1、 SproutSocial SproutSocial 305091323395361Table of contentsIntroductionKey findingsThe state of social media marketingWhat your audience really wantsMoving toward a social-first businessTrends to watchC SproutSocial 5I SproutSocial SproutSocial 7IntroductionThere is no questioning the value of socia
2、l media.Social is a venerable powerhouse,supporting nearly every marketing objective from brand awareness to advocacy over the past decade.And this value forces social teams to think more critically about their integrated marketing strategies as a whole.To understand the full potential of social and
3、 how it can provide the most value to brands,we went right to the source.For this Index,we surveyed more than 1,000 social marketers about their social goals,challenges and expectations,and we cross-referenced their responses with those of more than 1,000 consumers to understand what people really w
4、ant from brands on social.Seventy percent of social marketers say their biggest goal with social is to increase awareness,and more than half(59%)use social to support their sales and lead generation objectives.Other goals include increasing community engagement and growing brand audiences,making soc
5、ial an incredibly rich marketing channel.But with such a versatile resource at their disposal,marketers can find it challenging to prioritize their goals and hone their focus.Social also remains the optimal channel for marketers to achieve their lofty goals.In the last six months alone,44%of consume
6、rs reported an increase in their personal use of social media platforms.That increased social usage bodes well for marketers seeking to drive their social audience further down the purchasing funnel:when consumers follow a brand on social,87%say they are likely to visit that brands website or app.De
7、spite the potential of social,marketers still struggle to fully embrace its effectiveness.Forty-seven percent of marketers say developing social strategies that support overall business goals is their number one challenge.And 22%of marketing leaders worry their brands social strategy is ineffective.
8、While 71%of all social marketers agree they are able to provide helpful insights to teams outside of their departments,only 12%of social teams say their primary function is to provide business insights for their entire organization.At a time when social is more accessible than ever before,its value
9、is still downplayed because of the historical disconnect between social and bottomline business metrics.The time is now for marketers to learn how to effectively communicate the significance of social data,elevate their strategies to serve larger business goals and secure a seat at the table for soc
10、ial teams.In the latest Sprout Social Index,we explore how social marketers can refine their goals and improve social performance by tapping into consumer insights and rising trends.Well dig into the challenges holding social teams back from reaching their fullest potential and uncover how marketers
11、 can demonstrate the value of social beyond the marketing department.Empowered with these insights,marketers can expand socials influence through the entire organization and even demonstrate how social data positively influences business SproutSocial SproutSocial 9K SproutSocial SproutSocial 11By al
12、igning their social goals with those of other departments,marketers can support larger brand objectives,exceed consumers expectations and maximize the ROI of social.Marketers need to dig deeper to understand their audience.Consumers want to be engaged and entertained before they buy.Facebook continu
13、es to dominate the social landscape.Brands are only scratching the surface of what social can do.Marketers struggle to create social strategies to support overall business goals.Forty-three percent of all social marketers say a major challenge is identifying and understanding their target audience.T
14、o address this concern,marketers turn to social data:63%of practitioners believe social listening will become more important in the coming year.While coupons can attract consumer interest,entertaining and inspiring posts get the most engagement.And 50%of all marketers say posts that entertain are mo
15、re effective than discounts and sales content in helping them reach their goals.Eighty-nine percent of marketers use Facebook for their brand marketing,and 83%of all consumers surveyed use Facebook.Sixty-six percent of consumers say they Like or Follow a brand profile on Facebook.The next three soci
16、al platforms on which consumers follow brands are Instagram,YouTube and Twitter.Seventy-one percent of social marketers believe they can offer helpful insights from social to teams outside of the marketing department.But brands arent taking advantage of all that social has to offer,and 39%of markete
17、rs struggle to demonstrate the value of social to the rest of their organization.Nearly half(47%)of all social marketers,from interns to the C-suite,say developing a strategy that supports their organizations goals is the number one challenge they face.10 SproutSocialKey SproutSocial 13The state of
