Marketers need social media, but a lot of users are growing weary of it. A recent Hootsuite study found that 59% of brand followers believe there is too much advertising on social media. Over half (52%) of respondents find self-promotional brand material to be tiresome. Furthermore, a third would favor absolutely no brand content on social media.
6,026 customers were questioned by the social media toolkit firm about their preferences for and dislikes from brand interactions on social media. The findings imply that brand strategy on social media needs to be modified in tandem with the evolution of social media platforms. The main reasons why customers unfollow businesses or hide their ads from feeds include clickbait, repeated material, fake content, and uninteresting goods.
Additionally, customers—Baby Boomers in particular—do not want firms to post about religion, politics, or policies. They want to learn something new, see something funny, or get inspired. They also want firms to embrace their identity and take on significant cultural events.
In summary, consumers want to see more clever, engaging, and reflective content from brands. And as Hootsuite discovered, there’s a good payout. Among those who follow brands on social media, 70% of individuals have specific plans to make a purchase from them, and nearly 60% have actually done so. Users seek brands they can relate to on social media and that offer interesting perspectives on subjects related to their areas of expertise when selecting which ones to follow.
Although each user will interpret this differently, brands can typically find success by posting about their primary focus. For example, sustainability-focused brands may post about upcycling, or an athletic gear company may post about sports. Being more considerate and cognizant of a brand’s core supporters is more important than just putting in more effort.
The increasing trend of search engines incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into their platforms has made social media success all the more crucial. Google has been experimenting with integrating its Gemini AI into search, and it is currently offering some users the chance to participate in beta testing for generative AI search. This changes the entire search experience and establishes a whole new paradigm for marketing.
I discussed some of these changes and how marketers should deal with them with Jim Yu, founder and executive chairman of BrightEdge. A portion of our discussion can be found later in this newsletter.
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