Room for business growth on social media

Wednesday 01 July 2020

Guernsey businesses aren't using social media to its full potential, according to a local survey carried out by Orchard PR.

The company's Insights Social Media Survey was completed by more than 200 respondents aged 16 and over.

The highlights showed:

• 95% of respondents use YouTube, making it the most-used platform in the island
• 71% of those surveyed are more likely to buy a product or service if they have seen a positive recommendation on social media, but 81% don't feel influenced by local organisations or individuals
• 69% of respondents use LinkedIn, but less than half of those people are actively posting content
• 96% of 16 to 34-year-olds are using Instagram, with 81% of 35 to 64-year-olds also on the platform
• 26% of people surveyed use TikTok

"2020 has seen many behavioural changes," said Managing Director of Orchard, Brooke Kenyon. "People needed to adapt quickly and become more digitally savvy to stay connected while we were in lockdown and social media played a big part in this.

Pictured: Brooke Kenyon from Orchard PR. 

"We know islanders are using social media, but to make the most of their social media presence, brands need to understand who they're talking to, who they want to be talking to and how best to reach them.

"Our study showed that 95% of those surveyed are using YouTube regularly, highlighting the popularity and importance of video content. People engage with this, so businesses need to ask themselves if they're using video to reach their target audience and if not, why not?

"We enhanced our digital offering last year to meet our clients' evolving needs. These insights into our community's habitats have shone a light on how people interact on social media and are valuable reading for brands of all shapes and sizes."

The survey ran throughout June is an attempt to fill a gap, as there was only limited data on Guernsey's social media usage previously.

The report can be read in full HERE.