LinkedIn Archives - Triple Canopy Media

Why tech vendors should pay attention to LinkedIn

26SepSeptember 25, 2019 By Paula Maggio

LinkedIn. It’s the most popular social networking site for business-to-business professionals. But if you’re in the tech field, LinkedIn plays an even more important role, according to a recent report.

The new information results from a survey in which LinkedIn queried 5,241 global professionals who recently “participated in or influenced the purchase of various hardware or software solutions,” reports Social Media Today.

According to the report, titled “Technology Plays an Essential Role in Driving Smart Business for Today’s Dynamic World of Work,” buyers of technology make enlightened decisions based on input from online communities, as well as internal peers.

Characteristics of tech purchasers

Tech vendors should take note of the characteristics shared by tech purchasers, according to the LinkedIn report:

Tech purchasers are collaborative, seeking advice from online sources as well as colleagues.
Tech purchasers use that advice to identify, vet, research, purchase, implement, and renew business technology solutions.

The buying habits of tech purchasers makes the decision-making process for buyers quite complex. It also creates a competitive landscape for vendors.

Key takeaways from the LinkedIn survey

Tech vendors should make sure they have a well-developed presence on LinkedIn, which in April reported it is seeing “record levels of engagement” among its 610 million users. Remember: LinkedIn makes up more than 50% of all social traffic to B2B websites and blogs.

More advice includes:

Know your audience. Within the next few years, millenials, those born between 1981 and 1996 and comprising 25 percent of the population, will be making more than 50% of the tech purchasing decisions. What’s more, there are 87 million millennials on LinkedIn, with 11 million in decision-making positions.
Know your users. 4/5 of employees impact tech purchase decisions.
Make your content informative and worthwhile. Why? Ninety percent of tech buyers look to the outside for useful information. And most Fortune 500 decision-makers and executives like to spend their spare time on LinkedIn, reports Foundation. They are looking for valuable content. So make sure you provide it.
Make your brand stand out. It should convey trust, dependability, quality, support, and service.
Make sure your marketing and sales messages align. Both should align.

We can help with your LinkedIn presence

Social media, including LinkedIn, is a key element for marketing success. If you’re not sure how to do your own social media, reach out to Triple Canopy Media. At Triple Canopy Media we would be glad to show you how it’s done. Or do it for you.

Here’s what we do:

We assess your needs, determine which social media platforms will best serve them, and set up a regular process for sharing carefully crafted content about your business via selected platforms.
We create a cohesive strategy and measurement plan.
We integrate the plan across the organization.
Finally, we use metrics to monitor content marketing performance and ROI.

Social media: What’s hot and what’s not?

01AugJuly 31, 2019 By Paula Maggio

Facebook is flat. Instagram is down. Snapchat is on its way back. LinkedIn is seeing more traffic. Tik Tok is a rising star. It can be difficult to know which platform to use to meet our content marketing needs. So let’s take a look at the findings of a few studies that show the rise and fall of social media platforms.

Instagram: up or down?

Engagement rates on Instagram are dropping because of the prevalence of sponsored posts, according to a study that analytics firm InfluencerDB shared with Mobile Marketer.

However, sponsored posts tend to generate higher engagement than those that are not sponsored. InfluencerDB gives two reasons for that. One is that influencers tend to create better quality posts. The other is that Instagram’s algorithms give higher precedence to sponsored posts.

On the other hand, engagement rates for influencer content are declining as Instagram feeds get cluttered with sponsored posts, according to InfluencerDB.

On the upside, since Facebook-owned Instagram launched Instagram Stories in 2016, that function has overtaken Snapchat in overall usage.

Facebook: flat or losing?

According to a Pew Research Center survey conducted early this year, Facebook use – as well as that of other platforms — is flat among adults. However, Facebook still has around 2.4 billion users, and that number includes 69% of adults.

But just last week, Facebook boasted that it is now up to 2.4 billion monthly actives and its daily active users figures continue to trend upward as well. Its most significant audience growth once again comes in the Asia Pacific region.

Other reports take a different view of Facebook’s numbers. Here are a few:

The latest Edison Research ‘Infinite Dial’ report indicated that the platform has lost around 15 million active users in the U.S. since 2017.
eMarketer estimates that Facebook lost around 2.1 million users under the age of 25 in 2018.
Older studies show that found that 42% of Facebook users had reduced their daily activity and engagement and that Facebook has continued to lose popularity with teens.

