Managing brands through social media requires you to capture the right trends and speak the right language. Last 11th of November, Bernie Wong, Founder of Social Stand, participated in a 1-hour digital workshop about Social Selling, Why You Should Care, and How to Do It Right. The event was organized by the SME Committee of CPA Australia.
Yuka Nakasone, Chief Strategist at Global Bridge. moderated the panel discussion about social media management with:
- Tim Hughes, CEO & Co-Founder of DLA Ignite,
- Lahcène Guerrouj, Manager for Content Marketing Strategy EMEA Salesforce.
As mentioned by Yuka, Bernie represented the Asian Region to give a more holistic view of social media management for business.
Social Media Use Around the World
The panel discussion started with Yuka sharing some important social media statistics provided by Simon Kemp, founder, and CEO of Kepios. They are the latest statistical updates as of October 2021:
- There are 4.55 billion active social media users all over the world.
- That is equivalent to 57.6% of the global population.
- The annual increase in the number of social media users is +9.9%, or 409 million. It is equivalent to an increase of more than 1 million daily or 30 new users every single second.
- A typical online global user spent an average of 2 hours and 27 minutes using social platforms. Based on this current rate, the world will spend a combined total of more than 4 trillion hours using social media in 2022. So
- Around the world, social media users used at least 6.7 social platforms monthly. These social platforms include chat apps, collaborative pinballs, Q&A services, social networks, and video platforms.
- More than 7 in 10 users of the Internet ages 16 to 64 say that they research brands, products, and services on Google and other social platforms. Among younger users (ages 16 to 24), they are more likely to use social media over Google.
- More than 1 in 3 users of the Internet ages 16 to 64 say that they rely on social media for news.
- 4 in 5 working-age users of the Internet say that they use social media to communicate with colleagues, partners, and suppliers. So, social media is just as relevant in the B2B and B2C world.
Thus, social media is much more than a homogenous opportunity.
The Pandemic Inference for Social Media Use
The panel has noted that the pandemic has accelerated the growth of social media, especially social selling.
Bernie, for one, termed it as social commerce, a merger of a part marketing and a part of sales. He also discussed the rise of bite-sized or snackable content. He said that social media users used to love them. Bernie has cited an example of a client – Canon HK, who tried selling cameras for $3,000 to $4,000 during the pandemic.
Before the pandemic, customers use to buy Canon cameras in physical stores for the ambassador or salesperson to further assist them with how the camera works. During the pandemic, Canon shifted into posting bite-sized videos from their ambassadors to further educate people on how the camera works. It makes them present and visible on social media platforms. It also allows them to build trust among social media communities and users.
Bernie further highlighted the importance of being authentic in social media. He has pointed out that live selling became a big hit in China and the whole world because it does not only hard sell something. Live streams help display authenticity by bringing value to the audiences.
Live streaming is an old-fashioned thing where people see a TV commercial and call a number to order the product. Then, it shifted online because modern consumers demand brands to be authentic instead of just hard selling. Besides, it is easier to order during live streaming as clients do not have to leave the social media platform.
Bernie has noted that most live streamers in Hong Kong use Facebook and Instagram. But Taobao and Amazon still hold a primary position over live selling.
DO’s and DON’Ts on Social Media with the Audience
As of October 2021, the top 5 most-used social media platforms is Facebook. YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Messenger. Interestingly, the top 3 favorite social media platforms globally are WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok.
For Bernie, WhatsApp and WeChat are the most famous social platforms. With live streaming, Bernie highlights that the trend is what they called “price war.” Most brands offer 50% to 70% discounts to boost sales. Bernie has noted the importance of thinking about bringing value instead of hustling during live streaming. It is because marketers need to build a community. So, they need to catch up with their audiences during live streaming instead of treating it as a one-off show.
Social Media on B2B Marketing
For B2B, content marketing is the key. It is building an authentic blog. It is providing a lot of relevant information and values to the target audiences. It is a pre-sales stage. When a target audience searches for something, content boosts brand awareness, B2B conversions, and trust.
How to Bridge the Generation Gaps in Social Media Marketing
Bernie has noted reading a book entitled “Value Proposition” written by Alex Osterwalder. The book highlighted that every customer has a pain point, and brands should provide pain reliever to those pain points. As such, Bernie believed that social media marketing doesn’t need to bridge the generation gaps. Instead, you should tell a different story for every target audience group.
Every brand should show how a product solves a pain point in a different way. For example, the recent McDonald’s milkshake story. Kids love McDonald’s milkshakes. But for truck drivers, it keeps them awake. So, brands should try to discover the customer’s pain points by reading reviews in different marketplaces. One-star or two-star reviews can give insights into the target customers’ pain points.
Reference: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7d4iNODbDKk&list=PL6uIqKfoBxngCEdig6uUwN2wBLySSCBUl&index=5
