Hootsuite recently released their Global State of Digital 2021 report. As someone who looks at reports like these on the regular to ensure that our social media and community game is as strong as it can be, I’d like to make your life a lot easier (it’s 299 pages!) and tell you some of the most valuable things I uncovered.
1. The pandemic not only fueled significant social media adoption but moved the term “mobile-first” to “mobile-only.” Almost half a billion users joined social media in the past year, taking the global total to 4.2 billion in early 2021. (YOY growth of 13.2%.) And, for the first time ever, we all now spend more time on our phones than watching TV.
2. People now buy a lot more online, and this is projected to continue. Although many people turned online for their groceries and other purchases to mitigate health risks, humans are creatures of habit and things that are just easier and work are here to stay. More than three-quarters of the world’s internet users say that they buy something online each month, with the value of these purchases adding up to trillions of dollars in ecommerce revenue in 2020 alone.
3. Being human is not only ok, it’s a necessity. In a world where in-person connection has been severely limited, people have been yearning for a deeper connection and more meaning online. Brands are also getting comfortable with humanizing their communication. They inject tear-jerking customer stories and even share their own employee experiences and lives. Ask yourself, does your brand model vulnerability and display your humanity?ONLY do this in truly an authentic way; too many brands make vulnerability a checkbox in their programming. That’ll actually hurt your brand.
4. People are connected ALL OF THE TIME. It’s important for you to understand where your audience generally spends their time beyond social media. Then, decide how you can create a meaningful relationship with them in a way that makes the most sense for the platforms you choose to have a presence on. And there are A LOT more options than you think.
5. People turn to social media more and more to search for information about your brand. While the ROI of social media conversations are so 2010, know that potential customers gather relevant information about your brand by the posts you share on your social media channels. Social media can also help move your potential customers down the marketing funnel if the information and resources you provide differentiates your brand from your competitors.
6. Those that are the most concerned about the misuse of personal data (and data privacy overall) skew older and more female. If you’re an education brand, you should especially take note of this, as these are the demographics of your buyers and users. What is your brand’s policy on personal data use? Is it fair, and is it transparent?
7. A person now has over 8 social media accounts on average. While this news shouldn’t give you free reign to EVER cross-post on all of your social media accounts at once, it does tell you that you don’t necessarily need to be on every social media platform to reach your audience. What social media platforms your brand should be on should be determined by where your audience is mostly (and you can even distill that down by buyer and user), the type of content your brand can/wants to create, and the overall capacity of your brand.
8. The top three most popular social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube, and Whatsapp. Facebook-owned apps account for four out of the top 5 most popular social media apps. While this isn’t surprising, it is a reminder that the social media monopoly that Facebook has accumulated is real. Remember, Facebook (and its properties) are primarily ad serving platforms that have created a pay-to-play environment that brands need to use in order to gain reach. Despite all of this, I’m betting my house that we’ll see TikTok in this top five (maybe even top 3) list next year.
9. The rise of TikTok. TikTok has not only risen to the seventh most popular social media platform overall, it has also become the fourth most popular in terms of time spent (13.3 hours/mo per user). There are really no words for the great content teachers are creating on TikTok. Just go watch, and then start brainstorming what presence your brand should have on it (if any).
10. This chart based on 2021 data on the cross-pollination of social media users alone makes this report worth perusing. It may even deserve its own special blog post, but this is a helpful reference when you’re thinking of cross-promoting between networks (or wondering what percentage of your audience potentially saw your post on another network).
These data do represent worldwide and country-specific stats and trends, so make sure you always keep in mind your specific industry and audience’s behavior and preferences first and foremost. There is much more to unpack in this report, but I hope these ten findings will save you hours of sifting through hundreds of pages.