Sprout Social is a company that monitors trends on social media. Every quarter they release a report called the Sprout Social Index that includes analytical information on how we use social media. For the first quarter of 2017 their report focused on how the different generations use various social media platforms.

Gathering information on how people of different age groups use social media can give marketers insight on how to communicate to these audiences to meet their specific expectations. Sprout Social interviewed 1,000 Millennials (ages 18-34), Gen Xers (ages 34-54) and Baby Boomers (ages 55+).

Facebook Comes Out On Top

Ever since it was founded in 2004, Facebook has been the juggernaut of social media platforms - the one we keep going back to when Twitter becomes an information overload or when our Instagram feeds get boring. They’ve achieved this by continually improving user experience on the site and diversifying their offering by buying up other companies.
Facebook came out on top in this survey, obviously. It was identified as the favourite social media platform by Millennials, Gen-Xers, and Baby Boomers - proving that every generation is the Facebook Generation. But this isn’t surprising - everybody is on Facebook, from your younger cousin, to your older sibling, your parents, and even your gran.

Let’s Compare

What is interesting is that a lower percentage of Millennials listed Facebook as their go-to social media network of choice, while Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers’ preference for Facebook was much more pronounced. Rather, Millennials spread their social preference between Facebook (33%), Instagram (22.2%) and Snapchat (15.8%).

Sprout even included a subset for younger Millennials aged 18-24 who have a stronger preference for Instagram with 25% of respondents naming it their favourite. Baby Boomers don’t seem to like spending time on Snapchat or Instagram, but this is hardly surprising. The content posted on these platforms is image based and disposable, and judging by the fact that Google+ is the second most popular with this generation, Baby Boomers want lengthier content that they can sink their teeth into. That being said, only 14% of Boomers interact with the content that brands post on social media, making them largely silent observers.

Getting Those Follows

We can get better insights when we start analysing user engagement on these platforms. Sprout’s survey found that both Millennials and Gen-Xers are twice as likely to follow a brand on social media than Baby Boomers are. Sprout also found that more than half of the respondents (58.9% of Millennials, 50.4% of Gen-Xers, and 55% of Baby Boomers) will follow a brand on social media before buying from them. Managing your social presence gets tricky when it comes to serving content that your followers will be interested in.

While Millennials are more interested in the entertainment value of brand posts, Gen-Xers are more interested in promotions and competitions. Doing a bit of research into your followers will give you more insight on the type of content that you should be posting.

What Makes Them Unfollow

With each generation showing interest in different content, it only makes sense that they would unfollow for different reasons. Surprisingly (because you would have expected this statistic to apply to “Social Justice Warrior” generation Millennials,) Gen-Xers are the most likely generation to unfollow a brand because it posted something offensive or that was in opposition to their personal beliefs. For Millennials, they unfollow brands for two main reasons: bad experience (21% of respondents) or because they found the posts annoying (22%). 29% of Baby Boomers listed spam as the main reason to unfollow.

Read the rest of the survey

There’s far more information available on the Sprout report than I can condense into a blog post. If you’d like to get more information, read the full first quarter report here. It contains more information about buying habits and industry interests.

Ad impressions, banner ads, conversion rates, bounce rates… all of these technical terms can be enough to scare anyone away and stop them from taking a chance and exploring the many benefits that digital marketing has to offer their brand. Luckily, you have Decimal on your side to help simplify these terms and make the process of transitioning into this new world as smooth as possible.


AD IMPRESSION: This is a specific metric which details the number of times that a digital ad has been served / displayed (not necessarily seen or clicked on).


AD CLICK: This refers to the process where, upon seeing an ad, a user clicks on it and is redirected to the company’s chosen landing page.


LANDING PAGE: A particular web-page chosen as the destination for a particular ad.


CLICK-THROUGH-RATE (CTR): This is calculated by comparing the number of ad impressions with the number of times that users who were served an ad actually clicked on it. The higher your click-through-rate, the more effective your ad.


BOUNCE RATE: The bounce rate refers to the number of visitors to your website who visited only one page on the website, did not interact with it, and then left the site. It gives a good indication as to whether or not the design / content of your website is making the right impression and leading to visitors taking action or engaging in some way.


