understand where their audience is
Consumer expectations and behaviors regarding social media continue to change. For example, this study found that consumers find short videos 2.5 times more attractive than longer ones. Also, about 74% of consumers believe that the optimal publication is 1-2 posts per day. However, this may change depending on the platform’s algorithm.
. Additionally, consumers rated certain types of in-feed content as more appealing than other types. Below is a short list.The most engaging types of in-feed content
sauce: 2022 US Social Media Trends Report
Social media users want to see more branded content featuring products, services, or real customers. Consumers also want to see user-generated content. At the same time, different generations react differently to influencer’s marketing. For example, younger consumers prefer collaborating with influencers and content creators more than older generations.
When it comes to social platform preferences, both consumers and marketers have slightly different views on how they will use social platforms in the year ahead. For example, 38% of consumers plan to use TikTok, but only 17% of marketers plan to use it. Below is a list of how people on both sides of the marketing equation expect to use popular platforms throughout the year.
Top platforms that users and marketers expect to use the most over the next year
sauce: 2022 US Social Media Trends Report
In addition to knowing where consumers are, companies also need to use social media listening and analytics to understand how consumers respond to posts. This will help you develop a better strategy for posting and engaging on social media.
Your social media goal should be to build a brand that people love and trust.
According to the study, 71% of consumers think it’s important for brands to raise awareness and take a stand on sensitive topics. For Gen Z and Millennials, it’s even more important. At the same time, 48% of marketers said brands need to speak out on social issues to stay culturally relevant on social media. But despite this desire, social media marketers have a hard time convincing executives to do so. About 66% of marketers say they need to encourage leadership on social issues.
Understanding people’s personal values is also important for marketers to improve revenue. Consumers feel it is 74% more important that a company aligns with their personal values than he did in 2021. Products and services are important, but consumer preferences are increasingly driven by trust and shared values.
One way to build brand trust is to improve customer care. Taking too long to answer customer questions will have a negative impact. Approximately 36% of consumers said they would share their negative experience with a friend or family member if something like this happened to them. Approximately 31% said they would not complete the purchase. Consumers also have their favorite customer care channels, with Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube being the top three channels. Consumers prefer more personalized conversation opportunities, so messaging can be a lucrative way to provide them.
Marketers need to be aware of new trends and technology introductions
If marketers plan to jump on the latest trends and technologies on social media, they should do their due diligence. For example, when considering influencer marketing, he must identify the right influencers and creators to partner with. The most important qualifications for creators are personal experience and credibility with the product. This is followed by the use of high-quality content and number of followers. Creators should also be careful about how often they promote their products. Approximately 81% of consumers said they would unfollow creators who post sponsored content more than a few times a week.
When it comes to technology adoption, marketers may be enthusiastic about immersive technology and NFTs, but not all consumers are. Marketers need to strike a balance between meeting customers where they are and showing them what will happen in the future.
As social becomes more important, social teams rely on employee advocacy programs to extend their reach beyond bandwidth. Approximately 68% of respondents said they have a social advocacy program. They use these programs to increase brand awareness and build an employer brand that attracts job seekers. Also, many companies use them to promote competent leads and sort his leadership.
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conclusion
While this research points to some challenges, priorities, and questions related to social media, developing a strategy really depends on the people. It’s up to you to think about what it means to engage with your brand and where you want to spend your time. It’s up to the influencers and content creators who partner with brands to drive traffic to the platform. And finally, realizing the true power of social media depends on leaders who are willing to hire and lead the right people for their social media teams and collaborate with other departments. Organizations that can harness this power are positioned to win.
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