Kseniya I. Content Marketing Expert

7 insights about how brand influences customer behavior

The interaction of buyers with a brand in social networks is a whole system of useful insights. Manifest from the USA decided to observe customers who subscribe to brand pages to find out how to properly stimulate their interest, what content they read and how such interaction influences the purchase decision. The results of the study are a whole guide to the world of SMM.

Spoiler: this article will show you how to increase brand awareness, increase loyalty, gain trust, and turn followers into loyal customers.

Insight 1: Customers frequently interact with the brands they support

The fate of Captain Obvious is at stake! But you have no idea how strong your subscribers' desire is to like, comment, repost, or ask questions.

Therefore, 74% of consumers will discover and subscribe to a brand on a social network, and 96% of those who do so will routinely engage with the page.

Thus, companies can tell about themselves in more detail: show not only products, but also the team that works on it, be not just business-like, but also share their small achievements in a human way. Only thanks to the presence of pages in social networks, the brand significantly increases the coverage of potential customers.

In addition, with proper targeting, you can easily turn subscribers into customers: just show them an advertising post at the right time.

Insight 2: People trust social media ads

In itself, the presence of a page in social networks is a kind of guarantee that the brand can be trusted. It turns out that this unspoken law also applies to advertising. According to Manifest research, 67% of internet users made a purchase simply by seeing an ad on social media. And all because for people, showing ads on social media says that the brand does not skimp on creativity and the marketing team.

Insight 3: Social media helps brands be more human

When we visit a brand page, we often see it as simple and immediate. How company representatives try to respond to negative comments, how they laugh at sensational memes, how they make mistakes.

It was understood that social networks would become an excellent platform for selling goods and services. As a result, they became something more. Therefore, it is wrong to use social networks solely for advertising. It is necessary to create the impression that the client is always expected here, and if necessary, they will listen, understand and help. Perhaps the client will not immediately make a purchase, but the human page of the brand will surely warm up his desire.

Insight 4: Women buy after ads on Facebook and Instagram, men after YouTube

Everyone has heard the popular wisdom about the fact that Instagram is rather a women's platform. Of course, generalizing and relying on stereotypes is a so-so idea. But according to the study in question, there is still some truth in this.

The study claims that 17% of women tend to make a purchase after seeing an ad on Instagram, compared to only 12% of men. Facebook shows an even more pronounced difference in gender preferences: 56% of women are likely to buy a product seen in an ad on Facebook, while the percentage of men is 45%.

But YouTube is an authority for a male audience: 18% of men and only 7% of women tend to fork out to purchase a product or service after advertising on this video hosting. The thing is that men like to watch video reviews and carefully prepare for a purchase, while women often prefer spontaneous purchases.

However, such indicators do not mean at all that you need to direct your YouTube strategy to men, and on Facebook or Instagram to women. This suggests that you need to prepare advertising messages and target both genders.

Insight 5: The younger generation will respond to your ad the most

Millennials (users around the age of 18-35) spend more time on social media compared to their parents and grandparents. Only the youngest generation Z (children under 18) can compete with them in terms of online time, but their purchasing power is still too low.

So, 77% of millennials say they are more likely to make a purchase after an ad on social media. Among generation X (35-55 years old) there are already 69% of such people, and among baby boomers (55+) only 48%. The fact is that the younger generation trusts social media advertising more than any other type of advertising. They care more about the humanity of the brand, which we talked about above, and the ability to communicate with the brand directly in the messenger. At the same time, millennials are the most picky about the service.

Insight 6: Users prefer to like

Most users (51%) interact with the brand by giving a public like. Maybe not too generous but users can understand: this is the easiest way to stay in touch (we know that the more we like the posts of the brand, the more it is shown to us) and express their opinion.

In addition, buyers like to leave reviews, the rate is 31%, mention the name of the company on their page is 22%, or send messages to the brand in direct or messenger is only 20%.

At the same time, you need to understand that even with one like, the subscriber expects a return: that he will be noticed and appreciated. And when a user writes direct messages or leaves comments, the reaction of the brand is simply required.

Many companies assume that you should only respond to negative comments, but ignoring your admirers with their good messages is fundamentally wrong.

Insight 7 and Conclusion: You need to build friendly and human relations with subscribers

The relationship between a person and a brand on a social network is a whole system that is very reminiscent of communication between people in real life. A careless post that is contrary to the values ​​​​of the subscriber can put an end to your communication, as well as constantly ignoring his messages, likes, comments. But all deposits in the emotional bank account will definitely pay off with loyalty, great love of the client and his desire to buy only from you.

Get an audit of your social media account as a bonus