Hootsuite: Social Trends Report 2024

Consumers are increasingly engaging with brands on social media across a variety of platforms, making it one of the top marketing channels. However, there are some behaviors on social media that brands should avoid, according to a report from Hootsuite.

The survey of more than 4,500 consumers from three countries explored what behaviors of the brands they follow on social media can negatively impact their perception of the brands: 34% of respondents cited brands that are too self-promoting. In fact, excessive brand promotion has long been a major source of frustration for consumers who follow brands on social media.

Closely following, about one-third of consumers (32%) said low-quality content has had a negative impact on their perception of brands on social media.

It’s worth noting that the way a brand interacts with comments or messages can also put fans off. More than a quarter (27%) of respondents said that not actively participating in public comments or direct messages has left them with a negative perception of a brand, and similarly, about 26% pointed to being slow to respond to public comments or direct messages as a cause of offence. Previous research has shown that social media users expect a quick response to messages posted on a brand’s digital channels.

Meanwhile, for fans, brands posting too much is apparently more annoying than if they post too little: only about one in seven respondents (14%) said that infrequent posting makes them feel more negatively about the brands they follow on social media.

Finally, with authenticity being a key theme on social media, the report found that 56% of consumers believe brands should be more relatable on social media.