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Social Is About Self-Expression - Five Critical Data Points To Pay Attention To
June 7, 2016
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As we have watched the rise of visual in the past couple of years, from using photos/videos to communicate in semi-real time like on Snapchat - to the popularity of broadcasting in real-real-time with Periscope and/or Facebook Live, visual communication is accelerating.
And last week when Venture Capitalist, Mary Meeker of Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers revealed her company's annual "Internet Trends," she simply laid out the importance of visual as a brand.
Meeker's Internet Trends gives us an idea of what habits our audience and our advertising partners have developed, along with those emerging habits.
There is much to take away.
Below are five data points to take note of.
All Visual, All Of The Time
While Facebook is far and away the leader - Snapchat just surpassed Twitter in Daily Active Users. Snapchat now reports 150 Million users each day, compared to Twitter's 140 Million.
(Slide 73 of deck)The visual social networks continue to rise in usage.
People shared two times as many photos in 2015 vs. 2014. (Half happened on a platform owned by Facebook.)
There are 8 Billion video views on Facebook each day, 10 Billion daily on Snapchat.
A Tale of Two Generations: Again - Notice How They Communicate:
(Slide 74 of deck)Gen Z communicates with images. This is something my 16 year-old taught me three years ago while watching her use Snapchat. I noticed she was snapping facial expressions to speak.
Photos are no longer just for memorializing moments.
There's Never Been A Louder 'Call To Arms' For Better Ads
While Mary Meeker noted the following on how consumers feel about the state of today's advertising:
93% of consumers consider using ad blocking software
81% mute video ads
62% are annoyed with / put off by brands forcing pre-rolls
There are ads out there that work.
Snapchat's 3V advertising solution is one example.
Vertical (made for mobile) / Video (telling a story) / Viewing (more engaged).
People don't just tolerate Snapchat ads, they play along with them.
(Slide 83 of deck)As silly as Snapchat ads looks to traditional sellers, here's why they work:
Visuals can oftentimes trigger emotion more profoundly than long-winded, text-heavy posts. And when the right image is used - it inspires multiple interactions; increasing reach, awareness and impressions.
But visual doesn't always have to be in the form of a photo or video.
The Evolution of Simple Self Expression
Emoji, gifs and Snapchat lenses and filters are other visual ways we communicate.
(Slide 101 in deck)Finally, Pay Attention To Their Preferred Mode Of Communication
As you see below, the worst way to communicate with most Millennials is the phone.
(Slide 107 in deck)Important to note that while nearly half Millennials prefer web chat or social when interacting with brands, Gen X'ers still prefer phone.
It may serve a brand well to offer not just the request line but follow the number up with another choice that serves the younger end.
Not to suggest rattling off 17 ways to connect in one breath - two are sufficient - request line and a social channel.
And that's just the start of 213 slides. I encourage everyone to spend some time with this deck.
https://www.kleinerperkins.com/perspectives/internet-trends-report-2018/
It's important to know what our audience is doing when they're not listening to us. What habits they have developed, and those habits emerging.
Staying on top of trends is critical - especially for legacy media.
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