Social media management specialist Hootsuite publishes Social Trends 2024 report, which reveals that, if the social landscape has evolved a lot, brands’ approach to social media remains constant.
Based on a commercial survey of 4,281 marketers and a general public survey of 4,508 people, Top trends highlighted by Hootsuite reveal consistency across industries when it comes to social marketing. And although the data indicates an ever-changing space, many things remain the same : the quest for return on social investment, the challenge of maintaining the essence of social and finding the balance between authenticity and a continuous flow of content. “Knowing that these are continuing trends, marketers need to ask themselves if they are approaching social media the right way, judge Elina Vilk, Director of Marketing at Hootsuite. Checking a box is no longer checking the box. If brands are still wondering about the value of social, instead, they should ask themselves what value connecting with people brings to their business. Social media can be a great profit driver for businesses, but this requires emphasizing relationships and not transactions. " Conclusion : the key to successful content is not yet in the hands of all brands on social media, which indicates a constant disconnect between them and the users they are trying to reach.
A two-way street
According to the Hootsuite survey, 34 % of consumers claim that the emphasis on self -promotion is a major obstacle in their perception of brands and 56 % of consumers think that brands should be easier to understand. However, 48 % of marketing specialists still publish updates or information on products or brands several times a week. Pour Billy Jones, Marketing vice-president at Hootsuite, "A good modern social strategy is to add value to the relationship nine times, the tenth time being that where we can reasonably expect to extract from the value. Relations on social networks, as elsewhere, are a two-way street where you must strive to give more than you take”.
AI is forcing brands to redefine authenticity
With the rise of generative AI, brands must find the right balance between effectiveness and authenticity on social media, while facing demographic differences in how audiences receive AI-generated content. While 62% of consumers say they are less likely to engage and trust content if they know it was created by an AI application, smart brands will focus on the brand experience they create, regardless of who (or what) created the content.
Strategic brands and their champion platforms
More than half (58 %) Marketers Say It's Difficult to Keep Up with Social Media, which very often launch new features for users and advertising. Short on time and resources, strategic organizations have less and less desire to burn out. They push back on unjustified expectations and shift their platform priorities — ROI being at the center of this exercise.
Entertainment fuels the social ROI engine
While 69% of respondents say engagement is the primary metric they use to demonstrate ROI, half of organizations use self-promotion to unlock this value. It's no surprise, then, that 68% of social marketers say they're concerned about the ROI of their social activities.. In their quest for social ROI, brands must turn to entertainment to increase their bottom line, by abandoning the idea that social is a channel for talking to customers – but rather an interactive space where the exchange of value happens in both directions.
Return on investment takes center stage
SO, what has evolved ? Social marketers have come of age and mastered the art of taking a deep breath and keeping their eyes on the prize (the KING, of course) despite the constant noise and continuous deluge of new tools, new platforms and changes in algorithm science. In 2024, return on investment will take center stage in the social domain, because smart organizations are finally getting closer to their most successful tactics.
