Lessons from Digital: Singapore Report
Image Source: Mikhail Preobrazhenskiy
Previously, I discussed the five key takeaways from the Digital 2022 Global Overview Report. In this post, let us narrow down and take a good look at Singapore. We shall compare the result posted in 2021 and 2022.
Based on the above statistics, there is an increase in users getting smartwatches and smart home devices. It is no surprise that more and more people are investing in these devices. I observed that my peers around me were investing in such devices too.
It is no surprise that users are spending more time watching videos. There is an increase in the usage of YouTube and TikTok. Instagram had introduced Reels to the local scene recently too. Not only are we watching videos, but we are producing short video content too. Short clip is the current trend. Digital marketers will need to get on board.
Consumers discover new brands from search engines, word of mouth, retail websites and social media ads. It has been consistent for 2021 and 2022. Consumers rely on these channels to do brand research too.
As a marketer, not only do you need to understand how social media ads work, you would need to learn about SEO too. To date, search engines continue to strive. Users will search for a brand or product for its reviews. Hence, word of mouth is equally important. It is crucial for a brand to provide both good products and services. Consumers can comment on any aspect of your business based on their experiences.
Credit: Digital 2022: Singapore
Now, this is the most exciting part! Here are the 14 main reasons for using social media platforms.
Keeping in touch with friends and family
Filling spare time
Reading news stories
Seeing what's being talked about
Finding Content
Finding things to do or buy
Finding products to purchase
Live stream
Avoiding missing out
Posting about your life
Celebrities and Influencers
Activities for Work
Finding like-minded people
Sharing Opinions
Due to the pandemic, I believe that most of us continue to use social media to keep in touch with our friends and family members, especially those who are based overseas. We have been using various apps to stay connected with them during these two years.
However, it is interesting to note that we use social media to fill up our spare time. And, that’s the second item on the list! Now that I reflect on it, I would do the same subconsciously too. However, I am curious to know how much spare time we used on social media platforms. It might give us good insights into how we are using our time. For example, if we are viewing social media to know how our friends are doing. Why not just ask them out for a cup of coffee? One lesson that this pandemic taught me is that be grateful for your family and friends’ presence.
On a related note, a minority of the social media users posted about their life on the platforms. Hence, I guessed we were reading the news, the latest topics/trends or gossip and other content of interest. When Facebook started a decade back, most of us were active users. Now, we are passive users.
What do you mean by passive users?
Now, we are mindlessly scrolling and consuming content that was shown to us. We might not provide "likes" as much as before. The users’ behaviours have changed. We might have seen your post, but we are not engaging in it. The number of “likes” and followers might not be the most effective KPI. Having said these, you have to continue to post content online or stop your social media ads. Consumers use social media to find things to do or buy! Hence, instead of focusing on the number game, why not come out with good content. Let your consumers review the products. These reviews are good content for your brands too! Consumers perceived reviews to be more credible than any of the content posted by a brand. Content is king! Be it if the content is from the brand or consumers!
In conclusion, SEO is crucial to this day. Most consumers are passive users of social media platforms now. Nonetheless, continue to engage your users on these platforms. Marketers might want to produce short clips to engage with the users. Word of mouth is one of the tools for brand discovery and research.
I hope this article provides a good insight into the marketing scene in Singapore.
x, Esther
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