Why Social Shopping Could be the Future of E-Commerce Have you ever gone on social media with the intent of scrolling for entertainment, but left the app with a new purchase? When I scroll through my TikTok For You page, I come across videos with products that pique my interest, not realizing that the button for me to purchase that item is right above the caption. As a consumer, I love how effortless shopping can now be. But what about businesses — what do they think about social commerce? To help brands navigate social commerce features and determine if they fit into their strategy, I surveyed 512 social media marketers who leverage social commerce tools like active community engagement and user-generated content to learn if they’ve provided ROI. Here’s what I discovered: General Trends of Social Selling Social commerce is a growing channel for both buyers and sellers. As seen in our Consumer Trends survey, social media is the future of shopping. Within Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X, social media is the preferred channel for product discovery. Among all consumers, there is a growing number of social media users who buy on social media. In this survey, 87% of sellers say that social selling has been effective for their business this year. 59% say their company is making more sales through social media this year when compared to last year. Some marketers who sell on multiple channels felt that social media is the best at targeting potential customers...

Why Consumers Still Hesitate to Shop on Social Media Platforms If you’ve been on social media lately, you know shopping has taken center stage on most platforms. But, social commerce a controversial topic -- some people love it, others are exhausted by product placements everywhere. And, in our latest research, we discovered that people don’t trust the social media apps they use daily to handle their purchases. How Consumers Feel About Social Media Shopping For starters, just 41% of social media users feel comfortable buying products directly on social apps, and only 37% trust platforms with their card info. And when it comes to the products sold directly on social platforms, just 21% of social media users view them as high-quality. Still, around one in five social media users buy on social media regularly, and 75% of those shoppers say they're satisfied with their latest purchase. So why are people so suspicious of social shopping? Let’s take a look at the biggest concerns consumers have with shopping on social, how you can address them, and which platforms are most trusted for shopping. The Biggest Social Shopping Concerns By far, the biggest concern of consumers is that companies selling products directly on social media aren’t legitimate or could be scamming customers. As mentioned above, suspicions regarding the quality of the product and sharing card information with social platforms also play a huge role. On top of that, one-third of social media users are concerned that...

Consumers Spend 3+ Hours on Social Media Daily: What They're Doing on Each Platform   Have you ever been hypnotized by social media? According to our recent Consumer Trends survey, users of it spend an average of three hours a day there. It's easy to fall into a social media trap, filled with endless distraction. One minute you’re checking a DM and the next thing you know you’ve spent an hour watching videos of corgis playing fetch. But, it does make you wonder what consumers actually do while spending all that time on social media. And -- as a marketer -- you're likely going a step further by asking: "What's my target audience doing on there?" Why Consumers Use (& Love) Social Media Before asking social media users what the heck they're doing on social media all day, we asked them to choose the top three reasons they log on in the first place. And considering the average social media user spends three hours a day on their platforms of choice, it's no surprise that they log on to do a bit of everything there: In digging deeper, we determined the top three reasons users log on to each major social media platform: While Facebook and Instagram are mainly used to share content from our lives and keep up with family, users turn to TikTok and YouTube for entertainment, education, and inspiration. We also have Twitter and LinkedIn, the only platforms that are primarily used...

The Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms of 2023 Are people still using Facebook? Is BeReal the next big thing? And is TikTok still just for Gen Z? If you’re looking for answers to those questions, we’ve got ‘em. We asked 600+ U.S. adults about the social media platforms they use in May 2022 and again in January 2023 to find out which apps are growing and which are slowing down. Here’s what we found out: Social Media Usage in 2022 vs. 2023 While 84% of US adults unsurprisingly use social media, where are they going when they use it?  Here are a few fast facts about the top platforms US consumers use in 2023, keeping in mind that this list might be different in other countries. Facebook (69%), YouTube (57%), Instagram (45%), TikTok (33%), and Twitter (30%) are the most popular social media apps. BeReal (313%), Twitch (29%), LinkedIn (20%), and TikTok (16%) saw the most growth since last May. Reddit (-11%), Pinterest (-9%), and YouTube (-4%) are the only platforms that saw a decline in usage. While Facebook is the most popular social media platform for people over the age of 25, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube are the most popular among ages 18-24. With that, let’s take a deeper dive into the fastest-growing platforms. The Fastest Growing Social Media Platforms 1. BeReal BeReal has seen 313% growth in usage from consumers we polled, which was likely fueled by hype....

How to Generate Leads on Social Media According to HubSpot research, 77% of social media marketers say their marketing specialty has been somewhat to very effective for their company this year. With 4.70 billion worldwide users, social media is a force to be reckoned with. Our phones might as well become extensions of our hands — from blasting off spur-of-the-moment tweets to perusing Instagram for makeup inspiration, social media is a dominant force in our lives that spans generations. That’s why businesses need to tune into social media for lead generation. How can you leverage social media in your business’ favor and turn it into a force for lead generation? In this post, we'll cover the following topics: What is social media lead generation Why businesses generate social media leads How to generate social media leads The platforms mentioned above are just a few examples of the social media channels people frequent to share content, catch up with friends, read up on the latest news, gather inspiration, or simply browse. A quality social media lead is one that will provide useful information and engage with your business. While useful information varies, it generally includes name, occupation, and email address. Why Businesses Generate Social Media Leads Why turn to social media to generate leads? Social media is pervasive — it has become interwoven into our daily lives. According to Pew Research Center, 7 in 10 Americans use social media. With the vast majority...