What about other platforms?

LinkedIn reported in April that it is seeing “record levels of engagement” among its 610 million users.
Snapchat may be making a comeback. It is now serving more users than ever, some 203 million people every day.
TikTok was the 4th most downloaded app in 2018. It was #3 position in the first quarter of this year, topping the chart for Apple non-game apps.
Twitter is the top platform for government leaders, but user growth is predicted at just 1%. However, the number of daily users has increased consistently since 2016, with 9% more people using it each day.

Growth may be slowing

The previously steady growth in the use of social platforms in the United States during the past decade appears to be slowing, says the Pew report cited above.

While Facebook and YouTube have the broadest reach among adults, Instagram and Snapchat have a strong following among young adults. These findings illustrate the age-, gender-, and race-related differences in platform use that the survey documented, information we shared earlier this year.

For more, check out this infographic, “The Demographics of Social Media in 2019.” It comes from Jones PR and highlights some key social platform usage stats and how things currently stand.

We can help move the needle

If you’re wondering which platforms to choose to meet your company’s goals and reach your intended target audience, Triple Canopy Media can help. We can assist you in setting your social media goals and metrics so you can actually move the needle forward for your business.

From Gen Z to Boomers: Social Media Preferences

23MayJune 19, 2019 By Paula Maggio

You are putting together a marketing campaign. And because you are doing it right, it includes social media targeted to the market you have identified. That target market can be based on age, gender, location, language, spending power and patterns, interests, or stage of life – or any combination thereof.

Understanding the demographics of each social media platform is essential before deciding which platforms make the most sense for the market your brand is targeting.

If age is an important factor in determining your target market, there is plenty of information out there that will help you choose the platform or platforms that will get eyeballs – of the right age — on your posts.

Choosing social media platforms: What the numbers tell us

It’s important to choose the right platform for your social media posts because social media is not going away. By 2020, there will be an estimated 2.95 billion social media users. Of those, 78% will be in the United States, making the U.S. the largest social media advertising market in the world.

Six years later, by 2026, here’s how the numbers will break down by generation: The Silent Generation (those 74 and older and born before 1946) will make up 14% of the U.S. population; Baby Boomers, 66%; Gen X 65%; Millennials, 80%, Gen Z, 82%, and Gen Alpha, 43%.

Generational breakdown

Of the 2.95 billion social media users who will exist next year, here is how that number breaks down by generation, from Generation Alpha to the Baby Boomers.

Generation Alpha: Born 2010-2025

2 billion by 2025
5 million born around the globe each week
First totally digital generation
Immersed in technology since birth
Technology deeply integrated in everyday life

Gen Z: Ages 13-19 – Born 1997-2010

27% of U.S. population
8 billion globally
Youngest, most ethnically-diverse generation in U.S. history
Estimated to soon become the largest U.S. consumer population
8-second average attention span
Social Media Platforms: 50% use Instagram, 26% use Facebook and 23% use Snapchat
Prefer real people to celebs
Dominates online searches for information on the post-Millenial generation

Millennials: Ages 23-38 – Born 1981-1996

25% of U.S. population
Extraordinary buying power
Largest living generation in U.S.
Unmatched social media skills
Social Media Platforms: 70% use Facebook, 63% are heavy YouTube users
43% want brand to reach them via email
Spend 8 hours a day online
Concerned with financial future
Generation most loyal to brands

Generation X: Ages 39-53 – Born 1965-1980

6% of U.S. population
Smaller than any other age demographic
58% of internet users in U.S
$200 billion in spending power
Social Media Platforms: 80% on Facebook and Twitter but only half use their accounts regularly
76% of all online users will access social media in 2017
68% make decisions based on reviews. Pay attention to online reviews

Baby Boomers: Ages 55-73 – Born 1946-1964

Spend 27 hours a week online
Social Media Platforms: Facebook preferred platform: 45% of 65+; 60% of 50-64; 15% spend 11-plus hours a week on Facebook; 13% use LinkedIn
50% rely on credit cards for purchases
Responsible for 50% of total consumer expenditure
Most price conscious

Social media use overall — in the U.S. and beyond

When looking at social media use overall, the research shows that today about 70% of Americans use social media to connect with each other. Worldwide, there are approximately 3.04 billion social media users. About that same number actively access social media on their mobile devices. Of these, 90% reach out to brands or retailers.

