Social Media Trends: January 2019

Targeting Gen-Z? Use Instagram.

• Those born after 1997 are looking for a visual experience online, which has led them to Instagram over Facebook and Twitter.
• Content needs to focus on the audience and their needs, not the brand or product.
• Video can connect deeply when paired with the right voice and personality.
• Gen-Z is more brand loyal than millennials, though they prioritize authentic brands who support a cause

Millennial Buying Habits Center Around Social

• Brand trust is important, and Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest are the most trusted networks for millennials to find products.
• Recommendations and reviews cannot be ignored - 61% trust friend recommendations, and 48% trust website reviews.
• Don’t be afraid of brand awareness - 31% of millennials stated that social media influenced their purchase, even if it was made elsewhere.
• Influencers and actual users outperform celebrities. Utilize both user-generated content and influencer marketing to connect with your millennial audiences.

Social Video Continues to Drive Millennial and Gen-Z Purchases

• 90% of Generation Z and 83% of millennials spending at least one hour a day watching videos on their smartphones.
• More than half (59%) of respondents who said they like social video ads also bought something right after watching a video on social platforms.
• YouTube is the preferred channel for social video, with Facebook coming in second.

New Report Shows Nearly ? of Americans Engage with Social Content 10x/Day

• The Manifest reports that 30% of users like, comment or share 10x/day.
• Facebook remains the most-used network, with YouTube and Instagram continuing to grow at a record pace.
• From an engagement standpoint, Facebook is the most-used to share and engage with others, with Instagram in second.

LinkedIn Adds Interest Targeting

• LinkedIn is launching a new marketing solution in Campaign Manager called Interest Targeting, which aims to help marketers reach members with relevant ads that match their interests based on the content they share and engage with on the platform.
• Marketers will be able to combine Interest Targeting with account targeting to reach audiences of potential buyers who have already expressed interest in the content relevant to a business or brand. Marketers can target campaigns using more than 200 professional interest topics, such as "artificial intelligence," "global economy" or "customer experience."

Quick Hits:

• Facebook is testing LOL, a dedicated section for trending memes and GIFs
• Instagram adds the option to link to Stories, share directly to Facebook
• Facebook plans to integrated messaging services across Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp
• YouTube is tweaking its recommendations to reduce exposure to videos on what it called “borderline content and content that could misinform users in harmful ways.”

Snapchat Releases New Study on Emotion and Social Apps

• The study, which featured Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube and Facebook, asked respondents to describe the emotions related to each application.
• Understanding the emotions and usage scenarios can help brands best deliver content.