For most businesses (70%), their top goal for social media is to raise awareness, according to the 2019 Sprout Social Index. Driving sales and generating leads came in a close second, though.
It helps that 90% of marketers found that investing in social media has a direct impact on their revenue.
But as you invest more in social, how can you ensure impact to the bottom line by moving customers down the funnel?
Read on for data-driven tips from Sprout Social about what customers want from you at each step of their buying journey.
What Platforms People Want You to Be On
Unsurprisingly, most consumers (66%) follow brands on Facebook, while 41% follow companies on Instagram. After that, 35% of people follow brands on YouTube.
The rest of the networks account for a much smaller part of the pie.
- 32% follow on Twitter.
- 17% connect with brands on Pinterest.
- 14% follow companies on Snapchat.
- 13% use Messenger to communicate with businesses.
- 6% follow companies on LinkedIn.
Go where your people are! For most companies, that means reaching a wide audience on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Twitter.
From there, see if the audiences on the networks with more niche followings align with your target demographic.
Why Customers Follow You
As you’re planning your editorial calendar, mark the goal of each piece of content. You want to ensure you’re delivering the types of content that your followers want most from you.
People primarily follow brands to learn more about their products or services. From there, they want to be entertained. Sprinkle in some company news when it’s relevant.
Of course, feel free to share about promotions or discounts as people are always keen to be the first to know of a good sale!
If you’re ambitious, inspire, educate and find ways to connect your followers.
Content that Converts
The good news is that 84% of people are more likely to buy from a brand they follow on social. But that doesn’t mean you’ll win them over right away!
53% of people who follow brands don’t buy anything from them at all. Instead, they’re just there for the content you create. 46% want inspirational posts, while 41% are there to be entertained.
61% said a discount post would encourage them to make that first purchase while 45% said more details about the product would convert them.
It’s fine a line, though. Too many promotional posts are one of the top reasons people unfollow you. So, be sure to sprinkle in content that can convert.
Most of your content should focus on entertaining, educating and inspiring. And if you need a bit of inspiration yourself, people are also keen to see more live videos, user-generated content and Instagram Stories from brands this year.
