The COVID-19 crisis has changed the way people buy products on a daily basis, it has also triggered unusual behavior in our relationships and interactions with others. The inability to leave the house or the difficulties of getting together has led us to find other avenues of exchange. On the business side, he not only had to respond to customer needs but was also very quick to reassure them, divert their attention, take a stand on major events. During a webinar hosted by Yann Durheimer, Head of Global Customer Advocacy at Hootsuite, Isabel Matthews, Social Media and Marketing Specialist, and Patrice Hilaire, Social Media Director of La Poste Group, reviewed what marked the year 2020. They also exchanged their views. On the upcoming new trends, a summary of which is …
I – Explosion of social networks 70%
The year 2020 was marked by An explosion of 70% of the time spent on social networks, Today, more than half the world’s population is present on social networks, or 3.96 billion people, reveals the Digital 2020 Global Statshot.
As far as companies are concerned, social networks have made it possible to manage not to turn the health crisis around, but also to emerge from the crisis. In their annual report “The Global State of Digital in 2021,” Hootsuite and We Are Social understand the state of the Internet, mobile devices, social media and e-commerce. For example, we find good students like SODEXO, who regularly inform their clients about health measures taken by the society and bad students. According to Isabel Matthews, companies primarily use social networks to: development driver, Consumers, for their part, expected more morality from brands, thus defining their choices according to the responses provided by brands (eg the death of Georges Floyd and the hashtag BlackLivesMatters).
For Patrice Hilaire of La Poste Group, 1er The imprisonment was a real blow: the closure of schools, the closure of post offices … La Poste had to adapt very quickly and chose Pay attention to some supports Efforts are being made to provide information daily. How to print label? How to collect my parcel? In La Poste, customer monitoring is now done on social networks: Twitter is being used the most because La Poste, or even Facebook, is the most viral, but the rapidly growing demand for the medium is being followed. Instagram also from the end of December to complete. ,
To the question “What is the most effective platform for you to achieve your business objectives?” , 78% of those interviewed, regardless of their field of activity, responded to Facebook and 70% to Instagram, For her part, Isabel Matthews has seen a sharp increase in requests for training on the Instagram platform in recent years. It’s true that its strengths are undeniable: a diverse audience, advanced social e-commerce features, innovative formats, and more. For the brand, this is an undeniable asset as consumers who feel strongly connected become the most valuable customers and even ambassadors.
II – Objective N ° 1: Acquire New Customers
for the first time, get new customers Brands have priority before notoriety, to the detriment of Customer experience that makes up 23% of companies’ priorities, Yet social media is paving the way for new customer experiences. The report also highlights the importance of brands finding their place on social media in their interactions with customers. They should interact more regularly, taking into account the wishes of the consumers to create a qualitative customer experience. This necessarily includes social listening, knowledge of data. Unfortunately, only 10% of surveyed marketers consider themselves mature in the integration of social media data ,Source: Hootsuite Reports on Social Change) Data integration is difficult, but well worth it.
Isabel Matthews confirmation of, The race for ROI is not new, but has been ramped up very rarely due to the health crisis. Brands, notes Isabel Matthews, are often focused on the product and not enough on the consumer (see e-merchants’ Facebook business pages). It also notes the lack of human resources in managing the company’s social platforms, silo organizations that do not communicate with each other, and above all a lack of training and support on current innovations. Patrice Hillier assures them that it is important to make managers aware of the effectiveness of social networks. Above all, to be successful on social networks, Listening and conversation are two key elements, Clearly, competitive intelligence remains essential.
III – TikTok and Reel, formats of tomorrow?
Social shopping, especially Insta shopping, is a big trend for 2021. In fact, it is much more than 60% of companies surveyed planning to invest in Instagram in 2021, Instagram has become the new e-commerce platform and often a complementary sales channel to the website.
In addition to social shopping, VideoWhatever its format, it is also necessary: ​​for example to attend live yoga classes with Zoom, Snapchat Stories, WhatsApp, Instagram…. And now to humanize relationships with LinkedIn clients. Indeed, the pandemic has forced brands to review their strategy to bring more closeness and philanthropy into their communications. During confinement, many young people start “lifes” on social networks in order to maintain relationships with their community or move forward on their projects. These super-short videos found on Tik Tok and Instagram in reals have not only revolutionized UGC, but also created a whole new way of watching videos. With 11 million French users per month for Tik Tok (source Mediametry) and 21 million for Instagram (source Harris Interactive 2020), these 2 platforms give brands the biggest organic reach and help them reach millions of people. Huh.
Another element of success experienced by La Poste is influencer marketing. During a communications operation, an influential person with expertise in history was able to interact with consumers. As a result, the video was viewed over and over 500,000 times, a real success for La Poste, While content strategy is important, so is interacting with the consumer. And, as Isabel Matthews points out, calling an influencer can be a very interesting solution, especially if you want to improve your organic reach on social platforms.
Conclusion
With the coronavirus crisis, the craze for social networks has intensified and disrupted our consumption patterns. The need for entertainment through “lives” has taken precedence over our societies and itself. installed aser communication channel. According to Hootsuite’s annual report, 80% of people prefer to watch branded life instead of reading blog posts. Additionally, in an age where most interactions between brands and consumers take place online, it is important for businesses to find important conversations that will drive their strategies. And it is through data analysis and social listening that a company will be able to understand its environment and define its strategy based on what its consumers have to say.
image Source : Gerd Altman from Pixabay