THE 2020 GUIDE TO SOCIAL NETWORKS FOR COMMUNICATION AND MARKETING
Agence Puck
28 June 2020
The latest social network figures for 2020 report 3.8 billion users, or 49% of the world's population. They oblige us to get a better grasp of the real usefulness of each of these platforms, because we aren't all on them. However, when you work in communication and marketing, it's your duty to pin down the trends in order to understand consumers and adapt campaigns better. This is all the more necessary given that spending on online advertising has far exceeded spending on television advertising, and it should reach 260 billion by 2021.
Each platform now has a specific audience profile, in BtoB, BtoC or even BtoBtoC. As a consulting agency, it's our role to know the types of users of each social network and to adapt your content accordingly. This affects 3 areas of digital communication:
- content,
- digital media buying,
- community management.
This article sheds light on the most popular and most visited social networks in the world today.
Snapchat - the ephemeral at all costs
After a phase of explosive growth, initially among young people but not only them, Snapchat is now losing momentum in the face of counter-attacks from Facebook and Instagram (stories, filters, effects, etc.) and its failed redesign. But this social network can't be written off so easily, as Snapchat users watch an average of 10 billion videos a day (2 billion more than on Facebook).
Certain innovations have given it a new lease of life, such as Spectacles, the first glasses that record videos to share on social networks, and Shows, which allows longer content to be created (between 3 and 7 minutes): perfect for advertising.
Identity card
- Audience in France: 19 million
- 60% of 18-34 year olds use the social network every day, 75% every month
- Snapchat is becoming a gateway to content with the “Discover” tab open to major media.
- “Lenses” and “sponsored filters” potentially make each user a vehicle for your brand
Strategy on Snapchat in 2020
Use stories to communicate with your contacts through messages visible for 24 hours. Share on Snapchat whatever isn't meant to last: a spontaneous idea, a thought, a moment to share, a one-off event…
TikTok - the new idol of our young people
TikTok is the network of choice for people from Generation Z, no doubt because it's so easy to watch and produce 15-second music videos. The growth of this Chinese-born social network has been dazzling, with nearly 1 billion users worldwide. It's amusing to note that a similar idea, Vine, which no doubt arrived too early, didn't enjoy the same success.
Identity card
- Audience in France: 6.5 million
- Typical profile in France: girls aged 13 to 24 (51.34%),
- Most users are aged between 13 and 17 (38.09%), ahead of 18-24 year olds (36.85%) and 25-34 year olds (19.99%),
- TikTok lets you broadcast your light-hearted music videos to an ultra-responsive audience.
- Influencer marketing really comes into its own on this platform.
Strategy on TikTok 2020
Difficult as it is to have a BtoB presence on TikTok, companies selling products from the music, fashion, luxury, travel and beauty sectors, etc. can seize the opportunity by showcasing them through fun videos (or by relying on influencers who already have an audience).
Facebook - the giant of social networks
The platform created by Mark Zuckerberg now has 2.2 billion active users worldwide, including 38 million in France. 65% of French people use it, proving that this platform is still the leading way of reaching your target. The platform is also growing through the acquisition of many other platforms such as Oculus Rift and Instagram and the integration of the latter into its advertising network.
It should be pointed out, however, that in France Facebook is losing engagement (although advertising finds it of definite interest thanks to its precise targeting) to platforms with which very young people identify more. It therefore remains vital to have a quality Facebook page. This applies in BtoC, but can also apply in BtoB, especially for anything to do with employer branding.
Identity card
- Audience in France: 38 million
- On average, users are aged between 18 and 49.
- Many advertising opportunities through the partner sites and applications of the Facebook Audience Network, with very precise targeting.
- A wide variety of advertising formats (Lead Ads, Product Ads, Dynamic Ads, Local Awareness Ads, Messenger Ads, WhatsApp Ads, etc.).
- The arrival of new types of post (rich content with Facebook Canvas, slideshows, live videos, stories, filters, etc.).
- Optimisation of existing features such as groups and pages, which are a favoured channel on this network.
- The arrival of chatbots to automate customer relations.