CONVERSION: A customer makes a conversion when he / she actually does what the call-to-action suggests.


CALL-TO-ACTION: A call-to-action seeks to convince a website visitor to do something in particular - make a purchase, sign up to receive a newsletter, vote in a poll, enter a competition etc.


REACH: The number of people who are exposed to your ads, brand and message.


FREQUENCY: The number of times a specific ad is served to the same person.


FREQUENCY CAPPING: The ability to limit the number of times a specific ad is served to the same person within a certain space of time.


ABOVE-THE-FOLD: This refers to all of the content that a visitor will see before he / she has to scroll down. Needless to say, the most important pieces of information should always appear above-the-fold to increase the chances of the visitor taking note of them.


REMARKETING: An effective tactic of serving ads to people who have previously visited your website and who have shown an interest in a particular product / service.


For more information about embracing the digital realm, be sure to get in touch with Decimal Agency.

Google Analytics is a helpful tool for all digital marketers, providing interesting insight and accurate figures in relation to all of one’s online efforts and campaigns. Here are five benefits that you can expect to enjoy when utilising this handy service.

It’s Free

The best thing about Google Analytics is the fact that it is completely free to use, providing you with helpful, advanced insight into your online efforts.

User-friendly Layout

The Google Analytics interface is split into four different sections for your convenience, namely:

Audience
Acquisition
Behaviour
Conversions

This makes it easy for you to find and track the information that you need the most.

Simple Customisation


Customising Google Analytics is incredibly easy. You have the ability to customise your reports, notifications, dashboard, tracking techniques, short-cuts and more.

Handy Add-ons

While Google Analytics is rather impressive all on its own, you also have the opportunity to make use of additional add-ons. These add-ons include, but are not limited to, Tag Assistant, Confidence Checker and Annotations Manager.

Enhanced Insight

Not only can you keep track of who is visiting your website and when, but you can also keep an eye on the particular pages and links which are drawing the most attention and making the greatest impact on your visitors. This knowledge will make it simple to detect what’s working and what’s not… thus assisting you in making important decisions regarding your future digital marketing efforts.

For more information on how Google Analytics can benefit your brand, be sure to contact the team at Decimal Agency.

The world of marketing is fast-paced, demanding and very rarely clear-cut. It requires an endless stream of creativity and the courage to put new, experimental approaches into practice. Here are some inspirational quotes to keep you and your team motivated to continue doing what you do best.

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” – Peter Drucker

“Our job is to connect to people, to interact with them in a way that leaves them better than we found them, more able to get where they’d like to go.” – Seth Godin


“Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Great Execution is the Ultimate Differentiator." - Margaret Molloy

“If your stories are all about your products and services, that’s not storytelling. It’s a brochure. Give yourself permission to make the story bigger.” – Jay Baer

“Your culture is your brand.” - Tony Hsieh

"Inspiration is difficult to measure, but the results driven by that inspiration are powerful." - Scott Harrison

“Social media is about the people. Not about your business. Provide for the people and the people will provide for you.” – Matt Goulart


“Engage rather than sell ... work as a co-creator, not a marketer.” - Tom H.C. Anderson

“Content builds relationships. Relationships are built on trust. Trust drives revenue.” - Andrew Davis

“Content is the atomic particle of all digital marketing.” – Rebecca Lieb

“You can never go wrong by investing in communities and the human beings within them.” - Pam Moore

"The best marketing doesn't feel like marketing." Tom Fishburne

"Your brand is a story unfolding across all customer touch points." – Jonah Sachs


“Never doubt a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” – Margaret Mead

"Marketing's job is never done. It's about perpetual motion. We must continue to innovate every day." – Beth Comstock

"You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new." - Steve Jobs

“Strong customer relationships drive sales, sustainability, and growth.” - Tom Cates

“Find your spirit, and no challenge will keep you from achieving your goals.” - Christopher Penn

"Give them quality. That's the best kind of advertising." - Milton Hershey

The main aim of print advertising is to grab the reader’s attention the moment that he / she lays eyes on your ad, or risk everyone simply paging past your efforts. Here are some tips to help ensure that your ad makes an immediate impression and that the readers are able to connect with, and relate to, your artwork and brand message.

