A friend recently blamed me that targeted ads that constantly monitor his social media feeds are not only disruptive, but frequently irrelevant. She mainly uses social media to follow her friends and follow artists and artisans who could offer her inspiration or technical knowledge.
While she was evacuating her frustration, I wondered why the commercials she was seeing were still lacking despite the great advances in ad targeting technology. There must surely be a better way for brands to reach the public through social media.
Surprisingly, if nearly two-thirds of social media users are irritated by the number of promotions that clog their feeds, and 26% are actively ignoring marketing content, 62% follow at least one brand on social media .
According to GlobalWebIndex, 42% of social media users are here to stay in touch with their friends, while more than a third party also wants to follow the news, find entertaining content or kill time. Although 27% of users find or search for products on social media, most uses are geared toward relationship building. As such, it is clear that many social media users are annoyed by advertisements that they find intrusive, irrelevant or boring.
While this data helps us understand why users can find abrasive ads, it also gives us insight into why they are so open to tracking brands on social media. Today's hypercompetitive ethic is not limited to brands or advertisements. Consumers want to know the latest trends in fashion and technology, and they want to know first. By following the brands, users can keep an eye on the latest and the best.
The suite also allows consumers to interact more directly with brands and express their dissatisfaction when brands are mistaken. A total of 46% of users called brands on social networks, and four out of five think this has had a positive impact on brand responsibility. The good news for brands is that when they respond well, 45% of users post messages on the interaction, and more than one-third will share the experience with their friends.
Trademarks should note that 60 percent of appeals are in response to perceived dishonesty, which should give some context to the fact that 30 percent will not follow a trademark that uses slang or jargon incompatible with 39, image of the brand. This can be a costly mistake since 76% of users aged 13 to 25 have stopped buying brands after they stop working.
The news may seem bleak, but the truth is that these facts set a clear path for brands that want to take advantage of unprecedented consumer access offered by the social media revolution. Here are some tips to keep in mind.
1. Be authentic
Above all, brands must search for authenticity. Consumers have shown that they are not only open to branded social media content, they appreciate it, provided the content is useful and relevant rather than disrupting their experience.
According to statistics on the use of social media, we find that users are very interested in staying connected and entertained. Brands that share news about upcoming trends or that offer content based on their merit can add value to the user's social media experience while addressing a more receptive audience.
2. Be useful
Understanding how people use their presence on social media can help brands leverage their marketing investments. Users may not want to see an advertisement of soft drinks by scrolling photos of a friend's trip, but an airline advertisement could knock at home.
Educational videos can be a particularly effective way to reach a public in a useful way. Like many others, my friend would be much more welcoming of commentary videos from a wire provider than seemingly arbitrary apparel ads that spice up his heavy social media workflows.
3. Be contextual
As always, context is the key. Not all interactions with social media are alike. Users can turn to a branch of their network for entertainment or news and to another branch for technical knowledge or inspiration.
While the current targeting method estimates user trends based on the activity and interests of their network, determining how users connect to specific network nodes will enable brands to reach users where they will be most receptive. to the marketing content in question.
4. Be credible
Differentiation is also essential for establishing credibility. A study by the American Press Institute showed that users give more weight to the question of who shares the content than where it originally comes from. Social media users, especially those aged 13 to 24, will actively share and discuss content that they find interesting.
Trademarks can use this phenomenon to spread the content, but only if those who share it are seen as trusted by members of their network. The way that connections respond to a user's posts or shares may be more important than sharing the user.
5. Be accessible
Brands need to create an audience of active and reliable followers who will help spread the brand's content to their loyal followers. Beyond the publication of content that is true to their image, brands can achieve this by making themselves more accessible to consumers.
Instant messaging can be a powerful tool for answering consumer questions, responding to complaints, and building more intimate relationships with followers. By responding in a more immediate and personal way to users, brands can empower users to take the initiative to establish a stronger relationship with them.
6. Be persistent
The most important factor that determines the success of a brand in the world of social media is perseverance. This means in part being sensitive to user feedback and actively working to improve their social media presence.
At the same time, brands must stick to their weapons. A majority (about 60%) of users need to interact with content between two and four times before acting, according to a Sprout Social survey. Regular production of quality content will allow users to stay tuned, thereby translating users' engagement with content into tangible results.
7. Be testy
Brands too often fail to invest in testing to understand the effectiveness of their advertising in social media. It's easy to apologize for not doing it: "investing by ad is too small", "I'm getting steps from the platform" or "we do not have the time" are most frequently heard.
This is an error. Without independent validation that the advertisements reach their goals (both behavioral and behavioral), a brand can not be sure that it has passed the challenge glove described above.
8. Use your listening skills
Brands that actively listen to social media users and respond seriously to their needs and interests can enter the new marketing frontier. More than 75% of Sprout survey users claim to have purchased a product after interacting with marketing content on a social media platform. In addition, many users have discovered a new brand on social networks, in stores or via conventional advertising.
While many brands are struggling to reach consumers on social networks (and not for lack of effort), they can overcome the resistance they experience by opening their ears – before their doors -change.
The opinions expressed in this article are those of the guest author and not necessarily Marketing Land. The authors of the staff are listed here.
About the author
Peter Minnium is president of Ipsos Connect, where he leads the US team helping businesses measure and amplify how media, brands and consumers connect through engaging content and good communications. Before moving on to market research, Peter was head of brand initiatives at IAB focused on the under-representation of creative advertising brands online.