Strategy on Facebook in 2020
Video in the broad sense (native video, live video and 360 video) is being used better and better by companies, despite an ageing audience. Stories are also the format still performing on Facebook. On the other hand, you have to accept the need for paid campaigns or risk going under your customers' radar.
Instagram - The time for reason
Instagram is a platform that draws its appeal from visual storytelling (short photo or video stories). Its audience in France is around 20 million monthly active users, and growth continues with innovations such as Instagram stories, 60-second videos, live streaming and Instagram TV
Influencer marketing is very important on this social network, with 25 million so-called professional profiles worldwide (including 2 million that report commercial results at the end of the year). It's a real advertising strategy, better suited to BtoC than BtoB, as overall 83% of users discover products and services through advertising.
Identity card
- Audience in France: 20 million
- The largest age group is 25-34 year olds, followed by users aged 18 to 24
- The integration of Instagram advertising into the Facebook platform makes targeting possibilities almost infinite.
- The regular arrival of new post formats (stories, videos, carousels, etc.), specialised mobile applications (Boomerang, Layout, IGTV, etc.) and effects (filters, slow motion, loops, stickers, music, etc.) has so far made it possible to keep up with usage.
Strategy on Instagram in 2020
Share visual experiences and a lifestyle (your company's, your customers') rather than passing on conventional posts or downloaded photos. Also use Instagram's native features: stories, short videos, filters and collages to talk about your projects or products. Test advertising on Instagram alongside your conventional campaigns.
LinkedIn - The most professional of networks
LinkedIn is the professional platform of choice. The advent of “social selling” techniques has really enabled LinkedIn to play a role in lead generation, whereas it was long the platform for people who wanted to change jobs. Video is also a tool taking up more space on this platform, giving marketers, BtoB buyers and job seekers the opportunity to approach video storytelling in a professional setting.
Identity card
- Audience in France: 12.1 million
- Average age on LinkedIn: 40
With the acquisition of Pulse (news application), Slideshare (online slideshow sharing) and Lynda (online training and tutorials), LinkedIn has positioned itself in the sharing of information and knowledge for companies.
LinkedIn has managed to address the specific needs of each of its users – marketers, salespeople, employees, job seekers, headhunters – by releasing features and applications suited to each use (LinkedIn Recruiter, Sales Navigator, etc.)
Note that LinkedIn's algorithm is becoming demanding. You now have to show a real engagement strategy for your posts to be displayed. Media investment in sponsored content must be just as demanding. The target audience of this network doesn't click on just anything.
Strategy on LinkedIn in 2020
Regularly publish “storytelling” posts, videos and photos. Also use the “Articles” feature to publish long posts directly on LinkedIn. Don't hesitate to tag your network and involve your employees in sharing your content in a structured way (see the LinkedIn Elevate application, designed to make this easier for you). Finally, include your sales teams in discussions about the strategy to put in place on LinkedIn to generate leads.
Pinterest - a social marketplace
Pinterest is still growing strongly. Its maximum potential lies in its ability to arouse desire and encourage product sales. Since it added buy buttons to its pins in 2015, more than 60% of users have used them to make purchases (43% more than on other platforms). So it's a perfect platform for BtoC product sales needs. This is confirmed by its marketing director Michael Akkerman: “75% of the 50 billion pins are linked to a brand, either because a brand has published one of its products or because a user has pinned a brand's product”
Identity card
- Audience in France: 10.9 million / Worldwide audience: 322 million
- 44% of female internet users have a Pinterest account, compared with just 16% of men
- Users are of all ages: between 18 and 64 on average.
Promoted Videos gives brands a unique opportunity not only to reach consumers but also to address them in the places where they usually shop, where they have already shown an interest in a product, and where a single click is all it takes to buy.
Pinterest is working hard to win over brands (for example, Product Pins now let you publish photos of your products while automatically updating the product name, price and availability according to changes made on your e-commerce site)
Pinterest strategy in 2020
Set up sponsored pins to test performance in terms of product sales. Also favour “inspirational” pins on themes that have already proven themselves (beauty, health, luxury, art, nature, etc.), but don't forget that high visual quality in your content is essential. In BtoB, infographics and diagrams work well.
