Social Media Trends: How America Watches, Shares, and Connects

Social Media Trends: How America Watches, Shares, and Connects

In the evolving world of social media, keeping up with platform popularity and usage trends is essential for marketers, content creators, and users alike. It has become an integral part of our daily lives, shaping the way we connect, share, and consume information.

A recent Pew Research Center study reveals the current state of social media platform use among US adults, and offers valuable insights into demographic preferences and platform adoption rates.

Social Platform Use 2024

YouTube Leads The Pack

YouTube continues to dominate as the most widely used social media platform for a diverse audience, with an impressive 83% of US adults tuning into the watch videos. This marks a slight increase from 2021, signaling YouTube’s enduring appeal across various demographic groups. Interestingly, its popularity spans across genders, with both men (82%) and women (83%) nearly equally engaged. Multicultural groups, particularly English-speaking Asian (93%) and Hispanic (86%) adults, show higher adoption rates, highlighting YouTube’s broad reach.

The platform’s appeal is not limited to younger audiences; while 93% of 18-29-year-olds are avid YouTube viewers, the platform also enjoys high engagement rates among 30-49-year-olds (92%) and has seen a significant uptick in usage among those 65 and older, climbing from 38% in 2019 to 60%. Income and education levels also play a role in YouTube’s popularity, with higher rates of adoption among those in the top income bracket and with higher educational attainment.

Facebook’s Steady Presence

Despite fluctuating trends in social media, Facebook maintains a consistent user base, with 68% of survey respondents reporting usage. While its adoption is higher among women (76%) than men (59%), Facebook’s usage trends vary significantly across age groups, showing a decline among younger adults and a rise in usage among those aged 65 and older.

Instagram’s Growing Appeal

Instagram’s user base is on the rise, reaching 47% of adults, up from 40% in 2021. The platform’s visual nature and dynamic content seem to resonate more with women (54%), Hispanic (58%), and Asian adults (57%), suggesting its particular appeal among these groups. Younger adults (18-29) remain the most engaged, with a significant 78% using Instagram, pointing to its stronghold among the youth.

Pinterest’s Unique Demographic Skew

Pinterest, known for its inspiration-driven content, shows a unique demographic pattern, with significantly higher usage among women (50%) than men (19%). It also stands out for its slightly higher adoption rate among rural adults (36%) compared to urban counterparts (31%), suggesting its appeal across different living environments.

TikTok’s Rapid Rise

TikTok has seen explosive growth, with 33% of US adults using the platform, up from 21% in 2021. The app’s engaging content format appears to be particularly popular among women (40%), Hispanic (49%), and Black (39%) adults. Its highest usage among the youngest adults (18-29) at 62% underscores TikTok’s role as a key player in shaping social media trends.

LinkedIn and WhatsApp: Platforms for Professional and Personal Connections

LinkedIn and WhatsApp each cater to specific needs, with LinkedIn maintaining a steady 30% usage among adults, predominantly among higher-income and educated demographics. WhatsApp, on the other hand, has seen growth to 29% of adults, with notable popularity among Hispanic adults (54%), illustrating its importance in keeping personal and professional networks connected.

Other Platforms and Trends

Snapchat and Twitter/X maintain steady but distinct user bases, with Snapchat being more popular among younger users and Twitter/X showing broader use among higher-income and more educated adults.

Reddit’s popularity continues to rise, especially among men and the 18-29 age group, reflecting broader trends in social media where platforms cater to specific interests and demographics.

BeReal, while newer to the scene, shows potential for growth, particularly among younger adults and women, though its overall adoption remains low.

Implications for Marketers and Content Creators

Understanding these trends is crucial for anyone looking to engage with audiences effectively on social media. The data highlights the importance of tailoring content and strategies to specific platforms and demographic groups to maximize reach and impact. As social media continues to evolve, staying informed about these trends will be key to navigating the digital landscape successfully.

About the Data: The results are based on a May-September 2023 survey of 5,733 US adults (18+).


For help with your social media marketing, schedule a call or email Lori Berson at lberson@BersonDeanStevens.com.


BersonDeanStevens has been a recognized brand strategy and marketing leader for over 25 years. We work in partnership with you to differentiate your brand and achieve your business goals. Client list.

