- Jay Hall
The Perfect Promotion: According to 1,200 Facebook Users
Every year around this time we complete a poll of roughly 1,200 users on a social media platform. For 2016 - 17, we set out to learn what makes a user click on an ad. For 2015 - 16, we learned that while video may get more views, if you want to make a point that can be digested and remembered, then you want to produce a winning graphic. For 2017 - 18, we set out to determine what the perfect promotion looks like.
Here's who we polled:
1,200 Facebook users.
50% Male, 50% Female.
20% 18 - 28, 20% 29 - 40, 18% 41 - 50, 7% 51+, 45% Unknown
1,000 users were consumers.
200 users were marketers, promoters, agency leads, and business owners.
The questions that we asked of consumers:
What drives you to make a purchase for an event online? Service? Product?
What is the optimal amount of time you need to know about the event, service, or product in order to make a purchase?
What mediums influence your purchases most?
How much does peer visibility matter in your purchasing decision?
What kind of content will drive you to make a purchasing decision?
The questions that we asked of marketers, promoters, agency leads, and business owners:
How much do you spend on average each month for a single event, product, or service campaign?
What do you consider good total online ROI?
Rank these online platforms by effectiveness for your single campaigns; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
How much time do you usually give a promotion online?
When marketing an event, service, or product, what content do you typically use?
Consumer Answers
What drives you to make a purchase for an event online? Service? Product?
The top 3 answers to this question covered 97% of responses; attached to celebrity or meaning, peers getting involved, and a creative approach. When asked about celebrity or meaning the respondents said that celebrity culture is alive and well, so having a celebrity as a part of the experience is key to getting their attention. Short of celebrity, meaning is important. Meaning is defined in this case as the event, service, or product providing a unique entertainment or educational experience that triggers curiosity or fills a need. Regarding creativity; text posts won't do, using the same graphics over and over won't do, and not having a unique hook is detrimental to success.
What is the optimal amount of time you need to know about the event, service, or product in order to make a purchase?
Interestingly, the responses for our 3 classes of purchases were very different. For an event, respondents said they would like to hear about an event a few months out and then get reminders that probe them to finally buy. For many the decision to go out is quite involved; time off work, organizing people to attend with, perhaps finding an outfit, planning more around the event to maximize time out, and deciding on logistics. This applies to large events such as an arena concert or big play. For smaller events, the optimal time for promotion is 7-weeks. Consumers felt that this was enough time to hear about, be reminded about, and plan for a small event. However, consumers did state that with smaller events such as club shows or small productions, those in charge of marketing must be aggressive because they don't care as much about attendance, and will likely make a purchasing decision at the last minute.
A stat that shocked us was the lead time for a product or service purchase. Of those that responded, well over 80% said their purchasing decisions in this case are generally within an hour of seeing the product or service online or identifying the need for the purchase. This speaks to the power of the internet. Many said they are online looking for something to do, so when they see a product or service that interests them, they will do the research on the spot and make a decision. Large purchases though, are a different story. Anything over $150 requires thought and consultation. This is why remarketing is so important, because each respondent said that without a reminder to investigate the potential purchase they will likely forget and move on to something else.
What mediums influence your purchases most?
By order of importance:
Facebook
Word of mouth
Google
Instagram
Pinterest
How much does peer visibility matter in your purchasing decision?
Through this poll we have identified peer visibility as the #1 factor to drive a purchasing decision when it comes to events, products, and services. You only need look at the previous answers to see why. In the vast majority of decisions, a purchase can fall flat if a peer is disengaged. Think about it; if your go to friend isn't interested in the event you want to attend, you'll likely plan something else. If trusted sources tell you a product fell short of expectations, you're likely to find an alternative. If a service isn't as advertised, and the word of mouth gets out, you're likely sunk.
71% of respondents said they are more likely to interact with an advertisement if a friend has interacted or if a friend brings it to their attention. This is why likes, comments, and shares are so important in this modern world of marketing. It also helps identify why TV, print, and radio are no longer effective sole means of advertising. There is very little peer interaction.
What kind of content will drive you to make a purchasing decision?
These answers may surprise you:
An Appealing Graphic: Appealing is defined as having a beautiful design with easy to read text, that is straight to the point. This tells us that marketers should be making text pop from the background, following design trends that work with branding instead of sticking to staunch branding, and say it in as few words as possible while being very direct.
Photos of Peer or Celebrity Interaction: Putting those that people identify with in your ads will drive sales.
Video: There is a caveat here; the video has to be under 1m 30s. Through the poll and analyzing data we have found a nearly 80% view rate drop off on videos over 1m 30s unless the content is news. Some other notes: the video must be funny, emotional, or dramatic, it must contain b-roll, and you'll get more views if a man is speaking about serious subjects or a if a woman is presenting something emotionally or comically driven.
Quality Google Listing: A Google listing with qualifiers, catchy text, and call to action (CTA).
Good Reviews: Reviews matter, although we did a poll in 2015 that shows data which suggest reviews matter less in 2018. Many are aware that trolls exist online and have a problem with everything, so they don't trust a lot of negative reviews. On the flip side, they're aware companies do bolster positive reviews as well. The key to trusted reviews is when the reviewer presents detail, seeing names of staff, and genuine language.
Marketer's Answers
How much do you spend on average each month for a single event, product, or service campaign?
For an event, the spend was far less than what would be required to capture the attention of the audience based on current ad numbers. Marketers said they spend on average about $300 on events, while aggressive budgets are closer to $2000. Remember, consumers said that marketers must be aggressive to capture their attention.
Interestingly enough, 62% of respondents said they don't get the reaction online they are looking for with their events. That's not to say that spending more money will solve the problem but there is a clear divide in the numbers.
For products and services, on average, marketers spend about $30/day online. These are great small to mid sized local market budgets, but if you're relying on advertising to get the word out to large local markets or outside of targeted borders then the spend would need to increase.
What do you consider good total online ROI?
Respondents had to think about this question for quite some time. Online ROI breaks down to interaction, response, and action. Marketers are looking for about 10 likes (interaction), 5 comments or shares (response), and 1 message or sale (action) per $20 spend. The majority of respondents were also aware that marketing is about awareness. That said, they look at 35% of their spend as being put towards awareness. So for every $100 spent the expectation (with the right messaging) is 50 likes, 25 comments and shares, 3 sales or messages.
Rank these online platforms by effectiveness for your single campaigns; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Pinterest, and LinkedIn.
Facebook
Instagram
LinkedIn
Twitter
Pinterest
It is important to note that the platforms marketers consider most important in order of relevance do not match those stated by consumers.
How much time do you usually give a promotion online?
In general, for events marketers give roughly 3 months for large events and 3 weeks for smaller events. For products and services, they will market these on an ongoing basis. This also does not line up with the consumer data.
When marketing an event, service, or product, what content do you typically use?
Marketers say they try to use video but creating consistent content can be taxing, and their video campaigns are usually not strong. Graphics are the go to, but many say they don't adapt their designs to the platform and weren't even aware this was needed. In general, it would appear that content is not the focus of most online marketing strategies, but is central to success.
Need help with online marketing? Contact SYNC, and let's talk about how we can get you on track.
Written by Jay Hall, Chief Strategist