What’s on trend in social media?

Gone are the days when it was questionable whether or not to use social media for business. It’s now an essential part of most marketing strategies, and even the smallest companies use social media platforms to connect with their customers.

Unfortunately, if you’re new to the fast-paced world of social media, or you’re not tech savvy, it can be quite overwhelming. With trends coming and going, it seems as soon as you get familiar with one trend, another one comes along to supersede it.

But don’t be discouraged. Here are a few trends that we think will be sticking around as we approach 2019.

Video content

Video content is still very popular across the majority of social media channels and we think this trend will continue into 2019.

The power of video is undeniable, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Users are consuming more video content than ever before, it’s accessible, versatile and it’s so easy for your customers to engage with this kind of content.

Paid advertising

We believe paid advertising will still be popular moving forward into 2019. Due to past algorithm changes, it’s much harder to be seen in your customers’ news feeds. Paid advertising makes you visible to a wider audience and lets you market your product or service to a specific demographic.

Whether your budget is big or small, paid advertising on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook is a good way to promote your business.

Messenger apps

Once again, you need to be in the same place as your customers, and lately that’s on messenger apps such as Messenger or Whatsapp. You need to be using whatever channels your customers are using, and utilise these platforms to connect and reach out to your audience.

Chatbots

Chatbots have been around for years and years, but businesses are now using them in very different ways than ever before. Chatbots are being integrated with social media, targeting key phrases or words and responding with questions and comments to promote your business and generate sales.

Influencer marketing

Using ‘influencers’ to promote a product or service isn’t anything new, however, this marketing strategy has evolved.

In the past we’ve seen companies approach big name celebrities to endorse their but now many businesses are working with ‘micro-influencers’.

Micro-influencers are non-celebrities who still have a good following on social media channels, for example 1000 to 100,000 followers. Micro-influencers are more cost effective than ‘macro-influencers’ and are much more accessible to small businesses.

User-generated content

Using user-generated content is a great way to leverage content that has already been created. Businesses can encourage their customers to hashtag and share images with their product, or using their service, and these images can be shared through the business account. It’s an easy way to get content without the hard work of creating it yourself!

Ephemeral content

Ephemeral content is content that is only made available for 24 hours or less. Think Snapchat, or Instagram and Facebook stories. This year we’ve seen Instagram stories take off, and we think this trend will continue into 2019.
Why is it popular? Ephemeral content generates a call to action, and conjures up fears of missing out as the content is only available for a limited time, so users need to see it before it disappears.

Live streaming

Just like video, live streaming has been on trend in 2018. Live streaming is a great way to involve your customers and make your social media account more personal. It’s an easy way to give your customers a behind the scenes look at your business, or get them excited about something in real time.