If you work in social media management, you know Influencers are capturing significant attention. However, is the effort invested in them truly justified? Do these individuals genuinely impact your customers and potential customers? Are they effectively guiding people toward specific products and brands?
The response to these questions might lean towards a resounding maybe.
Recent research published by PRNewswire indicates that influencers might indeed wield more influence than we previously assumed. The ensuing information is drawn directly from that published report:
A new study from Oracle and Brent Leary, partner at CRM Essentials, reveals that social media influencers and online communities actively reshape how consumers shape opinions, make brand choices, and seek information. The study, involving over 2,000 adults aged 18 to 80 in the United States, unveils a trend where consumers, particularly Gen Z, increasingly rely on influencers and online communities for purchasing decisions.
Noteworthy findings from the study include:
- 80% of consumers have made purchases directly influenced by social media content.
- Only 13% discover new products or brands through traditional TV advertising.
- An overwhelming 98% find interactions with customer service to be frustrating.
- In the trust hierarchy, 7% of consumers trust social media influencers more than brands. Notably, Gen Z and Millennials exhibit twice the level of trust in influencers compared to Boomers.
- 28% of consumers stumble upon new products and brands through influencers, with Gen Z leading in this category at 32%, in contrast to only 13% of Boomers.
- Like the percentage who discover products through traditional TV advertising, 13% of consumers turn to influencers, while 44% rely on social media ads to inform their purchase decisions.
- 84% of Gen Z have made purchases directly in response to social media content, while only 46% of Boomers have done the same.
The study underscores the escalating role of social media influencers and online communities in shaping consumer behavior, particularly among younger generations. The data suggests that the impact of these influencers might be more substantial than conventionally perceived.
- Regarding following influencers, YouTube is the most popular channel, with 21% of consumers following influencers on YouTube. Gen Z favors TikTok (25%), followed by YouTube (23%) and Instagram (22%), while Boomers favor Facebook (23%), YouTube (15%), and TikTok (5%).
- 98% of consumers find customer service interactions frustrating. 15% would rather sit in traffic than engage with a brand’s customer service channels.
- 18% of consumers will call customer service with questions. 26% of Boomers prefer this service, compared to only 14% of Gen Z.
- When submitting a service inquiry to a brand, 31% of consumers prefer to comment on a brand’s social media page. 24% prefer to direct message a brand on social media. Gen Z is two times more likely than Boomers to want to receive customer service in this way.
- 93% of consumers turn to social media platforms like YouTube and TikTok to get questions answered. 95% of Gen Z use online communities this way compared to 79% of Boomers.
- Consumers trust YouTube and TikTok videos because they are created by other consumers (20%), easily searchable (19%), illustrative (16%), and there is a plethora to choose from (14%).
When it comes to social media management, having a team that can closely monitor and invest the needed time and effort into your campaign is a must. Do youself a favor and contact Nashua’s top team for social media management sevices – SearchPro Systems. We look forward to discussing your goals and helping bring you there.
