More than 50% of social media marketers have noticed significant shifts over the last year. Some of these shifts were seen as positive and some were seen as negative (from the marketers’ perspectives). But one thing is certain: the world of social marketing is evolving, both in terms of demographics and in terms of audience behavior.

But what’s the explanation for the evolution? And what are marketers doing about it? Glimpse studies go way beyond quantitative questions and focus on human language, top-of-mind awareness, and emotion at scale, thus enabling true discovery.

Many marketers noticed their audiences becoming increasingly vocal, supportive, or inquisitive, while others found fresh interest from younger generations of consumers and industry professionals.

And along with new audiences come new expectations. Many marketers also noted a decrease in engagement or reach, with saturation and algorithm changes as possible culprits. One respondent observed a disconnect between follower count and engagement rate. Moreover, there was mention of negative attitudes towards news media and an increase in general negativity.

Here’s how Glimpse’s generative AI-powered dashboard instantly summarized the responses, without losing the nuance.

For those marketers who identified “social media fatigue,” or psychological exhaustion due to media overload as a primary, here’s a breakdown of the reasons why:

Yeah, the algorithms matter but marketers think the freshness of content ideas matters more.

But what exactly is this "social media fatigue" we're talking about? You know the feeling: it’s that ennui that creeps in when we encounter the same old content, voices, and formats over and over again. And we’re inundated by indistinguishable brand accounts.

So, how are marketers and advertisers tackling this challenge? Let's dive into the strategies they're employing to keep their audiences engaged.

“We have to find a way to reach more people. Part of that is stressing interactions with the posts like “liking” the post and sharing it.” - Female, 35

“We keep doing what we were doing since over 10 years, we stay honest and positive and don't overload our audience with nonsensical and stupid content. We experience positive comments encouraging us to keep going, kind of against the big stream.” - Female, 64

A common theme stood out - the hunger for fresh, creative content. It's all about keeping those unique designs coming and staying on top of the latest technical and platform trends and possibilities. And, of course, actively engaging with the audience is a big deal. Whether it's through lively posts, giveaways, or involving users in content creation, many decision makers stressed the importance of keeping the audience in the loop. Some are now trying out different platforms and alternative channels to connect with their target audiences.

Glimpse’s AI Categories feature buckets the responses as a human researcher might:

Glimpse’s generative AI-powered dashboard instantly captures the nuances of all of these open-ended responses:

On the flip side, not everyone has a clear game plan. Some admitted they weren't quite sure how to tackle social media fatigue, while a few mentioned it wasn't really a concern for their company:

From all of these thoughtful responses from social marketers, Glimpse has curated a list of strategies to combat social media fatigue. Are you employing all of these strategies right now?

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Diversify Content Types

Offer a mix of content formats such as videos, images, infographics, polls, and written posts to keep your feed dynamic and engaging.‍

Set A Consistent Posting Schedule

Establish a regular posting schedule to maintain a steady presence without overwhelming your audience with excessive content.

Leverage Interactive Content

Engage your audience with interactive features like polls, quizzes, live Q&A sessions, and contents to encourage participation.

Embrace Trends

They’re trending for a reason! Stay updated on emerging social media trends to reach new audiences and keep your content fresh.

Provide Value and Education

Offer informative and educational content that helps your audience understand your product, solve problems, or gain new insights.

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To sum it up, a mix of creativity, positivity, and engagement is vital to keep your audiences interested and involved. Of course what counts as creative or engaging is a moving target and our research demonstrates that there are important demographic and behavioral trends to keep track of.

One solution: Use Glimpse to more effectively capture the expectations of your audiences as they evolve over time. Stay tuned for more Glimpse content on social media engagement trends!

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