18、social media marketing SproutSocial SproutSocial 15Today,the majority of Americans have a social profile,and brands continue to heavily invest in both organic and paid social.In 2019,social advertising spend in the U.S.is expected to reach$18.4 billion.Ninety percent of social marketers agree invest
19、ing in social media has a direct impact on their business revenue.These days,63%of social marketers say they frequently discuss social metrics or ROI with Social marketers topgoals for socialHow marketers define engagement when measuring social successtheir bosses,a 23%increase compared to marketers
20、 who said the same thing in our previous Index report.When it comes to setting social media goals,social marketers say brand awareness,which was their focus last year as well,is still their number one priority.Marketers goals also include driving sales and lead generation through social marketing,as
21、 well as increasing community engagement and growing their audience.With social marketers focused on increasing awareness,its easy to assume they would prioritize reach and impressions to meet their goals.But when asked which metrics they focus on to help meet their goals,63%of social marketers say
22、they leverage engagement metrics.Less than half(41%)use amplification and brand awareness metrics,like reach and impressions,and 50%of social marketers focus on conversion and revenue metrics.When asked how they define engagement to measure the success of their social strategies,social marketers poi
23、nted to Likes and comments,as well as shares,retweets and interaction with consumers.Increase brandawarenessSales/leadgenerationIncrease communityengagementGrow my brands audienceIncrease webtraffic72%62%60%34%32%29%Likes and/orcommentsRevenueattributionShares and/orRetweetsInspiring consumersto tak
24、e actionInteraction withconsumersInspiring anemotional responseThe state of social media SproutSocial 17Social marketers also have a good idea which social platforms to use in order to connect with their target audience.Aligned with consumer behaviors,89%of marketers say they use Facebook as part of
25、 their brands social strategy.Social platform use:marketers vs.consumers89%65%50%49%44%38%28%28%15%6%4%66%41%22%35%13%6%14%17%3%2%2%89%of marketers say they use Facebook as part of their brands social SproutSocial 17The state of social media marketingThe social platforms marketers useWhere consumers
26、 follow brands on SproutSocial 19While Facebook reigns supreme,its worth taking a closer look at which social platforms are most popular among certain age groups.Facebook,for example,is the primary platform where members of Generation X Like or follow brands(77%),but for members of Generation Z,Inst
27、agram takes the cake(69%).In addition to age and platform preferences,social marketers weigh several other factors when deciding which social platforms to build their strategy around.While cost remains a major consideration,social marketers today are primarily interested in how many people they can
28、reach on a specific platform.54%47%38%37%33%29%24%Despite having a clearer picture of goals and metrics,almost half(47%)of social marketers find it difficult to develop social strategies that support their overall business goals.Social marketing leaders in particular agree with this statement.Fifty-
29、one percent of leaders say creating social strategies that fit in their organizations business goals is a top challenge for them,compared to 44%of practitioners.Outside of developing social strategies for overall business goals,43%of all social marketers struggle to identify and understand their tar
30、get audience,while 31%find it difficult to secure budget and resources for social media.1.2.3.4.5.6.7.8.9.How marketers prioritize which social platforms to invest inSocial marketers greatest challengesPotential for driving trafficDeveloping socialstrategies to support business goalsAligning social
31、strategy with other parts of the businessPublishing contentMeasuring ROIMonitoring our competitionTeam bandwidthIdentifying andunderstanding our target audienceDemonstrating socials business impact to other departments Securing budgetand resources forsocial mediaPotential for lead generationSocial a
32、lgorithm updatesTargeting optionsDemographic makeupof platform usersCost of paid adsPotential audience reach The state of social media marketingSproutstanceLooking back at marketers greatest challenges and their primary functions,its clear theres a disconnect in expectations and responsibilities.Whe
33、n so few marketers share business insights gleaned from social with the rest of their organizations,its no wonder why so many struggle to develop social strategies that support big picture goals.Part of the problem stems from the fact that social teams often remain siloed in marketing even though so