HubSpot's Social Media Team Gives 5 Tips for Bringing Your Brand on TikTok Taking the risk with any new platform is daunting. After all, no one wants to dedicate their time, energy, or budget into something with little return. That said, it's hard to ignore the hype around TikTok, its fantastic engagement rate, and its massive user base. If you're willing to get creative, TikTok could be the perfect home for your short-form videos. Here, I spoke with HubSpot's social media team to gather their best tips for bringing your brand on TikTok. 1. Know where your audience hangs out. It's important to know where your audience hangs out online. For some brands, this includes TikTok — for others, not so much. For instance, if you sell retirement homes, you won't get much traction with the platform's predominantly younger audience. "TikTok is obviously all the rage right now, and it makes sense that brands want to jump in. But before you do so, make sure to take time to ask the right questions: Does it make sense for our brand to show up on TikTok? Is our target audience there?," advises Annabelle Nyst, senior marketing manager at HubSpot. If you're debating whether or not to bring your brand on TikTok, remember to hinge your decision on the most important factor: your target audience. 2. Find your "why." Getting started on TikTok can feel overwhelming, especially when you don't have a goal to work towards.  Think of your goal as...

7 Dos and Don'ts of Attending or Hosting Twitter Spaces With new social media platforms and features popping up every day, ever wonder about the etiquette you should follow? In this article, we’ll be covering Twitter Spaces etiquette for attendees, hosts, and speakers. Twitter Spaces Etiquette for Attendees 1. Listen more than you speak. On Twitter Spaces, everyone has a role to play. The host is there to set the tone and guide the conversation. Speakers are chosen to share their knowledge. Moderators are there to ensure the space remains safe. As an attendee, your role is to listen and participate upon request. Too often, attendees will show up to a Twitter Space, ask to speak, then monopolize the entire conversation. This is considered inappropriate and can be deemed disrespectful to the speakers already designated in the Space. A good rule of thumb is to listen at least 80% of the time and contribute 20% of the time. However, that can vary depending on the topic, the host, and the Space. With this in mind, allow the host of the Space to set the expectations for that particular session. 2. Stay on task. If you are chosen to share your thoughts, make sure your comments are relevant to the topic. Every time you speak during a Space, you have the ability to move the conversation forward or derail it. One trick to make sure you stay on topic is to write notes...

Where Are These Viral Social Media Platforms Now? From TikTok to Clubhouse to Lasso, it seems like new viral social media platforms are popping up every day. Furthermore, many of the ones that were once en vogue have suddenly waned in popularity. If you’re a marketer, keeping up with these trends can be difficult but necessary in building and maintaining a strong audience. Over the years, we’ve kept you up-to-date about the social media platforms you should care about. But you may be wondering, where are these viral social media platforms now? And which ones are still worth investing in? Here’s what you need to know. Viral social media platforms: Where are they now? TikTok We first pointed out TikTok as the app marketers should watch back in 2019. At the time, the app had over 500 million monthly active users. Since then, that number has doubled to over 1 billion monthly active users. In 2019, we saw brands like Guess experimenting with TikTok by creating their own unique viral video challenges. We predicted more industries and brands would start getting creative with their marketing tactics and dabble with TikTok over time. However, in 2022, brands are still struggling to find their place on TikTok. In 2022, InVideo reported 50% of top brands do not have a presence on TikTok. This includes billion-dollar brands like Google, Ikea, and YouTube. But this doesn’t mean businesses are counting the app out — far from it,...

TikTok Trends B2B and B2C Marketers Should Watch in 2022 According to Hubspot Blog Research, 44% of marketers currently leverage TikTok. As the short-form video platform continues to grow, some brands are struggling to figure out where they fit in. In fact, a 2022 report by InVideo shows that around 50% of brands like Google and IKEA still aren’t leveraging the platform. In this article, we’ll cover the top TikTok trends at a brand marketing level, how to find trends on the platform, and tips for joining them. Top TikTok Trends 1. More businesses are exploring the platform. According to HubSpot Blog Research, TikTok is the number one platform marketers are increasing their investments in for 2022. For a long time, businesses didn’t take TikTok seriously. They saw it as a platform for Gen-Z to make short, funny videos. However, when its popularity (and user growth) peaked in 2020, businesses gave it a second look. Today, marketers say it’s the fourth most effective social media platform behind Instagram, FB, and YouTube. That puts it ahead of established platforms like Twitter and Pinterest. What makes TikTok special is its ability to build community. In fact, 78% of users agree that the best brands on TikTok are ones that work together with users, according to TikTok’s 2021 "What’s Next" report. The report also found 67% of users feel inspired to shop even when they weren’t originally planning to. Brands are starting to realize that while users may first go on...

8 Data-Backed Recommendations for Social Media Marketers in 2022 The start of the new year is an exciting time for marketers to re-evaluate their social media marketing strategies and take advantage of new opportunities as social platforms evolve. From new features to algorithm updates and disruptive social apps, keeping up with these changes can be challenging, but also allows you to tap into exciting new possibilities to help your company grow better in 2022. To help you get the most of your social media strategy in the new year, I recently published findings from the HubSpot Blog's Social Media Trends Survey, where I collected data from more than 300 B2B and B2C marketers to answer questions like: Which social media platforms are marketers currently leveraging? What type of content are marketers posting and which formats do they use most? Which platforms, content types, and formats have the best ROI? When is the best time and day of the week to post on social media? What challenges do social media marketers anticipate in 2022? What are marketers' plans and expectations going into 2022?" I've taken a deep dive through our survey data and made a list of some of the key recommendations social media marketers should consider in 2022. Here are just a few suggestions, based on our data. 8 Data-Backed Social Media Marketing Recommendations for 2022 1. Champion your company values Content that reflects your brand’s values is the most...