Digital media has changed the way people consume media and interact with brands. According to We Are Social’s annual digital ecosystem report, the country’s total population is over 143.9 million, with over 110 million internet users and a 76% total penetration rate.
Mobile technology gives people access to unlimited content almost everywhere, and at any time of the day. We are Social report states that 64% of Russians use the mobile internet.
Search engines
In Russia, the audience is almost completely divided between two search engines: Yandex (46%) and Google (39,2%). Yandex is more popular in Moscow and St. Petersburg, though consumers in Kazan, Ekaterinburg, Kaliningrad, Novosibirsk and Vladivostok more likely will use Google for their daily search. Though, you should take into consideration that Yandex was created specifically for the Russian market and is better able to manage specific Russian search challenges. In terms of visibility to consumers, Organic search and Pay-per-click via keywords advertising are both good options to reach the customer.
Social media
According to Hootsuite’s yearly digital report, the most active social media platforms in Russia as of January 2019 are YouTube, local platforms VK and Odnoklassniki:
- YouTube (85%)
- VK also known as VKontakte (83%)
- OK (55%)
- Instagram (46%)
- Facebook (39%)
According to the report of rusability.ru 45% of Russians (18+) log into at least one social network almost daily, 62% – once a week. It is fair to mention that the choice of the social media depends on the age group and region of Russia. VK and OK are more popular in the regions, while Facebook and Instagram have essentially more audiences in Moscow and St. Petersburg. VK and Instagram are most popular with an audience 16-24 years old. The most active users of YouTube are 25 – 44 years old, while active users of OK are 45+ y.o.
Retargeting
Retargeting allows to reach loyal consumers to increase the conversion rate. It’s always been about reaching the target audience. And if you’ve already invested your time and money into developing content strategy, interesting blog and appealing social media campaigns, it is worth to reconnect with people who previously interacted with your website or social media account.
Voice search
According to We are Social Global Digital Yearbook 21% of internet users search using voice commands. Additionally, smart speakers built using Russian-language speech kit (notably Yandex Alice) have expanded the range of tasks that Russians can accomplish using voice recognition technology.
Programmatic
Programmatic ad spending is expected to grow in 2020 in Russia, according to Zenith’s report. Programmatic opens new opportunities for brands by allowing to reach more target audience, attach commercial value to each of the target segments, increased transparency and control, improve real-time management and get greater efficiency. Russian marketers are re-thinking the way of planning, buying, measuring and optimizing media, providing the customer with a more personalized and engaging experience through the journey via different technological channels, such as social media, search engines, video streaming platforms, apps and connected devices. The essential issue for highly effective ads is to be delivered to the right people at the right time on the right platform.
Photo by Alexander Smagin on Unsplash