34、cial data can provide influential guidance to other departments.Its up to social teams to prove it in order to open the door to relationships that will move brands forward.Take Kraft Foods,for example.Theyve used social data to shape product development and conduct market research.When considering t
35、heir potential entry into the burger or mini-burger market,Kraft gathered insights from social.To focus their approach,Kraft dove right into customers social conversations,searching for common themes and how people in different audience segments felt about sliders.Kraft has also used social media to
36、 poll customers about new products theyd like to see in stores.One such poll received 930,000 votes and led to the creation of Mayochup,a mayonnaise and ketchup hybrid you can actually buy today.20 SproutSocialThe state of social media SproutSocial 23What your audience really wants SproutSocial Spro
37、utSocial 25Poor customer serviceIrrelevant contentToo many ads from that brandToo many promotional postsThey talk about politics and/or social issuesThey ignore posts and mentions from peopleThey use influencers to sell productsElevating your social strategy requires a two-pronged approach.First,soc
38、ial marketers must align and collaborate with the right teams to set goals that meet consumer and brand expectations.Then,marketers must use insights about consumer habits and preferences to build connections with their audience on social.50%48%40%38%36%36%35%20%20%Understanding the why behind consu
39、mer actions If social marketers want to deepen their connections with consumers on social,it helps to know how and why people use social media in the first place.Half of consumers follow a brand to learn about new products and services,while 48%of consumers follow brands on social to be entertained.
40、Why consumers follow brands on social mediaWhy consumers unfollow brands on social mediaIts equally helpful to understand what brands do or say on social media that turns consumers away.Poor customer service is the number one reason why consumers will unfollow a brand on social media,followed by pos
41、ting irrelevant content.To learn about new products or servicesTo be entertainedTo stay up to date on company newsTo learn about promotions or discountsTo connect with other people who are similar to meTo be inspiredTo be educatedTo connect with other people who are different from meTo communicate w
42、ith the brand56%51%43%35%34%29%14% SproutSocial 25What your audience really SproutSocial 27Identifying which actions can trigger a Like or an unfollow is challengingbut its a necessary move for social marketers trying to achieve their goals.In addition to knowing what encourages Likes and follows,so
43、cial marketers also need to know what types of posts consumers will interact with the most.When we asked consumers what types of posts theyre most likely to leave comments on and share,entertaining posts were the number one answer across the board.This is in line with what most social marketers cons
44、ider to be effective;50%of social marketers say entertaining and inspirational posts are the most effective in helping them reach their goals.Whats interesting to note is consumers shift away from discounts and sales and toward entertaining and inspirational content.In 2018,67%of consumers said they
45、 were most likely to engage with discounts,while over half(51%)said they would share posts promoting sales.In this years Index,our findings reveal the majority of consumers prefer interacting 32%with entertaining posts,and only a little more than one-third(37%)engage with discounts and sales.In anot
46、her survey earlier this year,64%of consumers said they want brands to connect with them,and with social as the premier channel for connection,marketers will need to reevaluate how they encourage engagement.With a solid strategy for building awareness among consumers,the next step for social marketer
47、s is turning that awareness into genuine consideration.Social posts that encourageconsumers Likes&sharesHow consumers respond to employee advocacy&influencersOne way to encourage people to seriously consider a brand is to leverage employee advocacy.Today,almost three quarters(72%)of all social marke
48、ters use their employees as social media advocates.Forty-five percent of consumers say they are more likely to research a product or service when someone relatable,like an employee,posts about it.Thirty-two percent of consumers react similarly when a celebrity or influencer posts about the same thin
49、g.are more likely toresearch a product or service when celebrities post about itPosts thatentertainPosts thatinspirePosts thatteachPosts thattell a storyPosts consumers will Like or comment onPosts consumers will shareDiscountsor salesare more likely toresearch a productor service when theCEO posts
50、about itare more likely toresearch a productor service when employees postabout it38%45%67%57%46%38%38%55%50%38%37%37% SproutSocial 27What your audience really wantsWhile offering discounts remains an effective strategy,rising consumer expectations have devalued promo posts as the primary means of c
