[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he social media of 2018 absolutely hinged around live streaming, chatbots, artificial intelligence, videos, mobile-ready content, ephemeral content and more.
2019 will not be diametrically different. Most of the trends, in all likelihood, will get repeated. Disappearing content, it’s said, will make its presence strongly felt this year, followed by artificial intelligence, influencer marketing, social videos and more.
Social media is something that both small and big businesses can’t afford to ignore. So, without thinking too much on it, get going and chart out your 2019 social media marketing goals. Focus on key social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram specifically. If you can afford, hire photographers, set up a video production studio, which, in turn, will help you to post better quality images on social media. But then, make sure, you have the right kind of images for the right kind of audience.
Social Media Facts and Figures 2019
Unarguably, YouTube and Facebook are hands down favourite of people and businesses at large. But then, don’t forget, Instagram is giving a close fight to the above two and is currently ranked the third most popular social media platform, followed by Pinterest, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter and more.
As per the recent social media survey by Pew Research Center
73% of U.S. adults use YouTube
68% use Facebook
35% use Instagram
29% use Pinterest
Here, I walk you top three trends that businesses need to include in their marketing plan this year.
#1. Pivot to Disappearing Content over High-quality Content
According to social media experts, stories and content that are ephemeral in nature will capture more eyeballs this year, than the previous year.
News Feeds will no longer be in prominence. Stories will replace news feeds. But then, all these are estimations, only time will tell whether these estimations are right or wrong. Meaning, social media marketers need to keep checking back, time and again, to see whether the stories are having an impact on people or not.
Further, it’s been observed that mobile usage and shorter attention span will continue to add to the popularity of short-lived content in 2019, and it would be mainly Millennial and Generation Z who would be driving the disappearing content thing.
Brands can experiment with this in-the-moment content by going behind-the-scenes and focusing on people behind your brand. Think of ways you can leverage videos, stories, and images that could immediately connect with your customers. For example, if you are running a bakery shop, create a story about how to bake your favorite chocolate truffle cake in no time.
The idea is to experiment. Instead of opting for ready-made, pre-packaged content, try an experiment with raw, in-the-moment content. If you are really skeptical of leveraging disappearing content, you could choose a middle path and try the best of both worlds. If you wish to combine disappearing content with other leading social media tactics for your social media posts, you can take help of top digital marketing companies.
#2. Leverage Social Media TV and Vertical Videos
One of the most leading social media trends of 2018 was the launch of IGTV by Instagram.
This and other developments in the social network are leading to the rise of “social television” in the vertical video format.
This could prove to be the most sweeping social media trend of 2019, and, in all probability, will change the way brands and marketers create content.
More than anything, Instagram is going to grow significantly. And it goes without saying, other platforms are going to follow suit with their own version of videos and stories.
As per Statista, over 50% of digital videos are presently seen on mobile in vertical format. And it’s only spiraling upward since 2013.
Every platform is leaving no stone undisturbed to create unbelievable experiences for customers so that they return to them every single day. Instagram’s IGTV designed on similar lines makes it really compelling for people and businesses and since the content sits right at the top of the feed, which, in turn, prompts people to click on it whenever they log on.
Businesses should keep these points in mind while creating content for each type of their consumer:
For daily customers, give stories
For scrollers, News Feed
For those that love long-form content, IGTV is ideal
So, bifurcate your audience under these categories on social media and provide content as per their intentions. This could drive more engagement on your social media profiles than ever before.
#3. Take Advantage Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is witnessing exponential growth. For the starters, influencers are social media figures who keep building and influencing community around themselves. Their biggest asset is their follower count. In fact, companies can consider them as salespeople because they use their influence to sell stuff. The best part, followers are known to put blind trust in whatever they have to say or sell.
Just like personal branding, influencer marketing lends a human voice to brands. And, it creates a genuine way to connect with customers.
Over to you now
I bet there are dime a dozen other social media trends that businesses need to adopt this year. Go on and talk about them in the comment box below.
Jennifer Warren is a Content Crafter for GoodFirms – a review and research platform for mobile app development, web development companies and more. The company publishes research reports on a time to time basis, the latest one is on PPC Management Research.