Design Elements


Originality: Ensure that the artwork you use is original, eye-catching and, most importantly, relevant to your brand and the particular message that you wish to communicate.

Negative Space: A cluttered ad is never going to make an impact. Readers will feel overwhelmed when they see it and will be more likely to skip past it entirely. Embrace the power of negative space, and use it to your advantage to draw attention to the other aspects of the ad that matter most.

Clear Font: Ensure that your font, for both your headline and text body, is easy to read at first glance, thus getting your brand message across immediately.

Text Elements 


Headline: A witty, impactful headline is the heart of your print advertisement, as it is what will compel people to read more and engage further.

Short, Concise Copy: While you might think that a copy-heavy ad which includes all ‘relevant’ details is the best way to go, it really isn’t. On the contrary, the less text that appears, the better.

Clear Call to Action: Make sure that your ad’s call to action is big and bold, inspiring the reader to act.

If you would like more information on perfecting the art of the print ad, do not hesitate to get in touch with the team at Decimal Agency.

Quality content is the key to success within the digital realm - and what better way in which to provide your clients, and potential clients, with high quality content than by starting a company blog? Here are some tips that are sure to assist you in making a success of this new venture, and in fully embracing the hype that is content marketing.

Post Consistently 


The aim is to keep your readers engaged, so regular, consistent posting is essential. Make use of Google Analytics to discover on which days people visit and read your blog the most. With this knowledge in mind, you can create a schedule for yourself and ensure the highest possible number of reads and levels of engagement as a result.

Promote All New Blog Posts on Social Media 


What’s the point of writing amazing content if nobody is aware of its existence? Make use of the tools available to you and promote all of your new blog posts on your company’s social media platforms. Encourage your staff members to share them on their personal pages as well, and should you receive any likes, questions or comments, be sure to respond timeously.

Ensure a Healthy Balance between Text and Visual Elements 


No matter how incredible your blog may be, people are often put off when they see copious amounts of text on the page. Knowing this, you can reduce your bounce rate by creating a healthy balance between text and visual elements, like images, infographics and videos. This will assist in maintaining the reader’s attention and increasing their chances of actively engaging with your posts.

Keep an Eye on Your Competitors’ Efforts


While we’re certainly not suggesting stealing any of your competitors’ ideas, a comprehensive competitor analysis is sure to provide you with some insight into what’s working and what isn’t. It might even spark a few ideas in terms of new approaches to try.

For more information about blogging, or for professional content creation, be sure to get in touch with Decimal Agency.

Without a solid digital strategy in place, your brand will be missing out on a world of opportunity - and the potential to land countless new clients. For those who have attempted to embrace the World Wide Web, but with little to show for it, here are three reasons as to why your digital strategy isn’t quite cutting it.

Reason #1: You Have Neglected to Use Social Media to Your Advantage 


What is the point of putting in all of that effort if you don’t promote it on social media? Considering the fact that all of your clients and potential clients spend a large portion of their time on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, you should be doing the same. Create profiles / pages for your business, link them back to your website and post relevant articles, links to blogs, questions and polls. The goal is to drive interaction and engagement. Remember, a small boost in the form of paid advertising also couldn’t hurt when it comes to extending your reach and building your following.

Reason #2: You Haven’t Done Enough Target Market Research


It is easy to establish who your target market is in terms of demographics. However, knowing that these people want to buy your product / service simply isn’t enough - you need to understand the reasons why they want or need to buy your product / service. Understanding these reasons will make it easier to produce content and create campaigns that your target market will be able to relate to on a much deeper level, thus increasing the chances of them engaging with your brand and actually taking the steps necessary in order to make a conversion… if not now, then sometime in the near future.

Reason #3: Your Staff Members Simply Aren’t Aligned


Is your sales department promoting the same thing as that of your digital campaign? Is your marketing department’s marketing strategy in line with your digital strategy? If not, the results of your efforts are sure to be far less profitable. Chat to your staff about the company’s goals and main areas of focus and ensure that everyone is on the same page before proceeding with your digital efforts. Ultimately, coming together as a unified team is essential for company growth and long-term success.

Do you have any questions? Perhaps you are looking for assistance in creating a fool-proof digital strategy for your brand? If so, be sure to get in touch with Decimal Agency.