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Social media marketing is a dynamic field, constantly evolving. Just a few years back, unexpected algorithm updates were our main concern. Now, we face a shift in how users behave, their buying habits, and a new wave of social media users with unique demands.
Our 2024 guide on the latest social media trends is essential for navigating these changes, especially in guiding clients to refine their social media strategies. Understanding these trends is crucial in today's landscape, where short-form video, influencer marketing, and targeting the right audience play a significant role.
This guide highlights current trends in social media. It backs them up with valuable data and research, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the changing world of social media platforms and long-form content.
Importance Of Understanding Social Media Trends
Knowing the latest trends in social media is key to keeping your business successful and up-to-date. First, understanding them helps your brand stay competitive and appealing, particularly to teenagers.
Think about it - you wouldn't trust a professional who is out of touch with current trends and technology, right? It's the same with users. They're turned off by businesses that use old-fashioned social media tactics and platforms.
Social media networks are always changing. They bring in new features, ways of advertising, and sometimes completely new platforms. Your business can benefit from each trend if you invest time learning and adapting to these shifts.
This approach helps your business grow and stay relevant in the fast-paced digital world. It's all about understanding and implementing important social media posting trends to stay ahead.
Here are the most important trends in social media right now. Knowing these will ensure that your brand's presence on any social media platform is up-to-date and impactful.
Staying informed about these key trends effectively helps you navigate the constantly changing social media landscape. Understanding and applying these top social media trends will align your strategy with the current digital environment.
The Increasing Usage Of AI In Social Media
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is revolutionizing how we approach and understand social media, offering new brand opportunities and challenges.
AI Changes How Brands Think About Being Real
Generative AI shook things up when it became popular in 2022, making people feel emotions they usually only feel for others. Between 2022 and 2023, interest in learning about AI shot up by 550%, as seen in the study of over 15,500 news articles and blog posts. Social media pros are now getting into AI.
Companies are saying they'll use AI way more in different areas, sometimes even three or four times as much as before. For example:
- They plan to use AI 318% more for customer support.
- 260% more for editing images in 2024.
While AI seems promising for busy folks, not everyone is on board yet. The survey found that people aren't as excited about AI and AI-generated content as the marketers using them.
Different age groups also feel differently about AI content. Gen Z, for example, are more likely to understand and trust AI content, while baby boomers (born between 1945 and 1964) tend to be more uncertain.
AI in the Future
When we think about AI making social content, we see that AI is a big deal in social media, and not using it now would be like going back to old-fashioned ways of doing things.
For marketing success, brands need to think beyond whether humans or AI makes content. In 2024, the best brands will change their thoughts about being "real." It's more about the experience your content gives to the customer. Ask questions like:
- Does the content feel right?
- Does it support your brand? Does it work well?
If the answer to these questions is yes, then it doesn't matter if AI helped make it.
Working Smarter With AI
Incorporating AI in social media ads, channels, and posts requires careful planning. By using AI tools smartly, you can make sure your social media strategy stays strong and effective.
- Understand your audience and their thoughts on AI: Knowing your audience well helps you see how their age, culture, or where they live might change how they feel about AI.
- Choose what you do and what AI does: AI is a helpful tool, but you're still in charge. Decide what tasks AI can help with and which need your personal touch.
- Set AI rules for social media: Make sure your team knows how to use AI correctly. Having clear rules helps avoid problems like upset customers or posts that weren't supposed to go out.
Short-Form Video Is Still The King
Short-form videos, like those on TikTok, are hugely popular. TikTok, leading the charge in this trend, had an impressive 1.677 billion users globally in 2023. People love quick, fun, and engaging content. It's your job to tie this type of content to your social media business goals, offering as much value as possible. These numbers are surely going to increase in 2024 and beyond.
According to Wyzowl's 2023 video marketing statistics:
- 91% of businesses use video for marketing.
- 96% say video marketing boosts understanding of their product or service.
- 91% report an increase in website visitors due to video marketing.
- 89% of people are convinced to buy a product after watching a video.
- 79% are persuaded to buy software or an app after watching a video.
Americans spend about 53.8 minutes daily on TikTok, while Instagram users watch 17.6 million hours of reels daily. Interestingly, 90% of vertical videos (like Instagram Reels and Stories, Facebook Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts) have a higher watch completion rate than horizontal ones.
Short-form content is not just unavoidable now; it has become the most popular type of content on the internet.
For clients aiming for success on social platforms, creating engaging videos is key in 2024. Discussing the best ways to use this trend with them is crucial.
