I often have clients ask me my thoughts on their social media presence, which given that I advertise myself solely as a copywriter, I imagine is either due to the fact that I am relatively young or that they see digital marketing as one discipline. Sadly, I am not quite as talented as my clients give me credit for – I have no problems writing, but when it comes to untangling the complex web of social media for business use I am often as lost as your Nan. That being said, whilst I cannot practice, I have made it my business to preach – to understand the theory behind using social media for businesses. This is partly because I am a bit of a geek and I like to know things, but also because digital marketing is formed of a number of inter connected disciplines. And without having at least some understanding of social media, SEO, web design and the rest, I would be doing my clients a disservice.
So I was extremely pleased to come across the The Social Survey by Born Social survey; an in-depth, thoughtful study which offers readers a truly helpful insight into social media usage. A truly invaluable resource, I really do think it is well worth a read, but for those of you who would like a little bit of Helena Baker commentary, here are my thoughts:
The survey initially splits social media into five clear parts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and Pinterest. For the sake of brevity, I am going to immediately discount Pinterest – all you need to know on that front is that unless you are an event planner or fashion designer, you can safely avoid this minefield.
So that leaves us with the big 4 of social media and this is where the data really does get interesting.
Facebook – There is no question that the majority of us have a Facebook account – from young right through to old, we are all logging in. However, what The Social Survey by Born Social argue quite compellingly is that, these, days, we aren’t doing much beyond scrolling through our news feeds. We are not sharing or actively engaging – we might like a post and we might occasionally tag a friend, but that is the extent of our public activity. With news feeds becoming cluttered with sponsored ads and clickbait, Facebook is struggling with quality control and many of its users are focusing far more on Facebook tools like Messenger and my personal favorite, groups.
Twitter – I have always recommended to clients that they should avoid Twitter unless they pay the professionals to organise their account. A huge time investment and a mammoth commitment, Twitter is proving too much for most as it is used, actively, by only around 12% of people and it only really comes alive during times of mass hysteria, like Brexit and Trump when suddenly everyone is logging on. In truth, Twitter has been struggling for quite some time and I do suspect that over the next few years we may see the demise of this social platform.
Instagram – the up and coming social media platform Instagram is having something of a golden period amongst the 23-34 year old demographic. Users are actively sharing, engaging and drooling over the aspirational lifestyles of figures ranging from Ella Woodward and the cast of Geordie Shore. That being said, this platform is really only used by the under 35 market so stay well away if you are targeting an older demographic.
Snapchat – Used obsessively by 11-22 year olds, this tool is a MUST if you are targeting this demographic, although for the rest of us old farts like me it is pretty much irrelevant.
So there you have it, my very brief take on the fantastic The Social Survey by Born Social – I really would recommend you all take a look at the far more in-depth and nuanced online report as I am sure it will help guide your social media activity.
If you would like to contact any of the team at Born Social, and I can attest to the fact that they are a pretty lovely bunch give them a call on 0203 392 3280.
And if you would like discuss any content marketing needs feel free to give me a ring on 07826 857 882 or drop me a line on helena@helenabaker.com