How do different generations interact with brands on social media?

When we hear about the latest trends in social media, it is sometimes hard to know exactly who the findings apply to. Does everyone behave in a certain way? Just millennials? Or Baby Boomers? Fortunately, some recent studies with larger sample sizes have helped demystify the demographic breakdowns of certain social media behaviors. Sprout Social recently conducted a study of 1,000 Millennials, Gen-Xers and Baby Boomers to see if there were similarities and differences in the way that they interacted with brands on social media. Marketing Sherpa surveyed 2,000 people across generations on their brand interactions in a similar study in 2015.

Sprout found that Millennials and Gen-Xers were twice as likely to follow a brand on social media than Baby Boomers (around 50% vs around 25%). I am a little surprised to see that at most only 50% of people self-report as following brands, but I suspect that the classification of a "brand" is blurred, especially with influencers on social media promoting brands through their personal accounts. Marketing Sherpa found a higher percentage of brand followers: 35% of those 55-64 and 35% of 65+, compared to 95% of 18-34, 92% of 35-44 and 85% of 45-54. The overall trend of younger generations being more tapped into brands on social media continues in terms of interaction levels. In Sprout's findings, about 30% of Gen-Xers and Millennials interact with brands on a monthly basis vs. 14% of Baby Boomers. 

Though it is sometimes hard to translate social media activity to sales, each demographic in Sprout's study said that they were more likely to purchase a product from a brand they follow on social (67% Gen-X, 60% Millennials and 51% of Baby Boomers). Across the board, 71% of those surveyed said that a positive interaction with a brand on social would make them more likely to buy from that brand in the future. On the flip side, brand behavior that was viewed unfavorably would result in an unfollow. Baby Boomers reacted most negatively to what they perceived as spam, while all demographics took exception to offensive posts or those deemed "annoying." The types of posts that appealed most to all demographics, according to Marketing Sherpa, are coupons, and other similar incentives. A major takeaway from each of these studies is that online interactions really do matter, and positive brand experiences extend to social media, a finding backed up by other research.