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Social media is here to stay. With over 2.96 billion daily active users worldwide, marketers believe that it’s an essential part of business. However, it's an ever-changing space. Brands to know what they can anticipate about the future of social media. It’s vital to be proactive with the changes that are yet to come. We welcome (and welcome back) the strategies that are set to help businesses and individuals achieve social media success. Here are some of the biggest trends in social media that you need to know about in 2020.
Audience Segmentation is Top Priority
Likes, subscriber and follower counts, and views are no longer central to social media strategies. Brands are challenged to find new ways to measure success. They're competing not just for people’s attention, but also the rate and duration of user engagement. That’s why they’re looking for solutions that use relevant data to determine the quality of their audience.
This is where audience segmentation comes in. It doesn't only look into people’s demographics. Segmentation digs deeper and strategically classifies the audience into meaningful groups based on individual preferences, behaviors, and purchasing habits. It also identifies their needs and challenges, their passions and advocacies, and things millennials like & care about.
Knowing and understanding these help build rapport with the right market. As a result, they're sure to take time to engage with your content. You’ll be able to curate relevant posts, establish significant relationships, and increase consumer trust. It enables you to create connections and experiences. You can also engage in meaningful conversations and cultivate interactions that go beyond likes and shares.
Brands that embrace this trend are predicted to win over those that follow a more one-size-fits-all approach.
Customer Service is Key
Social media as a form of customer service is going to be a big trend as brands look into building online communities. Likewise, customers like to be assured that they’re heard and valued.
If you haven’t yet, be sure to have a designated social media manager or social team. They should develop, monitor, and participate in conversations within your community. They should pay attention to mentions and tweets, answer queries, and ask relevant questions. More importantly, employ a support team that can readily speak with customers. They should quickly address issues and politely respond to (all kinds of) feedback. All these will help create brand advocates and loyal followers for your business.
This year, more marketers are set to provide audiences with a safe space to share their thoughts, sentiments, and experiences with the brands.
Personalized and User-Generated Content Get More Prominent
This trend emerged a few years back. However, it’s more pronounced and will continue to grow this year as one of the bigger trends in social media. People appreciate promo posts. But they mostly advocate trustworthy and relatable brands that are proud to share their expertise and personality.
To do this, owners and upper management teams can do webinars, podcast appearances, or guest blogging to share their knowledge and experiences. Post behind-the-scenes photos or day-in-the-office videos featuring employees to give a humanized element to your feed. Touch on emotions by sharing inspirational posts on "Motivation Monday" or "Feel Good Friday."
Another way is to utilize user-generated content to make your followers feel like they’re part of your family. By simply reposting tagged content, you recognize the users and their contributions and encourage your community to engage organically with you. Here's an example from Target.
Finding and maintaining the right mix of content types is crucial to your social media success this year.
Live and Stories Continue to Soar
Nowadays, people’s attention can be quickly diverted as they opt for immediately-engaging, impactful, and addictive content. And the best way to capture users in just a few seconds is by going live and using stories.
These two are highly visual, and they allow people to consume content in the moment. They provide brands with opportunities to be better seen, grow communities, and remain top-of-mind within competitive spaces. With a wide range of formats and creative features, they promote interactive engagement with followers. Live and Stories are created on the spot. They show the authentic, vulnerable, and even flawed (good flaws!) side of businesses. Most importantly, they take away the pressure of when best to post as these remain live for 24 hours.
There’s no slowing down Live and Stories and their benefits. Expect to see more brands get on-board with this trend.
Video is Still King
87% of marketers use video and 54% of consumers demand it. Social Media Week predicts videos to make up 82% of 2022’s entire internet traffic. That’s why all social media platforms are now looking for ways to prioritize videos.
Video content is a creative and engaging way to tell stories that capture people’s attention immediately. They’re customizable to fit the needs and preferences of specific markets. They increase conversions and sales, build brand awareness and trust, and keep customers informed. They’re also effective in influencing purchase decisions, getting more qualified leads, expanding business networks, and growing consumer bases.
In 2020, more brands will transition to video content in their efforts to remain relevant in the online space.
Nano-Influencers Become Game-Changers
According to Social Media Today, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from accounts they follow. 93% of marketers get positive results from influencer marketing. But with the rise in importance of authenticity, credibility, and honesty, brands are looking for content creators who have smaller and better-defined followers but can still provide great business benefits.
Cue the nano-influencers.
They’re regular social media users who have hundreds to 5,000 followers. Not only are they cheaper than macro or micro-influencers, but they have better relationships and stronger engagement with their followers. They value truthfulness and reliability, so they try out products and services before posting about them. They encourage real interactions and relevant discussions with their peers. This in turn sparks interest, increases brand trust, and generates high conversions for businesses.
If brands want to be ahead of this billion-dollar industry, nano-influencers are the way to go.
Groups and Communities Skyrocket
With the growing privacy concerns, users are turning to private groups and online communities to connect with others. Thus, we expect to see more brands building their own group or community. This establishes meaningful connections with their followers without being too intrusive.
Whether it’s on Facebook, Pinterest, or other channels, groups are much smaller and more targeted. This offers a sense of being in an intimate environment. Communities allow brands to stay in touch with relevant audiences, prove their credibility, and ultimately drive more conversions. They’re more exclusive and with higher engagement and activity. Thus, groups and communities get a targeted market off of social and onto your mailing list. And that's the perfect way to expand your reach and get quality leads.
Social Commerce is Stronger than Ever
Consumers value time and convenience, so they want to access products and services right through social media. Knowing this, platforms have created easy shopping experiences. Customers don’t even have to leave the site or app to view and buy products.
For a while now, brands have used Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to promote products and services. But today, these sites and other social networks are becoming mainstream retail channels, potentially overtaking websites and offline stores. Brands, in turn, leverage this opportunity and incorporate social commerce in their strategies. In just a few clicks, customers can go from browsing to buying, thus cutting the sales funnel in half.
This trend is continuously growing. Expect to see an increased number of shoppable posts, Stories, and links from many brands across different social channels. Here's an example of how Sephora creates a shopping experience on IG.
Niche Platforms Continue to Grow
The core social sites aren’t going anywhere. However, smaller platforms like TikTok, Lasso, Byte, Twitch, LinkedIn, and Pinterest are slowly making waves. They're becoming a must-have for marketers.
These attract younger users and target audiences. It's largely because of their creative features and fresh content that doesn't focus on hard selling. They stray away from the curated life and huge crowds that bigger networks have. They also provide brands with better alternatives to share content, engage with a targeted market, and deliver better results. They’re great platforms that encourage interactions and cultivate deeper connections with consumers who are stepping away from traditional social networks.
Niche platforms will disrupt and shape the future of social media marketing. More businesses are set on exploring and utilizing these in their 2020 campaigns. Therefore, this is another one of the biggest trends in social media this year.
Where We Go From Here
These trends are showing us the direction in which social media and the digital world as a whole are going. And that’s creating a place to nurture trust and establish brand-consumer relationships. It’s more than just a platform for marketing and advertising. It’s a venue to communicate values and engage with audiences. You'll also have a deeper level of social interaction and responsibility by becoming more personal and humanized. Most importantly, it’s a place where genuineness and authenticity matter most.
Social media is constantly growing and changing, so it’s difficult to keep up with emerging trends. With help from a powerful social media tool, you can apply the best practices and stay ahead of the game.