 

 

Elevating Lead Quality and Quantity: The Impact of Paid Social and Email Strategies in B2B Marketing

Elevating Lead Quality and Quantity: The Impact of Paid Social and Email Strategies in B2B Marketing

According to the study by Integrate Pipeline360 and Demand Metric, B2B marketers are increasingly relying on paid social media and email marketing to generate leads, reflecting a strategic shift towards digital channels that offer measurable results and targeted outreach. This focus is driven by the dual objectives of improving lead quality and increasing lead volume, challenges that are top of mind for marketers aiming to enhance their sales pipeline and drive business growth.

B2B Lead Generation

However, the quest for more leads doesn’t always end with choosing the right channels. It extends into optimizing these channels to ensure that the leads generated are not only numerous but also of high quality. This is where the complexity of digital marketing becomes evident, as marketers must navigate the nuances of content creation, audience targeting, and data analysis to achieve their lead generation goals effectively.

For companies looking to navigate the complexities of lead generation in this digital age, BersonDeanStevens, Inc. (BDS) offers expertise in crafting and executing lead generation strategies that are tailored to the unique needs of B2B marketers. With a deep understanding of digital marketing trends and the challenges faced by marketers today, BDS is positioned to help businesses enhance their lead generation efforts, ensuring a steady flow of high-quality leads. For those looking to elevate their lead generation strategies and drive meaningful business results, contact BDS for expert guidance and support.

About the Data: The results are based on a November 2023 survey of 437 marketers in the US (50% share) and UK (46%) working at companies targeting B2B (58%) or B2B and B2C (42%) channels.


For help with your lead generation, schedule a call or email Lori Berson at lberson@BersonDeanStevens.com.


BersonDeanStevens has been a recognized brand strategy and marketing leader for over 25 years. We work in partnership with you to differentiate your brand and achieve your business goals. Client list.

 

 

The Secret Recipe for Whipping Up Engaging Content

The Secret Recipe for Whipping Up Engaging Content

Gone are the days of text-heavy blog posts that leave your audience hungry for more. To captivate and engage in today’s digital landscape, you need to serve up an irresistible all-you-can-eat content buffet that’s not only high-quality but also innovative and engaging. This means breaking away from traditional formats and exploring new, creative ways to capture your audience’s attention.

Let’s explore the essential ingredients marketers can use to satisfy and delight their audience.

Visuals: Tantalizing the Eyes and Appetite

Forget boring stock photos. Whet their appetite with mouthwatering visuals like infographics, charts, videos, gifs, original graphics, and even AI-generated imagery. These eye-catching elements can transform your content from bland to brilliant and make complex information more digestible while adding flavorful brand flair.

With user-friendly tools like Canva and Adobe Express (both offer free versions), anyone can cook up amazing visuals.

Podcasts: Audio Amuse-Bouches

Podcasts are soaring in popularity, offering an intimate, screen-free way to connect with your audience. Strategically sprinkle podcast episodes across your menu to build brand awareness and deliver value through stories, educational content, discussions, and industry insights. These AI tools make it simple to turn text into captivating podcasts: Wondercraft, Riverside, and Adobe Podcast.

Remember to promote new episodes through email, newsletters, social media, and your blog for a multi-channel approach.

Interactive Content: Letting Your Audience Sample the Goods

Interactive content invites your audience to actively participate in the experience. Quizzes, games, calculators, image sliders, AR filters, interactive videos, and other digital tools provide value while capturing contact info.

For example, an interactive calculator provides personalized data guiding users through their buying journey while keeping them engaged. To get started, check out Okendo, Quizgecko, and Meiro.

User-Generate Content (UGC): Customer-Crafted Signatures

User-generated content offers authenticity and community. Highlight UGC-like social shares, video testimonials, and reviews to show you value your clients while improving engagement. Some easy-to-use tools include GatherUp, Boast, and TrustPilot.

Time To Dine on Captivating Content!

Like an artful chef, captivating content requires the right blend of visuals, audio, interactive elements, and UGC artfully presented across channels. Serve up your audience a journey that informs, entertains, and provides value. Do this, and your content will leave them satisfied and eager to come back for more.


