Trend Two: Listen and Adapt
“The authentic voice of the consumer is being expressed now unlike any other time in history; it’s stronger than it ever has been. The brands that are capable of listening, and shaping their messages in a way that is cognizant of that narrative, will be more likely to survive and grow. Those that only pursue brand-driven narratives that aren’t sensitive to the times we’re in simply won’t retain customers.”
As highlighted here by Hubspot, now more than ever, we need to tailor our marketing messages to where we meet our consumers, where they are in their journey. No longer can we afford to sell it from our perspective.
Finding innovative ways to communicate on social with our target audience includes a mix of brand-orientated and un-branded content which is informative or light-hearted.
“On average, 32% of key demographics (Gen Z, millennials, Gen X, and baby boomers) say “finding funny or entertaining content” is their main reason for using social media. And data from Morning Consult shows that useful and entertaining ads are most likely to drive purchases, as consumers increasingly crave a return to normalcy”
One way to give an authentic voice to your social media is to share reviews.
“Online reviews influence boomers’ purchasing decisions more than any other online source… “
The director of marketing at one medical technology company told Hubspot,
“Facebook is 50%–60% of our media buy, as it is so effective from a targeting side, but we don’t engage with two-way conversations on our page. Our patient population is 65+ and they just talk all the time. They’re basically telling our story for us, so we don’t even need to get involved.” And we can’t say it better than our brand advocates.”
This is part two of our five part series on Social Trends for 2021 based on the recently released research from Hubspot (a leading developer and marketer of software products for inbound marketing, sales, and customer service). Read part one here.