The Importance of Social Media
                                                                                                  Social Media’s Impact Across The Purchase Journey
               •   Social media is fast becoming the new front door for any 
                   business. A venerable powerhouse, supporting nearly every                      % of Internet users who…
                   marketing objective from brand awareness to advocacy over the 
                   past decade.                                                                   Discover brands via ads on social media                                      28%
               •   68% of the UK population are active Social Media users,                        Discover brands via recommendations/comments on social media                 25%
                   highlighting the increased demand for effective social media 
                   marketing.
                                                                                                  Use social networks to research products                                     42%
               •   Consumers are spending up to 3 hours on Social Media 
                   platforms per day and even longer looking at their mobile                      Clicked on a sponsored post on Instagram (among Instagram visitors)          17%
                   screens
                                                                                                  Motivated to purchase by lots of likes/good comments on social media        22%
               •   When it comes to using Social Media, consumers in the US and 
                   UK say researching products, entertainment and news/current                    Motivated to purchase by a “buy” button                                     12%
                   events are important to them.  
                                                                                                  Question: How do you typically find out about new brands and products? Which of the following online sources do you mainly 
               •                                                                                  use when you are actively looking for more information about brands, products, or services? On Instagram, which of these 
                   Almost a third of online consumers use social media to research                have you done in the last month? When shopping online, which of these features would most increase your likelihood of 
                   and find products to buy. Consumers now go on social to                        buying a product?
                   connect with their favourite brands, research products, and                    Source: GlobalWebIndex Q2 2019 Base: 139,658 internet users aged 16-64 and 73,470 Instagram monthly visitors/users
                   purchase the products they research. 
                                        The Importance of Social Media
                                                                                                          Content used for research on social
               •  71% of all decision makers say social media is influential when 
                  they’re researching or considering a new product for their                              % of decision makers who use these platforms to research new 
                  company.                                                                                products/services find the following social media content most useful
                                                                                                                                                                      Posts by 
               •  Those aged 55-64, however, say blogs and online ads are on par                                                                 Conversations      Influencers/
                  with social media as a source of product information.                                    Posts by users        Posts by       with friends or       Thought 
                                                                                                           of the product       companies         colleagues          Leaders
                                                                                                                62%                60%               52%                46%
               •  Social Media platforms are also gradually becoming a place to 
                  complete purchases, as networks mature further                                                64%                61%               54%                49%
                                                                                                                66%                64%               52%                52%
               •  Social Media is the golden thread of the whole customer 
                  journey throughout, as it allows a unified customer experience,                               64%                64%               56%                52%
                  as people are buying into experiences, not just products. Social                              60%                58%               54%                46%
                  compresses the customer journey from days to hours.
                                                                                                                63%                61%               53%                46%
               Social media is valuable for businesses of any size or industry, 
               and finding customers on social media has a direct impact on                               Question: Which social media sites do you use to research/consider new products/services?
                                                                                                          When using social media to research products or services, which of the following do you find useful?
               sales and your bottom line.                                                                Source:GlobalWebIndex Work 2019 Base: 11,653 decision makers aged 16-64
                                                     The Importance of Social Media
                    •   The role of social media in the purchase journey is by no means 
                        reserved to the much-coveted purchasing stage via a “buy” button on 
                        a social platform. In reality, social media brings added value to each 
                        stage of this process. Only with this in mind can the true potential of 
                        social channels’ role in the purchase journey be realized. 
                                                                                                                                      Social media is, now more than ever, a powerful 
                                                                                                                                      tool for
                    •   Social commerce must be viewed within the frame of omni-channel 
                        retail strategies and beyond clicking “buy” buttons on social platforms. 
