In 2024, ROI will take center stage on social marketing tactics according to the Social Trends 2024 report by Hootsuite.
Based on insights from over 4,200 marketers, 4,500 consumers, and a large number of social media studies, the report highlights some of the key concerns and opportunities emerging in the sector. Here’re the key points that worth our attention:
AI forces brands to redefine authenticity
AI-generated social posts get a lot of buzz, but the question of trust still casts a big shadow. Machine stringing words or mashing images together to be shared online makes some people uneasy, especially when trying to gauge what’s real and what’s not on social.
Different age groups are forming different relationships with AI-generated content. Gen Z are more likely to trust and engage with AI content, while baby boomers are less likely to trust and engage with it if. Knowing exactly who your audience is on social will help you develop an AI strategy that’s in line with their values and preferences.
To thrive in this new environment, marketers and brands need to move beyond defining “real” and “authentic” based on whether something was created exclusively by a human.
In 2024, the most successful brands will redefine “authenticity.” It’s not about who (or what) creates your content anymore; it’s about the brand experience your content creates for the customer. Does it feel right? Does it reinforce the brand? Does it work?
Strategic brands commit to their champion platforms
Data reveals that organizations are getting serious about understanding which platforms work for them and which ones don’t—and ROI confidence helps them decide. The platforms that drive the most ROI confidence aren’t necessarily the most widely used, and vice versa.
Take WhatsApp, for example. Only 14% of organizations have a presence on the instant messaging app, but almost two-thirds of them feel strongly that it benefits their business. Conversely, the majority of brands are on Twitter/X, but only 30% think it drives value—which is a 23% decrease from last year and might explain the platform’s 7% drop in brand use.
Strapped for time and resources, organizations stop stretching themselves thin and double down on the social platforms that get results.
Entertainment fuels the social ROI engine
Consumers want to be entertained. The top reason they use social media is to be entertained and to mentally unwind, according to the Survey. They also don’t like it when brands are too focused on self-promotion. In fact, 34% say it’s a major turn-off in how they perceive brands on social.
However, there’s a huge disconnect between what brands are posting and what people really want to see.
In 2024, brands that publish entertaining content on social will succeed in winning eyeballs, engagement, and (eventually) market share away from brands that keep on publishing the same old stuff.