Brands' social media presence according to marketers in Canada 2015
Social media marketing in Canada - additional information
It is expected that, by the end of 2017, social media ad spend will reach nearly 835 million Canadian dollars. According to recent calculations, this figure will account for 15.2 percent of the country’s total digital advertising expenditures forecasted for that year. In terms of audience reach, social network penetration is predicted to grow from 69 percent in 2015 to 72 percent by the end of 2018. Sources expect a steady growth in user numbers as well, estimating that there will be more than 20 million social media users in Canada by 2018 – up from 18.9 million in 2015.
Among North American B2C marketers, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube were the three social media platforms with the highest usage rates in 2015. In line with these results, 93 percent of Canadian brands indicated having a Facebook profile, followed by 78 percent with Twitter account, and 68 percent with a YouTube channel. A 2014 study pinpointed reasons why Canadian companies chose social media over traditional media marketing. The executives surveyed primarily cited better targeting, wider market reach, and real time updates as the key benefits to social network marketing.
From the customer point of view, brand social media pages were mostly visited to access attractive deal and sales, research products before purchasing, and explore new product offers. The opportunity to participate in competitions was also one of the reasons why shoppers visited brands’ social accounts in 2014. All in all, it was found that the younger generations in Canada were more prone to making purchases via sponsored links on social networks. More than a fourth of 18 to 24 year old digital buyers in the country admitted that following a sponsored link on social media led them to buy products or services online. The same was true for 21 percent of 18-34 year old digital shoppers.