What consumers want from brands on social media is changing

A majority of UK consumers (52%) are using social media even more today than during the pandemic-era surge, a new report says, and marketers are leveraging AI to help them respond to consumers’ changing requirements. 

What do consumers want? 

• According to the 2023 Sprout Social Index*, twice as many consumers believe personalised care from brands is more memorable than content on trends and social issues.
• Just over half (51%) think the most memorable action a brand can take on social media is simply providing a response. 
• Three-quarters (76%) place equal value on brands prioritising customer support and responding quickly to their needs, with 70% expecting a response within the same day of reaching out. 
• A quarter think speaking out about social issues and causes makes a brand memorable
• Two-thirds (68%) primarily follow brands on social media to stay up to date on products and services.

What it means for brands 

• Brands need to prioritise personalised care and engagement, the report advises.
• Four in ten (43%) marketers plan to use AI and automation tools to handle basic customer inquiries at scale in order to give them more time to respond quickly to specific inquiries. 
• But they’ll need to handle that carefully: a third are concerned with maintaining a balance between AI and human touch in social media interactions, and 42% of consumers are apprehensive about brands using AI for this. 

Measuring the impact 

• Engagement metrics such as likes, shares, and comments are the most regularly tracked metrics among all respondents (78%). 
• Mid-level management and practitioners track social media traffic to the website (63%) and reach/impressions (61%) at a higher rate than executives (35% and 40%, respectively). 
• Quantifying the value of social media engagement in terms of revenue will be marketers’ primary way of demonstrating social’s impact on business goals in 2024 and beyond, the report states.

* Sprout Social surveyed over 900 consumers and 450 marketers in the UK. 

Sourced from Sprout Social