Digital State of the Midwest
Marketing takeaways from our recent report
How do Midwesterners engage with digital marketing? We asked 1,000 people across Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakotas what they do online, which platforms they inhabit, and what types of content they’re consuming.
From streaming to socializing, here’s a snapshot of how Midwesterners are spending their screen time.
How are Midwesterners logging on?
- Midwesterners are mobilizing.
- 89% of respondents use a mobile device.
- 17% of respondents are “mobile-only” users, a 55% increase since 2018.
Tip: A mobile-first marketing approach will help you engage with more customers more often.
A surge in streaming
- Midwesterners watch TV primarily through streaming services.
- 35% of respondents use streaming devices—that’s doubled since 2018.
- 75% of those with children at home watch TV using streaming services.
- Of those who use streaming services, 59% subscribe to three or more.
- Streaming comes in all sizes.
- 47% of respondents who stream prefer to use a mobile device, computer, or tablet.
- Those ages 18–34 use streaming services equally on mobile devices and TVs.
Tip: Because Midwesterners are streaming across all types of devices, ensure your ad experience looks great in every size.
- Don’t count out cable.
- 75% of those ages 55+ watch live or recorded network/cable TV.
- Midwesterners pay less attention to TV ads today than they did in 2018, but they’re still the most popular way to capture attention.
Staying social
- A vast majority of Midwesterners are active on social media.
- On average, 94% of respondents say they use social media—up 20% since 2018.
- Those ages 35+ use Facebook more than any other platform.
- Totally (You)Tubular!
- Those ages 18–34 use YouTube more than any other platform.
- Those ages 55+ are 10% more likely to use YouTube today than in 2018.
- 55% of respondents watch video content daily—a 41% increase from 2018.
- Don’t be afraid to spend on social.
- Social media ads are one of the best ways to drive conversions and purchases across all age groups.
- Nearly 60% of those ages 18–34 say social ads are most likely to lead to a purchase.
Tip: Know your people and your purpose. Make sure your social ads align with the channel(s) your consumers are using and account for their spot in the purchase decision-making process.
We’re all searching for something
- Google retains its stronghold on the search game.
- 94% of Midwesterners use a search engine weekly.
- Google boasts an 85.9% market share in the Midwest, compared to 61.4% nationwide.
- If you run paid search ads, allocate most of the budget toward Google.
- Make sure it’s easy to find your business locally.
- Hours of operation (77%) and phone numbers (75%) are the most common information people seek when using local search.
- 74% of people who conducted a local search for a business went on to visit or do business with the location.
- “How did we do today?”
- Respondents are 26% more likely to leave a review when they have a good experience than for any other reason.
- 66% of those ages 18–34 say online reviews impact their purchasing decisions.
Tip: Maintaining your business profiles will improve your customer experience. Check out TryStratus.com to manage your online listings and reviews with ease.
This is just the tip of the silo (we don’t have icebergs in the Midwest). Download the full Digital State of the Midwest report to uncover more about your digital audiences in the Upper Midwest.
Download the report