When crafting your Instagram video marketing or TikTok promotion strategy, remember two things:
- While video formats have evolved, the fundamentals of high-quality content remain providing value.
- Making content without a clear purpose is a big mistake. Always include a clear call-to-action (CTA) to guide viewers toward your goals.
So, whether you want to increase video views, engage more on social media channels, or enhance your AI marketing video strategy, always focus on creating valuable, purpose-driven content. This approach is essential in social media posts and campaigns in the ever-evolving world of short-form content.
Social Media Trends Regarding Different Platforms
In 2024, the social media landscape is changing, and brands must focus on their most successful channels. Here's a simple look at the trends on various big social media platforms:
TikTok's Growing Dominance
TikTok is becoming more popular, especially with the younger crowd. It's a key place for brands aiming at this group. TikTok's style of real, casual videos, like "FaceTime," chat is hitting it off with users who want real connections.
Finding the best way to promote on TikTok is essential. As a go-to for brand reviews and videos made by users, TikTok's role for brands is more important than ever.
Instagram's Continued Relevance
Instagram keeps its spot with its eye-catching and influencer-led content. The platform's push on Reels and adapting for Gen Z's likes shows how important it is for brands to make content that's fun and easy to relate to. Instagram's shift to more visual stories and interactive parts, like polls and stories, remains vital.
LinkedIn Beyond Professional Networking
LinkedIn is now more than just for professional networking. People are sharing personal and relatable content there, too.
This change means brands can tell more human stories on LinkedIn, surpassing business-to-business (B2B) marketing. Advanced LinkedIn strategies for B2B marketing are evolving to embrace this trend.
Selectivity In Platform Use
With so many social platforms out there, brands are picking where to put their efforts more carefully. Focusing on platforms that fit their audience's likes and give the best return on investment (ROI) is key for a solid social media plan.
SEO And Keyword Optimization
Making your social media content SEO and keyword-friendly is crucial. This change in how people find content means brands must adjust their strategies to stay ahead. SEO and social media are becoming knotted, making it important for brands to consider search optimization in their social content.
Understanding and applying these trends wisely can lead to more success on social media. Whether finding ways to get more ROI from your video marketing or optimizing for SEO and social media, it's about choosing the right approaches for your brand.
The Rise Of Social Commerce
We all know about online shopping, but buying products directly from your social media is the next big thing. Social commerce is buying and selling products on a social media platform. It's becoming trendy, with predictions saying it could reach $80 billion by 2025 in the US.
Social media sites are adding new shopping features to make the most of this trend. For example, Instagram now has Shops and Checkout, letting brands sell directly to customers.
Pinterest also has a shop tab to buy things through product pins. This shows the growing importance of having a strong social media presence and finding smart ways to use social media to grow e-commerce sales.
The Influence Of Micro-Influencers Will Rise
In 2024, we will see a big change in who's popular on social media. While the well-known influencers with many followers will still be around, the ones with fewer followers, called micro-influencers, are becoming more important.
Micro-influencers might not have millions of followers, but they connect with their smaller audience, who are very engaged and loyal. Brands are starting to see how valuable it is to work with these micro-influencers to reach specific groups of people and build strong relationships.
Half of the millennials trust recommendations from micro-influencers they follow on their social media feeds more than from celebrities.
This trend shows that micro-influencers greatly impact what people buy and which brands they like, making them a strong force in marketing and advertising, especially on other social media platforms.
Creating “Edutainment” Content
Edutainment is a hot new trend in social media. It's all about making posts that both teach and entertain people. These posts, especially videos, often share information with fun skits or scenarios. It's a mix of education and entertainment, and it's getting big on platforms like X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, and TikTok.
People like this content because it makes learning new things easy and enjoyable. For example, let's say you want to learn about opening a high-yield savings account. Instead of reading boring articles, imagine watching a one-minute video where someone acts out a scene explaining it.
This makes the topic more interesting and entertaining. This "edutainment" approach is a great way for social media marketers to share important info with their audience in a fun way to watch.
How Do You Capitalize On This Social Media Trend?
To make the most of this trend, start by thinking of topics you can turn into educational posts for your social media. Once you've got your topics, devise creative ways to teach them to your followers.
You could use skits or any fun method to present your information. This engaging video content helps you reach your target audience more effectively.
Entertainment: The Main Force Behind Social Media's ROI
In 2024, measuring success in social media (ROI) is changing big time. Companies realize that having fun with their content isn't just for laughs – it's a smart way to connect with people and see real results.