In the U.S. 77% of people have at least one social media profile. And global internet users spend 135 minutes daily on social media sites.

What Research Tells Us About Social Media and Its Users

09MayJuly 25, 2019 By Paula Maggio

Social media. Who uses it? How often do they use it? And what platforms do they use?

It’s essential to know the answers to those questions if we want to successfully craft targeted social media posts for our businesses.

The Pew Research Center survey

So let’s take a look at the latest research from the Pew Research Center, which routinely knocks it out of the park when it conducts surveys.

From Jan. 8 to Feb. 7, researchers in the Pew survey conducted telephone interviews among a national sample of 1,502 adults, 18 years of age or older, living in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Of the respondents, 302 were interviewed on a landline telephone, and 1,200 were interviewed on a cellphone.

What did the survey conducted early this year find? It found that despite privacy and other concerns, social media use by adults is basically unchanged.

“The shares of adults who say they use Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Twitter are each largely the same as in 2016, with only Instagram showing an uptick in use during this time period,” according to the survey. (Note: There are no comparable 2016 phone survey data for YouTube, Snapchat, WhatsApp or Reddit.)

The previously steady growth in the use of social platforms in the United States during the past decade appears to be slowing, the report shows. While Facebook and YouTube have the broadest reach among adults, Instagram and Snapchat have a strong following among young adults. These findings illustrate the age-, gender-, and race-related differences in platform use that the survey documented, which we share below.

Evolving social media

But first a news update. Although social media use has remained flat, social media design – from its appearance to its features – continues to change – and here’s the latest on that. The Pew survey results hit April 10, less than one month before Facebook rolled out a new redesign for its app and website in late April.

The redesign gives both a cleaner look, more white space, more emphasis on groups, and prominent placement for “Stories” photo-sharing, according to such sources as Business Insider. Facebook says groups, which it counts at 400 million, are among the most “meaningful” ways people use the site.

Included in the Facebook news was a bit about Facebook Dating, which is set to launch in the U.S. by the end of the year. Also included is a new “Meet New Friends” feature. It will be interesting to see how these changes affect Facebook statistics when Pew conducts its next survey.

What the research shows

For now, let’s look at some statistics about social media users using the most popular platforms, as featured in the Pew survey and in an April 10 article and info-graphic on Social Media Today.

The latest survey is just one piece of useful research about social media that the Pew Research Center has conducted over the years, with the first in-depth studies on both adult and teen use of social media conducted in 2007. Find more here.

General social media statistics

Approximately 3.04 billion social media users worldwide
About the same number actively access social media on their mobile devices.
90% of these reach out to brands or retailers.
In the U.S. 77% of people have at least one social media profile.
Global internet users spend 135 minutes daily on social media sites.

The platforms

Facebook

2.4 billion users
69% of adults use the platform
74% of users visit site daily
50% visit several times a day
63% male
75% female
70% white
70% black
69 Hispanic
84% of 25- to 29-year-olds use it
74% have incomes of $75K+
75% have some college

LinkedIn

590 million members; 260 million users
27% of adults use the platform
29% male
24% female
28% white
24% black
16% Hispanic
44% of 25- to 29-year-olds use it
49% have incomes of $75K+
51% have college+
70% of users are outside the U.S.

Twitter

326 million users
22% of U.S. adults
24% male
21% female
21% white
24% black
25% Hispanic
44% of 18- to 24-year-olds use it
31% have incomes of $75K+
32% have college+
80% access it via mobile device

Pinterest

250 million+ users
28% of U.S. adults
15% male
42% female
33% white
27% black
22% Hispanic
38% of 18- to 24-year-olds use it
41% have incomes of $75K+
38% have college+

Instagram

1 billion active monthly users
500 million are active daily
37% of U.S. adults
31% male
43% female
33% white
40% black
51% Hispanic
75% of 18- to 24-year-olds use it
Dominated by those under age 35
Majority of users visit site daily
60% of 18- to 29-year-old users use the platform several times per day
42% have incomes of $75K+
43% have college+

