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Social Media Replacing Phone Calls and Emails in the UK

Social networks and messaging platforms are changing the way consumers behave. Teens and adults in the UK between the ages of 16 and 24 spend the majority of their time communicating via social media on their mobile devices. This was the topic of a recent study conducting by tech group, Ofcom.

 

Although this may seem common for people in this age group, it is a major departure from the communication habits of many older age groups in the UK. This study certainly highlights our previous statement that social networks and messaging platforms are changing consumer behaviors and displacing phone calls and emails here in the UK.

 

The Ofcom study found that UK teens and adults aged 16-24 spend an average of 4 hours and 14 minutes communicating on social media daily. That’s almost double the average of social media time spent among all adults, which clocks in at 2 hours and 10 minutes. The decline of emailing and phone calls in the younger age bracket appears to be due to the rise in instant, photo and video messaging and social networking.

 

Why are we seeing more and more people using social media and instant messaging services to communicate with friends, family and even local business owners? This varying behavior among different age groups is attributable in part to the tendency for younger generations to look to “umbrella services,” or larger services that bundle tools that enable them to complete a number of daily tasks. A user on Facebook or Facebook Messenger, for example, could place a video or phone call, send personal messages or business-related messages and interact with social content like pictures, video, and posts from friends, without ever departing the Facebook ecosystem.

 

How is this important for your small business? It is all about engaging the customer and providing them with better customer service and better online content every time they visit your social media page. If Facebook users want an easier way to contact your business whenever they have product questions, give it to them. Not only will a potential customer see it, but so will all of their friends on social media. The more people you can show your business in a good light to, the more potential customers you have and the more chances you have to turn them into sales.