We recently outlined user statistics for social media usage from 2021. But what do those numbers mean? Here are our 4 big takeaways from those statistics:

1. Go Mobile

99% of social media users access a network from a mobile device. This means that more than likely your audience is viewing not only your social content, but your website from their phone. You must make sure you are creating content so that it looks good on mobile. This could mean making vertical thumbnails, sizing digital ads for mobile, recording short form video so they are vertical, making sure your website is responsive for both a browser and mobile. A lot of time when we are at work, we are on our computer, so it’s important to block out time to test everything out from your phone while you are at work.

2. Embrace Change

Last year TikTok & Instagram saw significant app download growth; TikTok is on 1 in 5 devices. So what does this mean? Neither of these apps are going away and their users are continuing to grow. We’ve seen increased participation in Instagram from companies in the industry. These are no longer platforms that we can just write off as something trendy, but instead platforms that we need to start really thinking through strategies for how to capitalize on them.

Here’s my hot take – because these platforms create an increased ease of use for users to create their own content, we expect an increase in the importance of user generated content. This means you need to continue to cultivate those relationships with your audience and find ways to encourage them to share positive messages about you and your product.
*Read more on User-Generated Content*

3. Lean on Your Advocates

People spend 2.5 hours a day on social media – they are inundated with messages from thousands of accounts. Breaking through that noise and creating a strategy for all the social media networks can feel overwhelming at times. This is when you can rely on your advocates to help. A good advocate has an audience that trusts them and relies on them to post valuable content, and that advocate can then share your message with their audience. Having a solid content marketing strategy that you can implement with your advocates will be even more important moving forward.
*Read more on Advocate Marketing*

4. Commit to Social Listening

Now more than ever, you must actually listen and interact on social media. You can’t just schedule out your posts and not come back until it’s time to do it for the next quarter. The way to stand out is to create a community, a place where people connect, talk to each other and talk to you. And you do that by responding to comments, following your top followers, and listening to what people are talking about.

In conclusion, we know that being effective on social media takes intention and strategy. But we are here to help you! Reach out to Empowering Brands to let us know how we can help you strategize for 2022.