Why consumers are expecting more from brands on social media

The social media landscape has changed beyond recognition in recent years, with new apps competing for users’ engagement, and new features and algorithms changing the content we create

In this industry of rapid change and instant gratification, it's no wonder that consumers have come to expect more and more from the brands they follow.

Social media is now not only an opportunity to advertise your products, it's also a means to connect with your customers, talk about relevant cultural topics and express your brand's core values.

Brands are no longer a distant concept that consumers buy into; they've become humanised to the point where the people who run their social media represent the very essence of a brand. From the colours you use in your content to the copy in your captions, every aspect of your social media tells your brand's story to the consumer.

With the mountain of expectation growing, it's become the realm of social media marketing agencies to keep up with the consumer climate and help brands to adapt to this ever-changing world.

A constant conversation

Social media has become the industry that never sleeps, quite literally. With brands from all over the world typically posting at least once a day, users have become accustomed to seeing new content every time they refresh their feed.

In such a saturated stream of content, maintaining your brand's presence in the feed of your followers is critical to increasing brand awareness and retaining the attention of users who have already engaged with your brand.

In order to get noticed, posting regularly and consistently has become the key to growth and engagement, with most brands posting at least once a day. If this sounds like a tall order, you might look into how social media marketing agencies can run your social media for you so that you can focus on the daily running of your business.

Video content

With Instagram being the largest platform on which consumers follow brands, the platform's introduction of reels and IGTVs has been hugely influential in turning the tide towards video content.

The newcomer on the scene, TikTok, has also placed the focus on video as the most engaging form of content. As a result of TikToks that have gone viral, some brands have seen meteoric growth and the sell-out of products overnight. This is a testament to the power of video, but for those of us accustomed to the more static content forms, video can feel like a challenge.

Whether you get creative with reels yourself or outsource an agency to create professional video content, the movement towards video is something you can't ignore.

Authenticity

It should come as no surprise that consumers on social media have come to expect honesty and authenticity from the brands they follow. After years of feeling disconnected from the brands they buy from, consumers are now demanding a more open and honest relationship.

Whether this means being open about how your products are made, what you're doing as a business to minimize your environmental impact, or participating in wider cultural conversations like Black Lives Matter - consumers want to hear about it.

By being more transparent with their customers, brands can create more meaningful relationships with their social media community, leading to a higher lifetime value and a strong sense of brand loyalty.

Customer service

Forget long-winded email chains; customer complaints and queries are now expected to be answered within minutes through social media.

​​According to ReadWrite, 66% of millennials say their customer service expectations have risen in the last year, and they expect to get an immediate response to their social media queries. If messages or comments on social media aren't responded to promptly, this can quickly turn an engaged customer into an unimpressed one.

As an experienced social media marketing agency, we can manage every aspect of your social media so that your brand never leaves customers disappointed.

If you'd like to know more about our comprehensive social media services and how we can use industry insights to grow your presence on social media, why not get in touch with our team?