Nowadays, social media is omnipresent. Customers rarely part with their smartphone and are continuously connected to their social networks. Moreover, businesses join multiple social networks in order to connect with their customers. In this article, Spain Market Research look at how and why customers use social media in Spain. We research at why would a customer interact with a brand on social media. We compare data from 2014 with data from 2015.
The social media channels tested in this study are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, LinkedIn, Spotify, Pinterest, Badoo, Wouzee, Tumblr, Telegram, WhatsApp, Line, Vine, Tinder, Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Grindr, Swarm, Happn and Snapchat. So we have different type of channels: Communications (Telegram, WhatsApp, Snapchat, Line), Social (Facebook, Twitter, Google+), Videos (YouTube, Wouzee, Vine), Microblogging (Tumbrl), Dating (Tinder, Badoo, Happn, Grindr) and Games (Twitch, YouTube Gaming, Swarm).
- The population in Spain is around 42 million people. The study is focused on people from 16 to 55 years old. 75% of people between 16 to 55 years old use the Internet at least once per week. 81% of them use social networking, which is over 15 million people.
- WhatsApp and Facebook are the favorite social networks by users (with 76% preference). They are followed by YouTube, Twitter, and Instagram.
Usage of different Social Media Channels
The graph below shows the time per week spent on various social network (hours):
Social networks as in graph: WhatsApp / Spotify / Facebook / Youtube / Telegram /Instagram / Twitter / Line / Pinterest / Google+ / Linkedin
- The average is 2h 57minutes, which has increased slightly from 2014 (2h 51minutes)
- WhatsApp is the social network where people spend most of their time. It is followed by Spotify and Facebook.
- We looked at different devices used and we found out that the laptop/PC is used mainly from 20:30 to 00:30 (when people are back home after work/study) and most people use it to check Facebook and YouTube. Smartphones are used more frequently and the main social networks used are WhatsApp and Facebook.
Reasons for Using Social Media
The next graph shows the main reasons for using social media:
The green triangle shows an increased from 2014. The red triangle shows a decreased from 2014
- The main reason for using social networks is to socialize (chat/send messages to friends, relatives, etc).
- Watching videos and playing music remains as an important activity because of services like YouTube and Spotify.
- There is a decreased interest in checking up on their friends, although this activity is still ranked the third.
- 1 out of 5 people follows brands. They frequently take part in contests and talk about shopping and brands.
Relation between brands and the Social Media
The next graph shows the relation between customers and brands, any reasons why they follow them:
- The main reasons to start following a brand remained the same since 2014. The reasons are getting news about the brand, connecting with the brand, and getting various benefits (i.e., participate in contests, get discounts).
Other relevant data:
- 85% of social media users follow influencers. Influencers are individuals who have the power to affect purchase decisions of others because of their (real or perceived) authority, knowledge, position, or relationship. It is worth mentioning that 88% of the followers are women.
- Regarding the loyalty, the main reason for fans to keep following a brand is due to interesting content, news, and promotions. It is important for fans that the brand is dynamic and publish relevant content.
- The number of customers that use social media in order to contact the brand’s customer service is increasing.
- Facebook is the main social network where people follow a brand (81%).
- The categories of interest to users are culture, technology, and fashion. We found out big differences among sexes. While men mainly follow telecommunications/technology, video games, online gaming/betting, and automobile; women mainly follow culture, fashion, beauty, food, and restaurants.
Source: Estudio Anual de Redes Sociales 2016
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