Understanding The Entertainment Factor
Before, companies hesitated to mix their brand with entertainment, especially in serious business fields. Now, that's changing. People say loud and clear that after catching up with family and friends, they use social media for fun and relaxation. Enjoyable content has become a key part of social media plans.
Consumer Attitudes Toward Brand Promotions
Recent surveys show a gap between what companies do and what people want. Many people get turned off by brands that just talk about themselves too much on social media. They think brands should be more like regular people on these platforms.
But many brands are missing this point. Many marketers keep posting about their products and using these posts to measure their success. This approach doesn't meet the audience's wants, leading to a mismatch.
The Shift To Entertainment-Driven Content
Start focusing on entertainment in your content. Entertainment means making content that's fun, inspiring, or even teaches something, but in a fun way. This means being more friendly and relatable, not just all about business.
Brands need to rethink their content strategies. Those who blend entertainment into their social media can grab more attention and better engagement and eventually win over a bigger slice of the market. This is more than just a trend; it's a new way to think about social media's role in forming lasting bonds with your audience.
Implementing The Entertainment Strategy
Switching to a fun-focused style takes time and a change in strategy. Brands should focus on creating content that grabs attention and builds lasting relationships with their audience. This includes using virtual reality and other innovative marketing tools to create engaging and entertaining content.
Social Media Platforms: The Next Big Thing In Search Engines
If you're looking for genuine tips from real people, sometimes Google isn't enough. But guess where you can find tons of advice from actual folks? You got it: social media. Social media channels are becoming a big challenge for traditional search engines.
TikTok, for example, is now mixing Google search results into its own search feature and has added strong search tools like Keyword Insights. Also, surveys show that social media is the second favorite way for Gen Z to look up stuff before they shop.
If you're not answering your audience's questions on social media, there's a good chance your competitors will. The great thing about social media is that as long as your content is still useful, it can pop up in social searches forever. The more people engage with your posts, the higher they'll appear in social search results.
To-Do List:
Here are some key steps to make the most of social media's evolving role as a powerful search tool:
- Keep using social SEO and keyword research to plan your posts.
- Start making posts that answer common questions in your field. Informative content is more likely to appear in search results, even months later.
- Make social SEO part of your plan, but don't rely on it completely.
More Augmented Reality Options
Augmented Reality (AR), which is still pretty new, is set to grow a lot soon. In 2022, the market for AR, along with VR and MR, was worth about $29.26 billion; by 2026, it might reach up to $100 billion.
Meta introduced a cool AR feature in September 2023 to celebrate the Rugby World Cup. Their platforms had AR filters showing symbols and designs from each team. Fans could use 20 different "superfan" AR filters. AR isn't just fun with filters; it can also help with sales, especially online shopping.
A Google survey found that more than 90% of Americans have used or would think about using AR for shopping. Products with AR/VR features in ads were 94% more likely to be bought than those without. Another study shows that 64% of people who shop on social media might use AR in the future.
People are most interested in trying AR for things like clothes and furniture. Social media users are excited to use AR to buy clothes, furniture, and tech. Almost 65% said they would be less likely to return something if they could try it out virtually first.
Snapchat is already using AR a lot and has created AR features for beauty brands like Supergoop and OPI.
Final Thoughts
The social media in 2024 is all about embracing and adapting to the latest social trends. From the rise of AI in creating authentic content to the growing influence of micro-influencers, it's clear that social media continues to evolve rapidly.
The flow in short-form videos and the increasing importance of social commerce demonstrate how platforms constantly reshape how we connect and shop. Augmented reality is set to revolutionize user experience, making it an exciting time for consumers and marketers.
Understanding these trends is crucial for anyone looking to stay ahead in the digital world. Keeping a pulse on these changes will be key to crafting effective and engaging social media strategies as we move forward.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is The #1 Social Media App?
Facebook is still the app with the most users, reaching 3.03 billion. But, just because a lot of Millennials and Gen Z have Facebook doesn't mean it's their favorite social media app.
What Are The Top Social Media Trends For 2024?
The big trends in 2024 for social media are more AI in making content that fits each person, TikTok staying popular with its real-life stories, focusing more on using the right keywords in content, and brands choosing the best platforms to get the most out of their efforts.
How Does AI Impact Social Media Strategies in 2024?
AI is changing social media. It helps make content that suits each person and helps target ads better. AI looks at what users like and do, making marketing smarter and more on point.
Are Private Spaces Becoming More Important In Social Media?
Yes, private chats and groups on social media are getting more popular. These private areas bring together people with similar interests and are key for brands to connect more closely with their audience.
