As consumer trends evolve on social media, so too must your social media marketing strategy. If you hope to capture your audience’s attention—and dollars—you need to continually take a fresh look at how your customers and leads utilize each platform.
What will be influencing social media users in 2019 and what does it mean for your brand marketing? What do you need to be aware of if you want to remain relevant?
Here are what we consider a few of the top social media marketing trends to keep an eye on this year.
It’s All About the Visuals
Video, video, video! Two thirds of all internet traffic in 2017 was streaming video and experts predict that by 2020 that number will reach 82%. There’s a lot to get excited about video-wise. From spontaneous stories on Instagram and Snapchat to live Q&A’s and recurring video series, businesses across the board are choosing video to communicate their messages.
Trending big right now? Vertical videos, which many pros see as the future of video marketing. The massive growth of Instagram stories and the launch of IGTV for long form, vertical-only video content is destined to become the new standard. Most social media users do their connecting, sharing, and commenting from their mobile devices. Vertical videos improve their experience with your brand by being intuitively immersive, not intrusive.
Moving forward, brands should be expanding their use of all types of video across mobile, social, and digital mediums.
Keeping it Real
Social media is so popular because it allows people to share their life experiences with friends and families. Brands that share their own human stories have the best chance of inspiring audiences to try out their products or services. Focusing on ways to authentically connect with audiences can help you break through the clutter and connect with people online.
Confused about what it takes to be real online? Nothing is more authentic then “going live.” It helps build trust and loyalty for your brand, especially with younger generations who have little tolerance for social media marketing that comes off as disingenuous.
In-the-moment content lets you connect to people’s aspirations and emotions, establish direct relationships, and create a positive association between your brand and viewers. Behind-the-scenes, intimate stories are what audiences crave, making them a powerful, accessible way to create a more personal connection with your audience.
Making an Impact with Pay to Play
Social media platforms may be all about fun for people, but the reality is each one is a business. That’s why “pay to play” is well worth your time and money. With a combined 3.5 billion daily active users, Facebook and Instagram are where social media marketers should head to be seen. Of course, the sites’ popularity also means you’ll be facing the most competition on them. That’s where brand authenticity can help you stand out.
As the organic reach of business content continues to diminish, most brands will need to invest in boosted posts, sponsored post, and social media ads if they want to stay top of mind. Fortunately, social media advertising can be a relatively small investment and still have a huge impact on your marketing efforts. That’s good news, because paid is no longer optional for social media marketing. In fact, it’s probably the most sophisticated marketing tool you have for targeting messages to exactly the right people at the right time.
Social media marketing is an ever changing landscape. In 2019, focusing on personal engagement, telling stories not selling products, and dipping into the world of social media paid ads are three trends worth investing in.
