Hashtag campaigns by brands often fizzle out
Three out of four US consumers are not willing to use brand hashtags on social media. They are much more inclined to interact with social media stories, i.e. specific collections of images from brands. This is the result of a survey by Visual Objects.
User-generated content is important for brands, but hashtag campaigns are not very effective. According to the study, three out of four US consumers would not post a hashtag. Reviews are more likely to be preferred.
"Considering the image of customers"
"Consumers have a vested interest when creating content and interacting with brands. They work on their personal brand on the social web. That's why there are often a lot of free riders, especially with socio-political movements. Brands need to consider the image of their customers when designing hashtag campaigns. If the content is too complex or questionable, users are less likely to engage with it," says Markus Hübner, social media expert and CEO of Brandflow, in an interview with the news portal Press release.
Visual Objects surveyed 401 US consumers about their interactions with brands. 75 percent would not post a hashtag from a brand. In the past three months, only eleven percent have interacted with a hashtag campaign. The most common form of user-generated content is online reviews. 26 percent like to post reviews about brands. A quarter of respondents have read reviews from other users in the past three months.
Social media stories popular
One in five consumers would create a video of how they use a brand product. 40 percent of users prefer to interact with brands via social media stories on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook. 27% also like to watch livestreams and use filters and augmented reality lenses from brands. (pte/swi)
