With the festive season fast approaching, marketers are busy finalizing their plans and establishing where they need to be to reach their audiences and maximize their messaging. To help with this, Facebook has released new data on the Australian market and how Australians use Facebook over the Christmas period. And the results pretty much point to one thing - Australians use Facebook on mobile over the holidays. Like, a lot.
Mobile First
As noted in Facebook's post:
"Aussies use Facebook on mobile devices more than ever during the year-end festive season. During the period (last year), 75% of Facebook posts were created on mobile, reflective of how much the 9.6 million daily Facebook mobile users in Australia enjoy sharing their experiences on the go. People are more engaged on the platform during the season, sharing 18% more mobile content compared to the rest of the year on average."
That's a lot of mobile activity - 75% is a staggering amount, further underlining the need for businesses to be adapting with the trend towards mobile interactions. But more than that, the data also indicates where the attention of Australian audiences is focused over the period, making mobile the ideal place to target them with your festive-themed promotions and content.
What's more, Facebook's report also shows that 72% of Facebook conversations over the period revolve around greetings and celebratory activities, "including Christmas parties, well wishes for loved ones and displays of friendship". If ever there were a roadmap as to how to target consumers based on what they're interested in at any given time, that is it.
Shared Moments
Facebook's data also shows that Australian Facebook users share 73% more mobile content on Christmas Day and 64% more on New Year's Day, making it the ideal time to provide relevant content to capitalize on that higher volume of share activity. Of course, most of that content is personal, and people are likely not looking to share overly promotional material, but if you're able to work within trend, you may be able to tap into that boost in activity and maximize the reach of our brand messaging.
Facebook also notes that Australian men share 17% more video, photo and text posts in the period, in comparison to the rest of the year, while women, parents and mums each share 25% more content.
Video Focus
Video content is also a big focus for Australian Facebook users:
"Digital video consumption has been exploding in Australia. Over half of Australians on Facebook regularly watch video on the platform and spend more than 75 minutes every month streaming video on Facebook."
Over the Summer months, Facebook says, this trend increases even further, with Australians sharing 40% more video posts compared to the rest of the year.
"The amount of Christmas activities and celebrations, combined with the ease of creating and sharing videos over mobile, contribute to this significant uplift."
A Season of Opportunity
In summing up their findings, Facebook highlights three key areas of focus for marketers looking to reach Australian audiences over the Christmas/New Year period.
- Join the Christmas conversations on Facebook. Australians share more content on Facebook during the festive season. It's an opportunity for marketers to reach their target audiences by sharing brand messages relevant to their activities during the season. For instance, mothers preparing for parties might be interested in recipes or new cooking utensils, while women attending parties might be looking for new outfits.
- Create Christmas experiences for mobile. People are using Facebook on mobile while shopping for gifts or relaxing on the beach. Marketers should adopt a mobile-first approach, sharing big and beautiful images that are memorable and stand out. With small smartphone screens, messages in the ad copy should be simple, telling people why they should care about your business and what they should be doing.
- Give the gift of video. Aussies on Facebook love watching, creating and sharing videos, so tell your stories through the format they enjoy. With video, focus on telling a cohesive and interesting story with and without sound, since Facebook videos autoplay with sound off. Because you only have a few seconds to capture one's attention in News Feed, make use of it wisely to showcase your product to drive brand awareness. The more targeted your video is for a specific audience, the more likely it will resonate and drive action.
The data offers great insight into the Australian Facebook audience, and is particularly relevant as it's based on Facebook's internal data, so you can be assured it's comprehensive and correct, as it's coming direct from the source. The trends highlighted are eye-opening, even to those with good working knowledge of the shift towards mobile and video content. If you're not focusing on mobile as part of your marketing strategy, you should be, and if you've not considered the part video could play in your wider strategy, now might be the time to give it some thought.