For help with your content strategy and marketing, schedule a call or email Lori Berson at lberson@BersonDeanStevens.com.


BersonDeanStevens has been a recognized brand strategy and marketing leader for over 25 years. We work in partnership with you to differentiate your brand and achieve your business goals. Client list.

 

 

AI without Strategy = 0

AI without Strategy = 0

In the rapidly evolving world of marketing, artificial intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool, offering unprecedented capabilities to businesses aiming to enhance their content creation and overall marketing strategies. However, it’s crucial to acknowledge that AI, despite its advanced capabilities, is not a cure-all or magic bullet. It’s a tool that needs a well-thought-out marketing strategy to create transformative content.

AI offers the potential to generate content at scale, analyze data, automate tasks, and personalize marketing efforts in ways previously unimaginable, but AI-generated content requires human direction, input, expertise, and editing. In and of itself, AI content is not always correct, often over-written and not written in context. To be successful with AI, you need someone driving the process.

At BersonDeanStevens (BDS), we understand the delicate balance between leveraging cutting-edge AI technologies and maintaining the human touch that is fundamental to creating marketing content that resonates with your audience. With over 25 years of experience in developing results-driven content, campaigns, and programs, BDS brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to incorporate AI to boost results.

Whether you are looking for an ally to handle strategic content creation, help train your team on the proper use of AI, or need consulting from time to time, BDS is your go-to resource.


For help with AI and how to successfully integrate it into your business, schedule a call or email Lori Berson at lberson@BersonDeanStevens.com.


BersonDeanStevens has been a recognized brand strategy and marketing leader for over 25 years. We work in partnership with you to differentiate your brand and achieve your business goals. Client list.

 

 

Why Use Marketing Automation

Why Use Marketing Automation

The proliferation of digital channels and devices has made it challenging for marketers to accurately target prospects with the right messages, on the right devices, at the right times. Prospects are managing more of the buying process themselves, creating decision shortlists by researching brand websites and social channels without ever speaking to a sales rep. As such, to be effective, marketers must be creative, targeted and aligned with sales goals, and they must also have greater visibility into buyer attributes and behaviors.

Faced with these challenging market dynamics and increasing ROI (Return on Investment) pressure, marketers at companies of all sizes are turning to Marketing Automation as a solution to:

Increase marketing efficiency.

Marketing Automation enables marketers to automate the time-consuming manual tasks around content creation, management, and personalization, campaign scheduling and execution, data hygiene (i.e. fix duplicate or inconsistent data in separate silos), communication with sales, and lead nurturing. Marketing Automation saves time and improves productivity.

“Best in class marketers are 67% more likely to use a Marketing Automation platform and see 14% overall growth in marketing revenue.” – Aberdeen

Enhance the ability to generate more and better-qualified leads.

With Marketing Automation, marketers combine multiple criteria including demographic, firmographic (firm demographics) and behavioral data (pages visited, downloads, completed forms) with a lead-scoring system to generate and identify sales-qualified leads.

A multichannel view of prospect behavior.

Marketing Automation platforms integrate multiple channels to create more comprehensive prospect profiles and more holistic views of prospect behavior.

Better alignment of sales and marketing goals.

Marketing Automation software helps to align sales and marketing efforts ensuring sales reps are working with sales-ready leads. Working cooperatively to set scoring parameters and define qualified leads, sales and marketing become one team. Marketing works on building relationships with early-stage leads to enable the sales team to focus their efforts on the most highly qualified prospects.

Improve lead conversion and ROI.

According to Forrester Research, B2B marketers who implement Marketing Automation experience a 10 percent increase in their sales pipeline contribution.

To learn how to best use Marketing Automation to increase ROI, check out this article.

As a recognized Marketing Automation leader for the past decade, we work with firms to help them utilize their marketing technology to increase revenue. To see how we can help you, schedule a free consultation or email Lori Berson at lberson@BersonDeanStevens.com.


BersonDeanStevens has been a recognized brand strategy and marketing leader for over 25 years, including over a decade in Marketing Automation. We work in partnership with you to differentiate your brand and achieve your business goals. Client list.