Social media secrets, part 1/4: Measure against others
Underhood has been collecting social data for one full year now. To celebrate our anniversary we dug deep into our systems to see what works on social media.
In this blog series we share what we’ve learned from analysing 1.9 million tweets and 1.3 million Facebook updates by more than 4,300 brands listed on Underhood.
Welcome to a free journey into the secrets of social internet.
Mirror is not enough
The average internet user spends now over 2 hours per day on social media and messaging services. This June, Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg announced that Facebook has over 2 billion monthly users.
Social media budgets are also growing fast: according to Interactive Advertising Bureau, American companies spent $16.3 billion on social media advertising in 2016, increasing from $10.9 billion in 2015.
Last year digital advertising revenues surpassed the amount of money spent on traditional TV ads.
Digital is bigger than TV advertising
It is clear that social media has become a dominant platform for PR, marketing and customer relations for companies, organisations and other brands. But there is still a need for relevant data. Too often, brands use insufficient metrics.
Most social media metrics tools are great at providing data about their customers’ own social media channels: these services supply detailed info about fan count, reach, engagement and other metrics but they don’t compare those numbers with the world their clients live in.
By looking only at their own metrics, the brands fail to see the bigger view: how are they really performing on social media? Are they better or worse than others with a presence on social media? And more importantly: what can they learn from others?
On Underhood everyone can see everyone else’s metrics; we take objectivity and transparency very seriously (see our Science and technology page for more info and logics behind our algorithms). We believe that the fastest way to learn is to see what the best brands are doing right.
We show daily scores for thousands of companies every day. And we are here to help you.
Most are lost
Our data shows that most companies, organisations and brands are lost in the world of social media. They may be loved by their real-life stakeholders, but their online reputation is worse than it needs to be. Audiences are too small, content is boring and engagement with the audience is nearly absent.
That is why we have been brutal with our scores so far. At present, Underhood’s average score is only 3.3 (Underhood main score, scale 0–10). So, if you look up your brand on Underhood (just try it, it’s free), don’t get depressed. With a few data-based tips, you can easily rise above the average. The first step is to read the posts in this blog series. But if you want a fast and tailored lane to success, we recommend ordering our Audit report.
First lesson: Be personal, be a friend
Social internet is not only a new platform where ad budgets can be spent. Every brand has a community that will help them either shine or fall.
It’s not only an ad platform
Brands are online personalities. It is up to you whether your brand will be exciting or boring in the eyes and hearts of your internet audience.
Growing a business or promoting a cause has never been as easy as it is today. Social internet helps millions of organisations to get their message out with small or nonexistent budgets.
Our social media newsfeeds are filled with exciting, viral content. Every hour new social stars are born. A company makes a post that goes viral. A nonprofit organisation posts a video that scores millions of views. But viral hits are difficult to create and usually emerge by accident.
Being truly social means communicating with a growing audience, claiming your own tribe. It means listening and talking honestly on a human-to-human level.
Avoid fake friendliness
Research shows that using an informal tone of voice on social media increases trust in brands that the audience are already familiar with. An informal tone typically means addressing people by their first names and using emojis, contractions (e.g., we’re vs. we are) and informal vocabulary and punctuation (e.g., awesome!).
For unknown brands, however, an informal tone can be risky; the audience may perceive it as too personal, which might result in a decrease in trust. (source: Gretry et al. 2017)
So, if you’re just taking your first steps in growing an audience for your brand, you might want to keep your tone casual (language on social media should never be impersonal) but not too informal. This goes for sponsored posts too, which will reach audiences who don’t know your brand yet. But when you have established a community of followers, address them as you would your friends.
You will find more tips about tone of voice and what makes a good post in the upcoming parts of this blog series.
Let’s go! Make noise!
In the end the recipe for success on social media is to do. A lot. It’s all about becoming active and starting to post.
You need to make noise. Our data shows that the top 100 brands measured by the Underhood score create 2.4 Facebook posts per day and tweet almost 10 times per day.
We will provide more info about posting frequency and other details in various industries in upcoming posts. We will also advise about what you should post and how to create content with maximum effect and minimum effort.
One more thing: We will not teach you how to create Facebook ads or Twitter campaigns on this blog series, but our findings will help you connect with your audience the best way possible. Such connection can lead to sustainable success.
Camilla Magnusson, Lead Scientist, camilla@underhood.co
Sami Kuusela, Co-founder, sami@underhood.co
Next post: Growing the audience
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Underhood is a service that measures the reputation of companies, brands and organisations on the Internet automatically. At Underhood, everyone sees each other’s reputation ratings, and can learn what works on social web. Underhood works closely with the academic community.
Check your own reputation: https://underhood.co
Get your Audit report now: https://underhood.co/audit
