Did you know that a significant number of people studied admitted that the first thing they do after waking up is check their phone? Not shocking. Technology and being constantly connected is more than a stat- it’s life. We must admit, we’re guilty. But learning about how to maximize your business’ exposure when your demographic is grabbing that phone is paramount. That’s where we come in (but that is a different blog).
As we start 2020 it’s important for all businesses to understand the type of content and social media trends so you can get the most out of your social media platforms.
Here are 5 trends you should know for Social Media in 2020
1. Ephemeral Content
This refers to the content that is only available for a short period of time (Instagram and Facebook Stories, Snapchat Stories etc). Attention spans are short and the way people devour content has changed. Stories are an easy way to mindlessly scroll through social media and typically are more engaging than a stagnate image.
What does this mean? If you haven’t already you should start to incorporate stories into your marketing plan. In fact, according to a recent study by Hootsuite over 64% of marketers have already shifted their post practice to incorporate stories.
2. Saying Goodbye To Likes
This is a big one! As we mentioned before, Instagram is performing beta tests to remove Likes. Basically Instagram is suggesting that this change will create more organic interactions and tame “herd-liking”. However, this could have a big impact on brands. A lot of businesses pay large sums to influencers as a main form of advertising. Influencer marketing has had such a significant impact that a lot of brands are moving away from traditional methods of advertising. If Instagram removes Likes then brands won’t be able to measure direct impact with influencer posts. Why would this be beneficial for Instagram? Money! Without Brands spending major dollars on influencer marketing they are more likely to turn to social media ads.
But this impacts small businesses too. Without Likes we all may be forced to “pay to play”. Meaning if you don’t have a large organic following who interacts with your content regularly it may be even harder to reach your target market.
3. Video Content Is King
In 2020 we will see a significant rise in video content. Videos are one of the most engaging forms of content on social media. This is true for short-term videos like Stories and Tik Tok and long-form content like Youtube videos and IG TV. Basically, video is the future of social media.
According to a recent study by Cisco, by 2022 82% of all online content will be video. If you’re not creating video content yet, you should.
4. Customer Service Takes To Social
Users are more and more likely to engage with a brand on social media as a customer service channel. In fact, more people are turning to social media for “instant” response than ever before. Gone are the days people will attempt to reach out to a brand by way of phone. Instead they look to Instant Messages, DM and posts. It is because of this fact that we encourage all brands to be extremely active on social media. Managing comments and direct messages can have massive repercussions, both positive and negative. And there are so many things you need to be constantly monitoring that it can be overwhelming (shameless plug– just another reason to hire a social media manager in Knoxville).
5. Social Media Communities
Although this isn’t something new, it is becoming more popular and can be an excellent way to engage and reach a wide audience beyond your social following. Social Media Communities are like-minded social groups created by brands to talk about shared interests.
Facebook Groups are an excellent example of this and can be a creative, out of the box, way to engage a wider audience or target a specific group.
Looking for help with your marketing in Knoxville? Your team just got bigger! 865.214.7216