7 Social Media Trends to Look Out for in 2020
Social media has become synonymous with digital marketing. Crafting a social media strategy may seem like one of the easier tasks you need to tackle, but with the ever-evolving style of the industry, that may not be the case. User habits can change without warning, and each platform is consistently providing updates to try to be the best and most popular. Social media trends can greatly influence how people use and react to social media marketing, requiring you to make strategy changes to a previously successful campaign.
We’re looking ahead into 2020 to provide you with tips on the latest social media trends the industry may encounter as the year progresses. Keep these trends in mind as you craft your new year’s social media strategy.
Instagram May Remove Likes
Instagram has begun testing the removal of likes from posts in many countries. This will make it harder to track the success of partnerships and campaigns. Some think it is a play by Instagram to encourage more companies to move back to traditional paid advertising on the platform. While influencers will be limited in their metrics, Instagram paid ads will become the safer form of protecting your ad spend.
However, influencer marketing does not seem to be slowing down any time soon. This will increase the popularity of micro influencers. While micro influencers cost less in general, it will also remain easier to track the success of their posts. With the removal of likes, influencer partnerships will come down to other measures of engagement such as comments and interaction. Micro influencers see more post interaction with their followers than more prominent influencers and celebrities.
Niche Social Platforms Will Expand
There was a time when Twitter and Facebook were the dominant social media platforms. Now, there are an abundance of channels. With increased global access to Internet, more localized platforms will begin to pop up.
User generated content from niche sites like Reddit and Quora are increasingly appearing on SERPs. This draws attention and popularity to the channels and gains users. If Google adds other traditional social platforms to Search, more platforms can gain traction globally.
Video Content Continues to Grow
Video has, and will continue to, become the most effective form of marketing content. The newest apps that are gaining popularity put an emphasis on video content, but you can implement it on any platform you’re currently using. From stories to live video to traditional video posts, it is a great way to hold you customer’s attention. While all video should be of high quality, it doesn’t need to be professionally or expensively made. Followers feel included and invested in video content, so be sure to include clear calls to action to keep them engaged.
Virtual & Augmented Reality
We’ve already experienced augmented reality on social media, popularized by Snapchat’s face filters. This feature is growing even more with the added ability for users to create their own filters. Creating a customized brand filter is a great way to provide exposure for your brand. AR and VR can also be used to enhance the shopping experience, allowing users to see what a product would look like in their home or on their person before purchase.
An Emphasis on Ephemeral Content
Ever since Instagram launched their own version of Snapchat’s stories feature, almost every platform has followed suit. Ephemeral content is content designed to have a short lifespan, like that of an Instagram story. With the increase of mobile-use, this type of content is more quickly and easily consumed on phones.
It is also ideal for reaching those followers with shorter attention spans. It is more eye-grabbing to click through a story than scroll through a potentially endless feed. With the right calls to action, ephemeral content on stories can increase engagement and conversions. Knowing that this content will be gone within 24 hours, followers will have to act fast to engage.
Social Commerce Will Expand
Brands have been using platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to sell their products for a while now, but now apps are expanding their technology to accommodate social shopping. New technology enables users to find products they like on a social platform and complete a purchase without having to navigate out of the app. This eases the customer shopping experience and improves conversions. App users are also using social media as a search engine for finding products they need or like, making social commerce an added benefit to the consumer. This method of shopping is only going to expand, so make sure your business is adapting to allow social media shopping.
Social Media as a Customer Service Channel
As you may have already encountered, customers are turning to social media to seek customer service assistance and voice their opinions, whether positive or negative. While positive feedback is great organic exposure for your brand, negative comments can have a strong impact if you do not react in the correct manner. As social media marketing continues to grow, social media will increasingly become a customer service channel. Be aware and ready to provide assistance to customers on social to build a connection within your social and brand community.
If your digital marketing strategy doesn’t stand up to the social media trends we expect to see in 2020, it’s time to consider a marketing update. Kraus Marketing is a full-service digital marketing agency with experienced professionals ready to optimize your social media plan. Contact us today!