YouTube - the benchmark social media platform for your videos
YouTube is the second-largest search engine after Google and is therefore holding out against the advent of new video formats seen on Snapchat and TikTok. The video platform totals 2 billion hours of viewing, an increase of 104% over 3 years.
Identity card
Audience in France: 46 million unique monthly visitors
- 52% are aged between 25 and 49
- Integration of its videos into Google search results
- The launch of new advertising formats (Bumper ads, Shopping ads that display a product on a video, etc.)
- Technological innovations to stay in the race (4K quality, cards on videos, 360-degree and 3D videos, virtual reality, live streaming, live and 360 videos, etc.)
YouTube strategy in 2020
Focus on videos with SEO potential (tutorial videos) or sharing potential (videos using an emotional lever: surprise, laughter, anger, sadness, etc., or inspirational videos). It's a very useful platform for companies to make their video media available.
Twitch - The new king of live streaming
Twitch was originally the social network for gamers. With nearly 9 billion cumulative hours of viewing today, it's the undisputed leader in live streaming, ahead of all other social networks, and is gradually taking large shares of the market from the major television channels (especially American ones)
The principle is simple: you can stream live games of almost any title played online on a computer or games console. But they have managed to bring together a community wider than just gamers, making it a media platform in its own right with very significant advertising opportunities.
Identity card
- Users watch an average of 95 minutes of video a day
- The average age of a user: 21
- Amazon bought Twitch in 2014 for $1 billion
- 3.8 million streamers broadcast on Twitch last February
- A young user base, with 73% of users under 35.
Strategy on Twitch in 2020
If you have a live stream to run, this is the platform to broadcast it on, as with the “débathon”, in which ministers debated live with many young people.
Twitter - A platform for speaking out
Twitter remains the platform of excellence when it comes to speaking out on the web and working on your image and relationship with your customers. It's true that many journalists, experts, business leaders and politicians use Twitter as a media platform.
Identity card
- Audience in France: 14.5 million
- On average, users are aged between 18 and 29
- The introduction of relevance algorithms for ranking tweets automatically favours advertising
- New advertising formats for brands (Twitter cards, Twitter polls, conversational ads, carousels, etc.)
- The regular arrival of tools for the media (Curator, etc.) and celebrities (Twitter Camera, Twitter Q&A, etc.)
- The acquisition of applications to complement its ecosystem (most recently Vine and Periscope, which are video applications)
Strategy on Twitter in 2020
Use images or video, include statistics in your tweets, add hashtags and don't include links when they aren't necessary. On average, these techniques generate more retweets. However, only the regularity of your posts will make the difference. Personalisation is also an asset, in which case it's important to define your editorial line clearly and develop your network and interactions accordingly.
Messaging-type social networks
Discord, WhatsApp, WeChat, Messenger: messaging applications are growing faster than conventional social networks, and many of them have passed one billion active users. As an example, let's focus on Discord, where 56 million people reportedly log in at least once a month and 850 million messages are reportedly exchanged every day. This service, halfway between a social network and a chat, is now valued at two billion dollars. Discord has managed to bring together a large community and, along with TikTok, is the new star platform for teenagers.
What will the uses be? It's still hard to say, but messaging services are already replacing SMS and could bring together an ever-greater number of conversations that used to take place in public on social networks. These messaging services are also very good platforms for advertising.
Identity cards
- Discord is the messaging platform of Generation Z
- WhatsApp has launched a Business version and has an audience of 31 million in France
- Facebook Messenger now includes advertising, while Facebook ads can now redirect requests to Messenger
- Viber has launched groups of almost unlimited size.
There are of course dozens of other social media. Following the trend for the most fashionable social networks isn't necessarily the wisest thing to do. Simply be where your customers are. For example, if you decide to set up in China you will need a WeChat, Qzone, Sina Weibo and Tencent account, but this issue will no doubt be the subject of other articles on the Agence Puck blog.
