miércoles, 8 de mayo de 2013

The latest media consumer findings & what they mean for digital marketers

Deloitte has released the results of its seventh annual Media Consumer survey and it certainly makes for some interesting reading, here we delve into the findings and what they mean for digital marketers.

Deloitte has also produced this interactive graphic highlighting some of the findings and demonstrating the year-on-year change.

Deloitte Infographic

Social media implications

First, let's take a look at the findings that impact on social media. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Facebook continues to be the most popular social network, networks ranked in order of popularity are:

  1. Facebook
  2. Twitter
  3. Instagram
  4. Flickr
  5. Pinterest
  6. Tumblr
  7. Myspace
  8. Fancy

This shows a big shift in that image-based social networks are definitely on the rise therefore brands need to ensure that they have visually appealing content in order to have a presence on these networks and interact with UK consumers. When considering any social media strategy, marketers need to have the visual aspect at the heart of the campaign if they want to see real success in 2013.

The research into Facebook shows that "On average, the UK consumer has 240 friends on Facebook and undertakes on average 3.5 actions on the site each day." Actions are described as updating a status, commenting or liking something.

The research also reveals great insight into which social groups Facebook and Twitter are most popular with.

Facebook is slightly more popular with C2DE social groups whereas Twitter is more popular with ABC1 groups. Again, this has implications for marketers in terms of where they should be concentrating their social media efforts and the type of messaging they should be using on the different platforms.

C2DE social groups are described as skilled working class (skilled manual workers), working class (semi and unskilled manual workers) and those at the lowest level or subsistence (state pensioners or widows, casual or lowest grade workers).

ABC1 social groups are described as upper middle class (higher managerial, administrative or professional), intermediate managerial, admin or professional), lower middle class (supervisory or clerical, junior managerial, admin or professional).

Therefore, messaging will need to be different for the two groups, for example messaging around value for money would be appropriate for C2DE whereas luxury and aspirational messaging may be more appropriate for ABC1.

The digital divide

Perhaps one of the most interesting findings to come out of the research was the digital divide highlighted in the population; over 25s are described as 'search-first' whereas under 24s are 'social-first'. This again has big implications for marketers in terms of which channels they should be focussing their efforts on and the messaging on those channels. It also adds another angle to the talk around Facebook search, brands whose products and services are predominantly aimed at under 24s really need to be making sure that there messaging is spot-on with Facebook and that they understand how it works.

These findings may well (or should) have an impact in terms of budget and resource split; brands aiming at under 24s should definitely be investing heavily in social whereas brands aimed at over 25s need to have a defined search strategy.

Online advertising

In terms of social advertising, the research showed that these are most influential with 14-24 year olds, another important consideration to bear in mind when planning social and advertising campaigns. Interestingly, 18-24 year olds rated search engine advertising second to social meaning that PPC advertising is still incredibly important for the vast majority of the population.

Media Device Ownership

The average UK citizen now owns 11.4 types of media devices, up from 9.7 in 2011 with tablets making the biggest gains up 175% and e-readers up 65%, this means each are now present in a third of UK homes. Coupled with the fact that 65% of people now own a smartphone, this highlights more than ever the need for a responsive website which should be top priority this year.

Online PR & media

The research has found massive differences in the way that consumers are now reading the news compared with previous years; "PCs are now the favourite way to read news with only 39% preferring print, a staggering reduction from 75%."

Deloitte Media Consumer Survey

This really is a staggering statistic and really mirrors the belief we have at Branded3 that online PR is the future which is something we are doing more and more of for our clients. That's not to say that print is dead yet, far from it as the chart above shows it is still the preferred medium for over 45s, however I firmly believe that print will continue to decline and in 20 or so years' time who's to say whether we will still have a print newspaper & magazine industry.

What this does highlight is the need for understanding your target audience, if your product or service is aimed at those over 45 then working with print publications will still need to be an integral part of your PR and advertising strategy. However if your product or service is targeted more at those particularly 34 and below then real consideration has to be given to online PR as that is where they are consuming their news.

The data also shows that this shift to online and digital versions does not follow suit entirely for magazines as consumers do still prefer the print addition for the majority of magazines.

The full research is available on the Deloitte website here, feel free to get in touch if you'd like more advice on how this many impact your business.

BY Laura Crimmons AT 11:25am ON Friday, 3 May 2013

With a degree and a background in PR, Laura is an experienced creative-thinker and has worked with worldwide brands to find the best opportunities for them to engage with new and existing customers. Laura works across our SEO and Social Media & Online PR teams on blogger relations and exploring new social media opportunities. Follow @lauracrimmons on Twitter

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