The landscape of social media is constantly evolving and businesses need to adapt to the latest trends and developments in order to be successful and remain competitive.  As we head into 2018, it is time to start thinking about what trends are going to define this next year so you can begin developing your social media marketing strategy accordingly.

 

Below are seven social media trends to expect in 2018.

 

Expect short lived content to have the highest levels of engagement

Short lived content that disappears within 24 hours (aka ephemeral content) has had a meteoric rise to fame thanks to Snapchat. With over 10 billion videos uploaded and viewed daily, marketers cannot turn a blind eye to the potential of this platform for their business.  It provides one of the best ways to reach today’s generation z market as well as younger millennials.  If you do not have an ephemeral content strategy in place already, it is time to think about putting together one. Start thinking about those pictures and videos that will engage your audiences within the shortest amount of time possible.

• Because the content is short lived, it is viewed by audiences as more authentic as opposed to too promotional or spammy.
• The content disappears in a number of hours, so it plays into the whole idea of FOMO(fear of missing out).  Because of this, people are apt to act faster and marketers are the ones that gain from it.
• Snap codes make it easy for users to access content.
• Ephemeral content attracts the attention of potential customers which is the goal of every marketer.

Relevant and personal content will be the most liked content

Most millennials are turned off by traditional forms of advertising, so putting out content that pushes sales is a no go. The sweet spot is to generate content that is more personalized and you will experience more likes and shares.  When you figure out the personas that makeup your buyers (gender, age, income, education level, likes, dislikes, location etc), you are given the very answer as to what your audience will respond to. Just be sure you are being as “social” as possible with your audience.  That means commenting on their posts and responding when they comment.

In order to really maximize your reach, try and connect with social media influencers in your niche and ask them to share your content. Reports say that almost 50 percent of consumers who buy online take into account the opinion of others.  Influencers garner a strong following and can really give your engagement rates a boost, leading you to more sales.

Businesses using chat bots for customer service will come out ahead

By now we have all probably communicated with a chat bot online.  As we enter 2018, a good percentage of these types of customer service conversations will be happening with a machine. If you are not familiar with chat bots, they are basically a software application that mimics human conversation.  They work so well since they are available 24/7 to answer questions and they are always polite, even with a disgruntled customer.  This helps build relationships with current and potential customers as well as boost revenue.  As we move through this upcoming year, those using chat bots will beat out their competitors on the customer service front.

Livestreaming and interactive broadcasting will be the next big thing

Livestreaming with Facebook live has become big business with Facebook.  Businesses really need to be using this in order to reach their niche audiences. Just to give you an idea of how livestreaming has taken off..look at this years Emmys.  Over 2 million people viewed their Facebook Live broadcast.

When it comes to interactive broadcasting ( businesses and individuals can use their smartphone to host a public video chat where anyone can join) businesses are given a great way to interact with their customers in real time.  You can host everything from live product videos, a look behind the scenes, an interview. You name it.  It really boosts engagement since viewers are able to interact during the broadcast which helps foster a sense of community.

AI and image recognition have already begun to transform social media marketing

Visual content is where the trend is going on social media and Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat are leading the way. Earlier this year, Salesforce debuted its Einstein Vision for Social Studio tool that allows businesses to search for images related to their brand on social media.  Brands will be able to get better insight into how people are using their product, as well as track their brand’s logo within images. Furthermore, brands will be able to find out when influencers like athletes or celebrities are using their products.

There will be more moderation on all social platforms

Content moderation has been on the uprise this past year.  As we move into 2018, you can expect to see companies looking to create a more permanent solution in an effort to be more proactive as opposed to reactive when an issue arises.

Organic reach is coming to an end

Free exposure has been on a decline for a while and it is going further away as we move into 2018.  With millions of people interacting everyday on social media, networks expect you to pay if you want to be seen.  Brands are going to need to optimize their content and come up with a strong paid strategy for their social marketing efforts.