We all know that social media is a vital tool to reach potential customers, since most people spend a LOT of time on social media these days. However, with so many companies using social media to market their products, it can be hard to stand out in the crowd unless you have a clear marketing strategy. To help you, here are the 10 most important social media trends right now.
- STORIES: Here today, gone tomorrow—and people love that!
Called “ephemeral content”, the Stories feature is getting more popular every day. This type of content creates a sense of urgency since there’s only a 24-hour window to view it, react to it, and share it with others. Instagram Stories and Snapchat are great examples of this, catering to the ever-shortening attention spans of their users. More than 500 million people are active on Instagram Stories daily; if you’re not using ephemeral content, it’s definitely time to add it to your marketing arsenal.
- Niche Social Media Platforms are gaining popularity.
While Facebook and Instagram still dominate social media, more and more users are turning to niche platforms that cater to their particular needs. For example, TikTok is extremely popular with young people; LinkedIn is the platform of choice for B2B companies; and Twitch is a big platform in the gaming community. It’s a great time to research these various niche platforms to see if one or more would best suit your business.
- No more likes on Instagram? It’s a possibility.
Instagram is on the verge of a major change, which could turn the social media world upside down: the removal of the “like” feature. Their reasoning? People waiting for others to like their posts has become detrimental to their mental health. Maybe, but many people feel that the removal of the “like” feature is a way for Instagram to get brands to move to their “ads” feature instead of using influencers in their posts. Whatever the reason, know that this may very well be the beginning of a whole new, uncharted territory for social media.
- Social Commerce is going mainstream.
Many platforms (Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest to name three) have a strong retail feature that companies use to sell their items. Due to this success, social commerce is becoming as popular as websites for selling items. More and more platforms will jump on this trend, and it’s one of the best ways to add to your marketing strategy in the new year. If you haven’t already created shoppable posts, it’s a great thing to start in 2020.
- Video content will dominate all social media.
According to a study done by Cisco, 82% of all online content will be video content by 2022. That’s a huge number, and shows why it’s vital to get your video content up to speed as a key part of your 2020 marketing strategy. Video is the perfect media for florists, since you can show so many aspects of your business and what it takes to bring a beautiful arrangement to a customer. It’s easy to start with video content by using Stories, then branch out to longer videos or live Facebook videos of your floral workshops.
- Influencer Marketing is here to stay.
Social media is dominated by influencers, and there’s no sign that this will be slowing down. Influencers have been shown to bring in a lot of new customers, and it’s less expensive to invest in influencers than to create ad campaigns. In fact, for most industries, influencers with smaller followings but who are passionate about a specific thing are far more successful in marketing a brand than big celebrities. It comes down to authenticity: people know when someone actually likes and uses a specific item. So look for local influencers and start using them in your social media marketing.
- Local Targeting will become more prominent.
On the subject of “local”, one of the bigger trends in social media marketing is local targeting. This is the best way to get more people in your local area to know about your business. The easiest way to do this is by geo-tagging your posts on social media, so potential local customers know exactly where to find you. Also, social platforms like Instagram provide the option to search for posts from nearby places or specific locations. If you add your location to your content it will show up in these search results, helping local people find you.
- Social Media Listening tools will be more popular than ever.
Listening tools are a vital way to analyze the effects of your social media marketing strategy. A social listening tool is software that monitors and analyzes online conversations about your brand, a specific topic, your competitors, or anything else that’s relevant to your company. There are so many listening tools available that it’s easy to do a web search and find one that meets your needs.
- User-generated Content is still going strong.
Nothing is more authentic than a customer writing about a brand and what it has done for them. That’s why User-generated Content is one of the strongest ways to market and will continue to be. Happy customers love to submit content and tag your brand for a chance to be featured on your social media page. It’s a simple idea to implement and can yield great results.
- Social Media Communities are growing.
Like-minded people love to share their ideas online, which is why social media communities are continuing to grow. Facebook Groups is a great example of this: Any business can create a group and bring existing customers together with prospective customers to discuss things in a meaningful way. You can also use these communities to launch new products, and gain valuable feedback.
Implement one or more of these trends in your 2020 social media marketing strategy. You’ll reap the rewards in the new year and beyond!
