1-Online habits and behavior
As audiences evolve, so do online behaviors. In other words, it's not just fashion that changes from one generation to the next, but the online habits and behaviors of users too. For example, if your target audience is between the ages of 25 and 35, it makes sense to analyze the behavior of teenagers and those who have just come of age. Why would you do this? Because their current digital behaviors will give you a good idea of how they'll interact with your brand, and which platforms they'll favor to do so.
New generations are likely to transform the digital landscape... and force your brand to adapt. You might as well be prepared.
2-Determine which platforms are worth using
Did you know that Canadians are inclined to sign up for new platforms, but not necessarily to use them regularly? As you can imagine, the changing habits (and the frenzy that comes with them!) of target consumers can give marketing professionals a few headaches. The question regularly comes back to marketers' desks: should we be on one platform or another? Should we dive into the "new trend" of Threads, which has just entered the market? Indeed, Threads and BeReal seem to have been born out of Canadians' desire for authenticity online, as mentioned in the Léger study.
Certain trends are not fleeting, and deserve closer attention if your brand wants to keep up with the major digital trends. TikTok continues to gain ground, with more than half the Canadian population using it. On the other hand, Threads and BeReal continue to decline, despite their concept of "bringing people together".
How do you determine which platform should be preferred for your products or services? First of all, evaluate the type of content published, to see if your organization's content can find a place on it; evaluate the profile of the platform's users, to see if it's close to your company's target audience; and don't hesitate to take a look at the online behavior of your competitors, who, let's not forget, undoubtedly have the same constraints as you do.
3-Connect with your community... for real
The Léger study addresses the subject of "scrolling" (the tendency to skim one's news feed at high speed, without paying much attention to the content) as a habit that is accompanied by boredom, anxiety and doubt as to the credibility of the content being skimmed. That said, the data indicate that Canadians are keen to develop increasingly strong human connections, and to follow the personalities and accounts that make them feel good.
As a brand wishing to reach its target clientele, how do you overcome this challenge on platforms?
Simply by publishing value-added content that really aims to educate, discover or engage the audience. Content that is described as "toxic", or that doesn't offer your customers quality content, will simply put your brand's image at risk and cause it to lose subscribers.
Of course, no company will reasonably publish "toxic" content, but forcing yourself to publish every day (for example) can lead to a depletion of quality content and, as a result, the departure of certain subscribers in favor of your competitors. Ask yourself: "Does my publication do any good? Does it really do anything for my customers? You'll be well on your way.
In conclusion
As we mentioned at the start of this article, digital trends are changing at a rapid pace. Brands need to be aware of this and adapt to the behaviors of their subscribers or target customers without losing their identity and raison d'être. Simply start by listening to your customers to better understand their expectations, monitor the behavior of new users and make sure you provide value-added content.
To find out more :
Google Analytics 4: leveraging user data
