Social media cannot be ignored – and here’s why.
For many of us who are currently part of the workforce, the advent of social media has been… Interesting. Most will remember a time even before the internet so adjusting to a world in which social media forms part of our marketing and business has created an entirely new dimension of possibility. Now, social media has grown to a point where the potential of extended reach and further, audience engagement, is an opportunity that simply cannot be overlooked.
Understanding the opportunity
A New York Post article says that in 2019, Gen Z became the world’s largest generation, accounting for around a third of the total global population, surpassing millennials. Gen Z is now the generation consuming the most social media, spending around three-and-a-half hours each day on various social media platforms across the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region, according to stats from GWI.
While this varies from region to region across the world, it means that, in the future, marketers will have a healthy window in which to broadcast their message to a receptive audience of up-and-coming decision-makers. But, says Generation Z Unfiltered: Facing Nine Hidden Challenges of the Most Anxious Population by Tim Elmore and Andrew McPeak, “This generation of students who have grown up in the 21st century are the most social, the most empowered, and also the most anxious youth population in human history.” This means that while marketing to this generation may seem like a great opportunity, it needs to be done just right.
Aligning to what motivates decision-making
GWI’s infographic on social media highlights the reasons behind social media consumption and among Gen Z, 38% are looking to find content that is relevant to them, while 32% use social media to find inspiration for holidays and shopping. By comparison, 33% of millennials use social media to seek out content while 30% are driven to social media for holiday ‘inspo’ and their next purchases.
“Social media has fundamentally shifted the way people gather and digest information. As a result, event planners need to understand and leverage social media to reach potential attendees in the places they go for information online, as well as in real life,” says Cvent’s guide on Event Marketing 2.0: How to Boost Attendance Through Social Media.
Within the guide, Cvent emphasises the importance of engaging in two-way conversation, making your event attention-worthy and welcoming honest feedback. This creates a more authentic experience for users of social media and can be a key deciding factor that defines how well attended your event is, as well as how engaged your audiences are. For the decision-makers of the future, this will be more important than ever.
RESPONSIBLE MARKETING IS KEY
Although the potential of a wide and primed audience may be appealing to marketers, broadcasting a certain message or promoting products and experiences across social media needs to be done responsibly, especially to more vulnerable and impressionable audiences.
“Somewhere back in the early beginning of the 21st century, we all jumped onto the bandwagon of social media without knowing if it was safe or where it was going. And unfortunately, recent studies have shown that there are many reasons to be worried about overusing social media,” notes a Forbes article from April 2021.
This means that even greater consideration needs to be given to whoever may be consuming our message so we can ensure that this does not have any adverse or unintended consequences.