Snapchat

255 million users
24% of U.S. adults
24% male
24% female
22% white
28% black
29% Hispanic
Majority of users visit site daily
62% of 18- to 29-year-olds use it
68% of 18- to 29-year-old users use the platform several times per day
27% have incomes of less than $30K
29% have some college

YouTube

9 billion users
73% of U.S. adults use it
78% male
68% female
71% white
77% black
78% Hispanic
93% of 25- to 29-year-olds use it
83% have incomes of $75K+
80% have college+
51% visit site daily; that figure was 45% in 2018

It’s not too late to get on trend: Top Social media trends of 2019

25AprApril 25, 2019 By Paula Maggio

While social media is nothing new, that doesn’t mean there is nothing new in social media. At Triple Canopy Media, we have done our research. So five months into the new year, we are sharing the top social media trends of 2019 – as culled from a variety of expert sources.

Influencer marketing

Topping the list is authentic influencer marketing and micro-influencer marketing. Both are a win-win for the parties involved. You benefit because you establish a strategic partnership with someone with reach, credibility, and salesmanship who can advocate for your product or service.

The influencer benefits because he or she is recognized, gets access to information, and becomes the first to learn of news in their field — three things that strengthen their influence.

Interaction

Social media is about more than driving traffic to your website. So be sure to interact with your audience. Take time to understand your customers and how they interact with your brand. Be responsive to their comments. Engage them. Respond quickly to customer complaints, issues and questions. Personal interaction is important because it helps build relationships and relationships help build business. Using the right monitoring and tracking tools will help you do it right.

Interactive quizzes

Interactive quizzes are another important thing to share on social media, according to Forbes. Letting readers answer fun questions in order to receive personalized product and service recommendations encourages two-way conversations in a digital environment.

Podcasts and other audio content

And since we live in a world that encourages multi-tasking, Forbes also points out the creation of podcasts and other audio content as another important 2019 trend. Users can listen to your audio as they drive, walk, run, and do household tasks. With voice search so popular, content creators should be creating content that can be listened to, as well as read and watched.

Long-form content

“Scientific evidence is proving that long-form content drives conversion and search engine optimization when done right,” advises Edward Bourelly of Omni-Culture Marketing, Inc. Consumers don’t necessarily prefer short bursts of content. They will engage with long content if it interesting. So make it interesting. Here’s how to create long-form content that engages readers:

Tell stories that convey the “behind the scenes” realities of your business.
Tell stories that matter to people.
Communicate, don’t sell.
Share personal stories, including employee-created content, which receives eight times more engagement than content shared from the company itself and extends brand messaging by more than 500 percent.

Live video

Ever watch the TV sitcom “A.P. Bio”? In several episodes this season, a high school staffer is shown spending lots of work time recording Facebook Live videos about her consumer experiences. Meanwhile, her phone screen is shown blowing up with positive reactions from viewers. These scenes alone show how live video can connect with a mass audience on an authentic, personal level. Use analytics to find out more about your audience and how to deepen your connection with them. Develop a video strategy that includes live, vertical, interactive and smartphone-quality videos.

Those who study social media trends say LinkedIn, with 260 million users, has done a lot over the last year with video, with the rise of LinkedIn influencers, and with connecting their products to Bing. LinkedIn reports that year to year likes, comments, and shares on the network have increased 50 percent. And the network is appealing to a younger demographic as those folks start out on their careers or head into higher ed, as well as to executives who prefer watching video to reading text.

Instagram stories

Well, that’s no secret. Instagram has exploded, and Instagram stories keep growing in popularity and engagement. Whether the reach is paid or organic, the growth is there. Out of Instagram’s more than one billion monthly users as of June 2018, 400 million of them are clicking on Instagram stories. Instagram Stories continue to gain popularity and increased engagement via organic and paid methods. And Instagram is the only social media platform that has seen an uptick this year over last, a new Pew Research Center study has found.

Social media use steady and established

The Pew Research Center study also found that, “The shares of adults who say they use Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and Twitter are each largely the same as in 2016.”

Brent Csutoras, co-owner and adviser of Search Engine Journal, puts it this way: “Companies need to remember that the “newness” of social media is over.” It’s here to stay.