Digital American Newsletter

Gen Xers (34-49 years old) are more active on social media than Millennials (18-34 years old), and more likely to make purchases based on social media engagement, too. Surprising, but true.

On average, Gen Xers spend roughly 10% more time per week on social media than Millennials, and that difference is increasing year-over-year. Across devices, the older generation is more engaged in social media on PCs and tablets, and catching up quickly to the younger generation on smartphones.

Gen Xers engage more with brands on social than Millennials. While both groups are equally likely to follow brands, a greater percentage of Gen Xers interact with brands each month. Most importantly, 67% of Gen Xers say they are likely to buy from a brand they follow, while only 60% of Millennials agree.

Finally, Gen X appears to be easier—and potentially less costly—to reach on social. Almost two-thirds of 34-49 year olds say Facebook is their favorite social platform, with YouTube running a very, very distant second. 18-34 year olds’ preferences are much more fragmented with 33% preferring Facebook, 22% Instagram, 16% Snapchat and 12% YouTube.

Sources: Nielsen 2017, Sprout Social 2017

Chances are you could dramatically increase the reach and engagement of your brand’s social media if you posted less. Yes, less.

According to a quantitative study recently released by Buffer, posting once a day on Facebook tripled their average update’s reach and doubled daily engagement. The research also revealed that sharing once a day is optimum on Instagram, too.

Why does posting less improve impact? First it appears that the Facebook algorithm delivers more organic reach per post when you share less frequently. Second, it’s easier to produce top notch content when you eliminate the pressure to post so much. High quality content leads to stronger engagement.

What makes content “High quality”? It doesn’t have to be custom-developed by your brand. A balance of self-created and curated posts performs best.

Regardless of the source, the most powerful content is educational or entertaining. Posts that are simultaneously educational and entertaining are consumers’ favorites.

Sources: Buffer 2017, CoSchedule 2017

Roughly half of consumers lose respect for brands whose ads appear next to offensive content—seemingly without wondering if it happened inadvertently. 9% become vocal brand critics, 11% completely stop buying the brand, and 37% say they consider the objectionable content next time they make a purchase decision.

In case that doesn’t make your stomach clench, about a third of all Americans think if an ad appears next to inappropriate content, the brand endorses it. Really.

On the flip side, almost two-thirds of shoppers view a brand more favorably when they hear about it in highly regarded channels. Friends, family and websites top the list of most trusted sources. Social media comes in #6, behind TV and newspapers.

Consumers are taking action to avoid offensive content and fake news. The majority have increased their time with trustworthy sources and are avoiding less well-known channels.

It may be time to take a deep breath and rethink digital marketing strategy. Currently, 80% of digital advertising is programmatic. If brands do not have powerful white lists in place, there is considerable risk that ads could show up next to offensive content.

Sources: CMO Council 2017, Dow Jones 2017, eMarketer 2017

Trolls are not psychopaths living in their parents’ basement, typing vile comments to vent rage about their miserable lives.

Instead, trolls are mostly normal people, just like the rest of us.

Trolling isn’t done by specific people. Instead, it is likely to occur in specific situations.

According to recent research by Stanford and Cornell, over 80% of trolling can be predicted by two factors: the poster’s mood and the tone of previous online comments.

People who are in a bad mood—due to the day of the week, time of day or specific events—are much more likely to be offensive or bullying.

What’s more, the first comment on a post has a significant impact on the rest. If it is rude or aggressive, follow-up comments are much more likely to be.

When the two factors occur together—someone in a bad mood reads an offensive opening comment—it’s the perfect storm for trolling.

Before you get too depressed, the researchers found some good news, too. Civility in comments is also contagious. Frequently posting community rules helps keep discussions on the high road, as does having a person with high social capital intervene when trolling first occurs.

Sources: Business Insider 2017, New Scientist 2017, Stanford 2017.

Consumers are more interested in ads on podcasts than in any other medium. In fact, two-thirds of podcast listeners have acted after hearing an ad—either seeking more information or buying the product.

Here are the fast facts about podcasts.

• 40% of Americans have tried a podcast, and 67 million adults listen at least monthly.
• Almost half of all listeners are 18-34 years old.
• The average listener is affluent, well-educated and employed full-time.
• Listeners rarely skip podcast ads. 75% always or usually listen to the commercials.
• 85% of people stick with podcast episodes the whole way to the end.
• Podcast listeners spend more time with podcasts than any other audio including streaming music, the radio, or their own music library.
• The average user listens to 5 different podcasts per week.
• “Connected,” “intelligent” and “energized” are the three most common emotions consumers experience after listening to a podcast.
• Podcast listenership is growing at a steady rate, increasing roughly 10-15% per year.

    
Sources: Comscore 2016, Edison Research 2017