                        Shoppers are increasingly making use of a multitude of channels when                                          1.     Retrieving consumer insights
                        looking for and buying products online. Social channels can be used in 
                        conjunction with – and complementary to – other commerce 
                        channels to provide a convenient and seamless consumer experience                                             2.     Generating brand awareness, as well as 
                        at each stage of the purchase journey.                                                                               maintaining relevancy
                                                                                                                                      3.     Providing a seamless shopping experience
                    •   Social Media today has evolved to more than just a space for 
                        communication, content sharing and news consumption. It has 
                        increasingly become not only a tool where general networking can 
                        easily take place, but also a space that serves the needs of businesses 
                        – everything from advertising and marketing to ecommerce 
                        sales. But it’s the possibility of completing the purchase journey 
                        while remaining within the ecosystem of these social platforms which 
                        has emerged as the “holy grail” in the development of social 
                        commerce. 
                                                 Storytelling Highlight The Different Parts of 
                                                 Your Business
                                                                                                                        Brand Actions on Social That Prompt Consumers 
                  •   As a Branding and Marketing tool, Social Media is extremely important 
                      not only to sell a specific product, but also to create an experience, to                         to Purchase
                      share the passion and work put into the actual final product. 
                                                                                                                        % of Internet users who…
                  •   With basic Marketing Principles in mind, and looking at the “Brand                                Being Responsive                                                                             48%
                      Actions on Social That Prompt Consumers to Purchase” graph, it is 
                      important to communicate to the consumer what Wine really is: the                                 Offering Promotions
                      passion committed generations put into a product that will be enjoyed                                                                                                                          46%
                      by other families. It’s the vineyard, and the teams that look after it all 
                      year round. It’s the winery, the processes, methods and equipment. It’s                            Providing Educational Content                                                               42%
                      the winemaker, their experience and unique style. It’s craft, knowledge, 
                      art and technology. Wine is where nature, innovation and love all come 
                      together. And this is fascinating, whether one is a true connoisseur or                            Sharing Interesting Visuals                                                                 38%
                      the occasional drinker.
                                                                                                                        Being Funny                                                                                  36%
                  •   This inevitably touches point with Tourism, which in turn brings out a 
                      panoply of related topics not only for their commercial value, but to                              Offering Exclusive Content                                                                  35%
                      help sell your story and create a customer experience. You can share 
                      your winemaking, viticulture and, grape and wine varieties, alongside 
                      cellar door, culinary and other visitor experiences.                                               Providing Behind the Scenes Content                                                         27%
                                                                                                                        Source: SproutSocial.com/index, Q2 2017
                  •   There’s a real opportunity to explore, develop and promote English and 
                      Welsh authentic wine experiences and recognise the UK as a global 
                      destination for international and domestic visitors through lifestyle                             Because these topics are all so interconnected and with no pre-defined guidelines of 
                      offering as well as niche “wine tourists”, who choose their routes based 
                      on wine and food experiences.                                                                     where one ends and the other begins, the points made throughout this document are all 
                                                                                                                        entirely relevant for whichever side of the business you’re looking into communicate and 
                                                                                                                        promote through your social channels. In fact, they should all be, as together they tell a 
                                                                                                                        story!
                                                        Knowing Your Audience
                     •    One reason whyt using social media for business is so effective is that you 
                          can micro-target your audience. But first, you need to understand who your 
                          audience is.
                     •    Social media allows companies to listen in on unfiltered conversations 
                          consumers are having about their preferences, experiences, and 
                          habits.
                     •    Start by thinking about your target customer. Then, compile data on your 
                          current customers. Then, dig deeper with social media analytics. You’ll start 
                          to develop a solid picture of who’s buying from and interacting with you 
                          online.                                                                                                                    of people who use Twitter 
                               •    What are their interests?                                                                                         do so to keep up to date 
                                                                                                                                                       with the world around 
                               •    Their location?                                                                                                            them
                               •    Their age? 
                               •    Occupation? 
                               •    What do they use their social channels for? 
                               •    And based on all this, what would they like to see from your brand?
                                                                                                                                                                                                    to keep up to date with         To keep up to date 
                     •    Current trends are very applicable to your social media content. Topics like                                                                                                 friends and family           with what’s trendy
                          sustainability, veganism, zero waste, natural produce, local produce, and so 
                          many other trending topics will help you capture eyes and hearts.