It’s no secret that social media is a vital part of any business’s marketing strategy. The average Australian spends around two hours a day scrolling through their social media feeds, roughly one-third of their time online. But keeping up with the latest trends and Meta’s notorious algorithms can become laborious. Not to mention the time it takes to create content and schedule regular posts. This is where outsourcing to a social media agency has its benefits.
Keeping our finger on the pulse is a key metric for our social media experts, ensuring that our clients are getting the most from their investment.
So, what’s our thoughts for getting the best out your social media in 2024?
Consider why people are on socials… and work with it.
According to Hootsuite’s 2024 Social Trends report, the number one reason people use social media is to be entertained. In fact, TikTok itself positions itself as an ‘entertainment platform’ rather than a social media one.
This means shifting from a sales-first mindset to a customer-first one, with an emphasis on addressing the customer’s needs rather than a hard sell. This is particularly pertinent, as Hootsuite also reports that 34 per cent of social media users will refrain from a brand or business that is too self-focused.
Consider using the following type of content in 2024 to build loyalty and relatability on your social platforms.
- Q&As
- Tutorials
- Testimonials
- User-Generated content
- Lo-Fi video.
There is still a place for Facebook
If you’re being told that Facebook is no longer relevant, consider yourself warned.
Facebook continues to be a key platform for IvyStreet’s social media offering, and here’s why:
Facebook remains the most popular social media network in Australia, with 66 per cent of Australians between the ages of 16 and 64 using the platform. Despite being 20 years old, the number of Facebook users continues to grow.
This means that the potential to reach new customers and create brand awareness is huge.
AI has a place, but knowing when and how to use it is paramount.
There’s no doubt that artificial intelligence landed with a bang in 2023.
Despite many marketers and creative agencies fearing that AI puts jobs at risk, we’ve embraced it at IvyStreet and have invested in upskilling our team to harness AI tools.
However, this doesn’t mean that AI overrides everything that we do. We’re also aware that it still has many shortcomings; It can’t think creatively, develop unique ideas, or understand emotional connection. And, as more businesses produce content en masse via AI, incorporating these elements into your content will become more important than ever. In fact, according to HootSuite, 62 per cent of social media users say they are less likely to engage with and trust content if they know it was produced by AI.
Instead, we see artificial intelligence more as an assistant. SEMRush predicts that 2024 will bring a new era for AI, one where marketers use artificial intelligence for idea generation and brainstorming, allowing them to devote more time to strategic thinking. And that’s where we think the power lies too.
Embrace all platforms, but ensure there’s strategy behind it.
In a world where everyone fights to be seen, an omnipresent social media strategy is key to keeping your brand front of mind.
We recommend sharing content across various platforms. By doing this, brands can appeal to new demographics, interests and ultimately, customers while also building brand recognition and credibility.
However, we also recommend tailoring content to suit each platform. This enhances your ability to connect with people on different channels, whether it be repurposing content from other channels or creating fresh content. Some ways we recommend doing this include:
- Using different edits for different platforms.
- Mixing up captions to suit each platform.
- Adding unique hashtags for different platforms – or leaving them out for others..
It’s also important to maintain a clear strategy and carefully manage each platform, paying attention to engagement rates as well as reading and replying to comments. This requires significant time, effort, and resources. Content creation, engagement, and management have become more complex and demanding.
Ignore TikTok at your peril.
Nearly 30 per cent of Australians use TikTok. With the potential to reach over 7 million users (18+ only) through ads, it’s no surprise that TikTok was the most popular mobile app in Australia in 2023. A report by We are Social found that the average Australian spends an average of 29 hours and 36 minutes per month on the platform, a 6-hour and 12-minute increase (26.5%) since last year.
TikTok has become a must-have platform for platforms looking to grow their profile. In terms of its overall impact, several reports overwhelmingly support that engaging content influences roughly 76% of user decisions.
However, where we really see TikTok’s added benefit is as a search engine. Hootsuite recently revealed that many Gen Z’s now use Tiktok as a source of information, bypassing traditional search engines like Google. According to Forbes, even Google has acknowledged the trend, admitting as far back in 2022, that 40% of young users used TikTok or Instagram to look for a place for lunch instead of Google Maps.
We’re not suggesting that TikTok is about to overtake Google, however, one thing is certain – if you’re not on it, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with customers.
Find out how IvyStreet can help grow your business’s social media presence. Contact the team here.
