Social media trends rarely stay the same from year-to-year. That’s just the nature of social itself, right?
Social media marketing is now highly integrated into various workflows, and increasingly technology-driven, and those very same innovations are disrupting the way consumers discover and buy products online, influencing purchase journeys, and changing the way that customers interact with brands.-social media trends
In order to remain competitive, every brand needs to keep on the latest tech trends and innovations. In this post, we’ll look at a few social media marketing trends which could provide massive opportunities, as well as challenges, for digital marketers in 2020 and beyond.
1. Reevaluating the metrics that matter most to Brands
2. Stories aren’t slowing down
Stories have been one of the biggest social media trends of the past couple of years and 2020 looks to be no different.
The dominance of Instagram Stories speaks for themselves. However, also note that Facebook Stories are on par in terms of engagement with approximately 500 million daily users.
3. Video content continues to boom
Both long-form and short-form video are among the most-shared content on social media.
Food for thought: YouTube is second only to Facebook in terms of active users. Although Instagram might be regarded as the top hub for influencers, more and more brands and marketers are flocking to YouTube.
Meanwhile, Instagram is trying to breathe new life into IGTV. With IGTV introducing landscape videos, we’ll have to wait and see how brands take up the opportunity, which could make it easier to repurpose video content from other platforms
4. Social media influencers and word-of-mouth marketing
One benefit of building social media communities is the fact that they help with word-of-mouth marketing, which is another big social media marketing trend for 2020. Communities allow you to engage with nano or micro-influencers who are already advocates of your brand in order to get them to share honest views and experiences of your products or services.
We all know that influencers have been around for a while and they have now become an expected part of the social media experience. They can offer great benefits for brands, including a relatively high earned media value, especially now that Instagram usage is continuing to grow at an elevated rate.
However, many types of influencers are no longer trusted by consumers. Big influencers are not only expensive for brands, they no longer have the impact that they used to because they are seen as disingenuous. In fact, 61% of consumers will trust the recommendations of friends and family over celebrity endorsements because they are more likely to be honest.
In comparison, smaller influencers, such as those who are likely to be part of your communities, tend to have better relationships with their followers, which means they benefit from a higher level of trust. This can lead to more engagement at a lower cost, as well as increased trust in a brand that is more likely to culminate in conversion.
5.Get Creative: Stop Being Boring!
Boring brands are everywhere with their boring social media content.
In B2B tech, for instance, Mel Carson is always looking for more creative ways to stand out in a sea of blah, blah, blah. For instance, showcasing what it all means with dynamic examples, which may be:
- Short (but effective) videos shot at events where tech partners talk about their solutions, how the idea came about, how it was built, etc
- Short-form animated GIFs and videos that are designed to inspire the viewer, not just to understand, but to take action.
Who wants to go to a brand page and just see a bunch of ‘buy my stuff!’ posts or boring posts that don’t apply to their life or solve their problems?
Nobody, that’s who, said Chris Sciulli, Digital Marketing Lead, The International Society of Automation / Owner & Author, SmokehouseSEO.com.
So, in 2020, start being interesting and stop using your social media as a place where you stand on a box and shout ads at people.
6.Personalization is replacing interruptive experiences
Traditionally, social media marketing – as with most common marketing tactics – has been about interrupting whatever a user is doing at any given time (scrolling their feed, watching videos, etc.) to try and prompt them to engage with your brand.
But interruptive tactics are losing their impact – in the modern world, consumers have more control than ever over which ads they allow in their feeds, what content they engage with, and with so many messages competing for their attention, winning their time is key.
Advanced and omnichannel personalization tools cater to this, by providing more integrated marketing capabilities and tapping into data to customize messaging.
