Key Trends from the Sensis Social Media Report

The annual Sensis Social Media report of 2015 produced some interesting trends.

1) The percentage of the population who use social media daily is still increasing but at a slower rate. At 49% almost half of all internet users engage in social media activity at least once a day. Interestingly for the first time since 2011 the percentage of people who say they don’t use social media at all increased to 32%.

2) Peak social media usages has “traditionally” been after work and before going to bed. However for the first time, use of social media first thing in the morning was the most popular time for social media activity.

3)  Has the market for social media platforms matured? While LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest and Google+ is still growing; Facebook and Twitter have lost territory while new comers Tumblr and Snapchat are finding the market challenging after early growth.

4)  The top four social media activities according to Sensis is keeping in touch, sharing photos and videos, organising parties and a source of news updates all have a dropped over the lat 4 years. Social media as a “source of news updates” is the only activity in the top 4 that has a positive on average trend.

5) Retail consumer goods are the most search items on social media. In particular fashion and clothing, electrical goods and household items are the most popular searches in social media platforms. Although only 41% of retail outlets have a social media marketing campaign.

6) The use of mobile devices while interacting online has exploded. In particular the use of smartphones and tablets has grown tremendously while desktop computers are slowly becoming a relic of the technological past. The mobile device trend provides advantages for web integrated and enabled social media websites.

7) Social media users want less from brands and businesses they follow but they would like information, advice discounts and special offers when they do engage with businesses.

Tactics for Social Media Marketing plans 

a) Mobile Enabled – All websites and landing pages to be mobile enabled to to maximise social media click through and engagement.

b) Customer Journey – Ensure the customer journey is monitored and followed through. Automated follow ups, opt-ins, abandon cart campaigns, and anniversary triggers to optimize customer retention through social media.

c) Location Based Campaigns – Creating campaigns for specific market segments and product trends whether they are demographic or location segments to build brand loyalty by leveraging social media platforms.