Social Media & Consumer Behavior: Why Organic Matters More Than Ever

Social media — both organic and paid — is arguably one of the most important marketing tools for consumer goods. No other platform enables marketers to present an offering to target audiences in quite the same way. But with the social media advertising space becoming increasingly saturated, it’s more important than ever to create and maintain a strong organic presence for your audience to find and connect with.

How Social Media Affects Different Steps of a Buyer Journey

Connecting with the audience is only step one. And along the path to purchase (and hopefully onto loyal brand follower and promoter), social media can play a role in every step.

Influence & Discovery

According to a survey of Instagram users commissioned by Facebook IQ, 83% of users said Instagram helps them discover new products or services. While some of that discovery might be self-guided, another study conducted by Forbes found that 81% of respondents indicated that recommendations or posts from their family and friends directly impacted their purchase decisions, while 78% said that social media posts from brands do the same.

Research

Is social media the new Google? Maybe not quite, but for consumer goods research, it’s on the way. One study found that 54% of social users research products on social media, employing a variety of tactics when doing so. Active Instagram users reported even higher numbers, with 81% indicating they employ the platform to research products or services. Furthermore, of the 1 billion monthly active Instagram users, 200 million of them visit at least one business profile daily.

Purchase

In our latest State of Social report, we found that 1 in 3 consumers have made a purchase immediately after seeing an ad on social media. So what does that look like for organic posts? 41% of buyers say they’ve purchased something they came across, even if it wasn’t something they were looking for. Not to mention, in the age of modern technology and instant gratification, consumers love a good deal. So much so that 64% of consumers will wait for something to go on sale before purchasing, and social media gives brands a free and easy way to share promotions, sales, and more.

How to Make Social Media Work Harder for Your Brand

This should come as no surprise after all the statistics above, but it all comes down to the data. What are the numbers saying? In order to find your social media story, you first need to uncover the engagement stats and what they mean. Likes and share are great, but are they worth the effort if they don’t turn into purchases? What is it about your posts that drive the engagement you’re looking for? If you’re looking for in depth, frame by frame analytics on your organic creative performance, look no further than our Creative Intelligence platform, which is now available for organic Facebook and Instagram activity. If you want to take the plunge and try it for yourself, get in touch to schedule a demo.

How Social Media Affects Different Steps of a Buyer Journey

Make Social Media Work Harder for Your Brand