The State of Social Media Marketing 2015

THE STATE OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING 2015 You Tube 8+ in Of all the marketing tools and tactics available today, social media continues to be top priority for many. Despite the fact organic reach has become more and more difficult to achieve in recent years, social remains an incredibly lucrative option. But what social networks should you be capitalising on? Are mobile users more important than those on desktop and which industries can enjoy the most success? Let's find out... The most recently published summary THE MOST POPULAR (January 2015) of the top 20 social platforms comes from the Global Web Index. The percentage of Internet users with the following accounts is: SOCIAL NETWORKS 81% liii. 60% 60% 53% 29% 27% 13% Facebook YouTube Google+ Twitter Linkedin Instagram Pinterest In Q2 of 2015, data from Similaweb found that popular networks such as THE STILL GROWING OPPORTUNITY OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube actually saw negative growth in desktop traffic over the course of three months. However, the average monthly change for Linkedin stayed roughly the same, whereas Reddit grew everywhere apart from the US. Having said that, the Global Web Index recently revealed that out of the world's total population: Active social media accounts Active internet users Therefore, there is clear are at 42% penetration scope for growth, especially among mobile users. are at 29% penetration With the exception of Reddit, the worldwide THE IMPORTANCE average monthly change of mobile web share went up across all social networks in 02 2015 OF MOBILE USERS (SimilarWeb research). | 0.61% Facebook 0.56% YouTube |2.62% Twitter 2.55% Pinterest | 0.46% Linkedin So, when interacting with social networks, the world's Internet users are increasingly doing so on mobile. But is this taking place on responsive websites or dedicated apps? THE MOST POPULAR & ACTIVE SOCIAL APPS ON ANDROID According to data for the USA from Similarweb, the share of total Android users was: Total users vs. Active users You Tube in Pinterest 99.48% / 30.14% 70.93% / 66.07% 24.10% / 19.66% 17.64% / 18.62% 5.95% / 10.76% While popular networks such as YouTube and Facebook enjoy an impressive share of Android users, the more niche social spheres of Twitter, Pinterest, and LinkedIn are perhaps more advantageous to certain brands due to their active audiences. But what industries will benefit the most? THE IMPORTANCE OF SOCIAL MEDIA FOR ECOMMERCE According to SimilarWeb, the worldwide percentages of desktop social traffic for various shopping subcategories are as follows: Wedding 11.38% Clothing 6.14% Antiques & collectables 5.88% Ethical & regional 5.63% Jewellery 4.91% Publications 4.17% In the USA and UK, weddings and clothing lead the way, but France and India are more concerned with ethnic and regional. So, when using social media for e-commerce, carefully consider your location first. Further research by Smart Insights looked at how THE MOST COST-EFFECTIVE MARKETING CHANNELS marketers rate channels for volume of leads or sales expected by the business. 33% gave social media a medium-high to high rating. This is in comparison to display advertising (19%) and online PR (23%). Only 4% said they didn't use social media. This is in comparison to SEO (5%), online PR (9%), paid search marketing (13%), and display advertising (16%). WHAT'S HOT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA IN As you would expect, social networks are constantly changing and adjusting their offering for everyday users as well as brands and businesses. But what are the latest 2015? trends you should be aware of? FACEBOOK TWITTER INSTAGRAM Removed charge Ability to stream Periscope, a service Introduced Carousel for likes and has Ads, which feature URLS made changes to Newsfeed visibility for live broadcast & multiple photos can be swiped to find out more and recording PINTEREST LINKEDIN Buyable pins button Lead Accelerator offering now live to target & convert specific users Regardless of the social network you choose to promote your goods and services on, a fair amount of success is all but guaranteed. However, the extent in which you can engage with users and generate qualified leads will depend on a few things. First up, you will need to find out whether your audience is interacting with social media on desktop or mobile. Then, you must decide whether there is enough interest in your industry to make any social media activity worth it. All the while, you should bear in mind the constantly changing landscape of social media, which may or may not work in your favour. IN COLLABORATION WITH OUR FRIENDS: JBH 3 Smart Insights OSimilarWeb CREATING COMPELLING ACTIONABLE DIGITAL COMPETITIVE INTELLIGENCE CONTENT FOR BRANDS MARKETING ADVICE FOR ONLINE MARKETEERS JBH.CO.UK SMARTINSIGHTS.COM SIMILARWEB.COM