Editor’s note: Phil Ahad is vice president at Toluna QuickSurveys, Washington, D.C.
Launching a social media campaign is standard for most brands today. Before a campaign is launched it’s vital to understand exactly where consumers are spending their time online. Without this information, marketers are essentially wasting time throwing ideas, incentives and announcements against a digital wall, with very little chance of having anything stick.
To start, researchers must examine which networks consumers are logging into. Our recent survey shows what networks consumers are using (see infographic): 79 percent are on Facebook, 38 percent are on Twitter, 26 percent are on Instagram, 34 percent are on Pinterest and 29 percent are on Google Plus.
Researchers should look to see where consumers are connecting with brands and how many brands they are following across the social accounts they frequent. When asked why these consumers joined these social media networks, a whopping 33 percent said it was to connect with brands they like.
Mobile remains the primary way consumers are satisfying their social media fix, as 44 percent of consumers polled say they log into their social accounts via their smartphones “very often.” This confirms your consumers are largely on-the-go, yet still available. Survey results provide a breakdown of other ways consumers are logging on, with 21 percent using tablets “very often,” 28 percent using desktop computers “very often” and 31 percent using laptop computers “very often.”
Once researchers know where and how consumers are logging in to social media, it is important to not only listen in on the conversation but give consumers what they want. When asked why they chose to follow various brands on social media, consumers said:
- to hear when new products are coming out (50 percent);
- to interact with the brand and voice their opinion (30 percent);
- to hear about sales they’re having (59 percent); and
- to interact with others who like those brands (24 percent).
So consumers do have an ulterior motive when following brands on social media but they also just want to be heard. They want to know their feedback matters, and their opinions are being considered. Eighty-two percent of respondents said they feel valued as a consumer when a brand asks for their opinion and 65 percent agree that social media makes brands seem more approachable.
Overall, 60 percent of consumers say social media is one of their top three preferred ways to be contacted by brands. Once researchers home in on where consumers are logging in and with what device, the social media campaign can be directed and learning what it is consumers really want to hear from a brand.
