Although big brands such as L’Oréal, Nivea, Dove and Chanel are amongst the brands that are most likely to be recommended by social media users, the level of engagement is often determined by the sophistication of the campaigns, according to new research by survey platform SurveyMonkey.
Accordingly, researchers point to the fact that the big cosmetic brands have their work cut out to safegaurd their reputations on social media platforms by ensuring they are more relevant and authentic and that they are engaging peripheral or ‘lurking’ social media users.
Comprehensive survey
Researchers at SurveyMonkey interviewed more than 5,500 social media users across 11 countries, with data showing that more and more consumers are actively engaging with their preferred brands using the various social media platforms.
However, it is interesting to note that in the US, where social media use is high but starting to be outpaced by many developing countries, there was less engagement than markets such as China, Brazil and India.
The survey found that 75% of US social media users are actively following brands, where in China, Brazil and India, this figure rose to 96%, 94% and 93% respectively.
Defining how important a ‘like’ is
Where the survey digs deeper is in defining what a like means, with the findings showing that in the US 45% of those who said they ‘liked’ a brand reporting that they interacted directly with the brand, and of that proportion, 72% reported having a response back.
The survey findings also stress how US social media users are proactive ‘social sharers’, who follow brands and share their opinions about them, whether they are negative or positive opinions.
These social media users tend to be very highly active, but that still does not necessarily make them real brand advocates, something the researchers feel is currently a lost opportunity for many brands that is worth pursuing.
Indeed, the survey findings show that whereas 55% of US respondents are sharers, only 19% are true brand promoters, suggesting that brands could have significant room to improve this branding opportunity.
In a follow up article, we will be going into more detail about the SurveyMonkey findings on user habits and indicate the steps towards implementing a social media campaign that builds on creating trust and relevance for brands.