So what were the biggest issues of focus, based on mention volume, among Facebook and Instagram users last month? As always, Facebook's monthly Hot Topics report provides some interesting food for thought - and while we're all, logically, well aware of the main issues of discussion, what's of particular interest is which issues are gaining traction within the different demographic groups.
For example, would you have assumed 'April Fools Day' would resonate better with younger women than men?
Obviously, there's more to explore on each of these trends - Facebook takes the total mention volume, and who's mentioning each, then matches that against their scale to come up with the report. Which is great, but each topic has its own context, and that additional data is sometimes not immediately obvious, particularly for the smaller mentions.
The death of music legend Prince was the most mentioned issue amongst US Facebook users for the month, with his sudden passing having a major impact on his great many fans. As you can see from the chart, Prince's death far outweighed any other topic, with more than 2X the total mention volume of the next closest issue. And when you combine the mentions of 'Prince' with those of 'Paisley Park' and 'Purple Rain' as well, that dominance is even greater.
The retirement of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant was also a big issue amongst young male users, while the release of Beyonce's new visual album 'Lemonade' was a key talking point amongst young women on the platform.
In terms of brand mentions, retailers Aldi and JC Penney were in discussion, while PayPal, too, got a heap of mentions for the month.
And another key topic generating conversation on Facebook was the death of country singer Merle Haggard, which was particularly relevant to older users, skewing slightly towards men.
Over on Instagram, the topic mix was, as usual, slightly different, which always serves as a good reminder of the need to approach each platform independently and consider the topics as they relate to each audience.
The death of Prince was also a major discussion point amongst the Instagram community, as was the final NBA game of Kobe Bryant's career. Yet, of particular note, in the differences between the two platforms, Earth Day generated a lot more mentions on Instagram and was a big topic of focus amongst female users, in particular.
Facebook's Hot Topics reports, with the addition of Instagram data, are a great way to gather additional context and oversight into the issues resonating amongst your target audience. While the main points of discussion are interesting, what's of more relevance for marketers is noting which smaller issues and trending amongst which user groups, and how that relates to their own target markets. If there's a topic that regularly comes up in the reports as resonating with your focus demographic, maybe it'd be worth creating content around that topic. Maybe it just gives you some additional context with which to structure your outreach.
However you use it, it's information worth knowing, and it could prove significantly more valuable if there's a topic or idea that sparks a connection with your brand messaging.
In addition to the US, Facebook produces monthly Hot Topics reports for:
And the UK
As noted, it's worth having even a quick look through to see what your target audience is discussing. It may provide just the inspiration you need to boost your marketing efforts.
The full Facebook Hot Topics report for April is available here, with previous reports also available on Facebook's IQ Insights blog.