There is undeniably a big difference in the psychology of UK and US customers. A lot of big companies such as American Apparel have dominated the retail industry assuming that they can go in and do the same in the United Kingdom. But failed miserably.
This is a big lesson for you and me, who assume we can treat both types of Instagram users the same. The reality is that with the location demographics changing, it also changes psychology.
As George Bernard said: George Bernard Shaw: England and America are two countries separated by the same language.
A successful Instagram brand can effectively connect with their followers' emotions. We're emotional beings who seek instant gratification.
Brands can only be achieved by learning more about the UK vs US demographics.
About 58% of US consumers agree that they're trying to reduce their usage of plastic bottles. Making them aware of the environmental hazards that plastic bottles pose on the planet.
However, in the United Kingdom, it is much bigger at 78% which is 20% more! Considering that the UK has fewer populations compared to the US you can see that they're much more conscious.
UK Instagram users are even much more conscious of the throwaway lifestyle that brands such as BooHoo, Primark, and Asos are promoting with their cheap prices. The US consumers, on the other hand, differ by -14%.
This information is especially useful in growing your brand on Instagram in the UK. Try focusing on more environmentally friendly posts.
We all know someone who loves their chicken, meat, and fish! But in the UK, surprise surprise! They have a higher amount of vegans/vegetarians.
The US, by contrast, has only 7% of people who don't identify themselves in this category.
To tie this in with your UK brand on IG, perhaps you want to post more vegan-like posts. Even if you don't have a food-based Instagram page, you can tie in posts that focus on physical health such as exercising or regular habits that promote positive physical health.
Let's focus on this section now. Mental health is a big issue in the UK. Most Instagram page owners post random quotes for the sake of random content.
This is a red flag. We may not grasp the entire psychology of people in the United Kingdom but we do have indicators with Millennials being more worried about their mental health.
In fact, 72% of Millennials/Generation-Y worry about this regularly.
As a brand, this should be taken advantage of to connect with your Instagram followers on an emotional level.
For example:
This will provide your Instagram followers with a positive attachment to your brand.
According to Investopedia, more than 59% of US Millenials are active on Instagram.
44% of Brits report that they are open to booking a doctor's appointment with the NHS and 43% are open to an online interview. How the times have changed!
But this is an extraordinary advantage for brands wanting to hone in on UK Instagram followers and turn them into paying customers. It's simple: UK users are open to exploring new brands.
On the western side of the globe, it's totally different. Americans differ by 31% that would book an online appointment and 36% happy to take on an online interview.
Making the American's more traditional in their approach.
For those who own an Instagram page related to food, this section is a must-read! British people report that they prefer eating in on a Friday rather than going out to a fancy restaurant.
The data is polarized:
This could mean that people in the UK just have had a long week and want to spend the beginning of the weekend at home.
But UK food brands should specifically focus on posting eat-at-home content that will increase engagement from their Instagram followers.
Ideally, we want to post content that aligns with people's feelings and desires.
According to research company Attest, the most shocking figure for Instagram brands is that 41% of British people find social media depressing. While Americans report that at 30%.
It might be the lack of sun or too much rain here in the UK, but this is something that must be tackled by brands on social media.
Undeniably this will result in more UK Instagram users going off Instagram. Something that's viewed depressing, will be deemed toxic.
To tackle this issue toxic easily, we would recommend brands to focus on what type of value they're conveying through their content.
Are you helping your Instagram followers? or are you posting generic content that adds no benefit to the user?
Remember, we're emotional beings and we seek instant happiness, instant gratification.
Why not post a story on your brand, or how your brand is making changes to the environment? Your posts want to elicit positive emotions.
We can see that the biggest factor from the many aspects Brits and Americans differ on is mental health which is important for social media.
Social media is a double-edged sword, it can either drive your Instagram followers away or attract them to positive and great content.
It goes back to the drawing board and ask yourself what type of emotions do I want to evoke? What type of positive emotion do I want my Instagram page to be associated with?
E.g. there are some amazing Instagram pages that focus on positive stories of people getting back out of depression and changing their lives.
What we can see from the studies is that there's a huge difference in buying UK vs US Instagram followers.