Although it seems like ages away, let’s face the reality: The summer is over and 2018 is just round the corner. It means that you should start thinking of your social media marketing strategy for the next year.
Knowing what will be trendy will help you to take advantage of the opportunities social media presents so you can prepare for them in time. And Social Media is changing constantly. Channels, like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn keep improving and implementing new features. If you don’t keep up, your competitors might get ahead of you.
What can we expect in 2018?
1. More and more videos
That’s right, the videos will completely overtake the web. We all probably could expect that since all social media channels and search engines still favour videos over the written content. They tend to reach a higher number of people and gain better engagement. It’s predicted that by 2018, videos will take up 80% of consumer internet traffic. What does it mean for marketers? Implementing a video in a social media strategy will become absolutely crucial for businesses. And if you don’t catch up, you may stay behind.
2. Live streaming
Live streaming is here to stay. 80% of users would rather watch live video from a brand than read a blog, and 82% prefer live video to social posts. No wonder, more and more social media channels implement live videos in their features, from Facebook Live to Periscope and Instagram Stories… Although the services keep overlapping, each channel attracts different audiences. Before you start setting up every single one of them, think first where are your potential clients. Which social media channels do they use? Invest only in the ones that matter to them the most.
3. It’s all about mobile.
They are 2.6 billion smartphone users, and that number is expected to grow to 6.1 billion by 2020. No wonder that people tend to access their social media channels via mobiles. In fact, nearly 80% of social media time is now spent on mobile devices. That’s why social media channels keep making a strenuous effort to transition from desktop to mobile. It’s very important to take that into account when creating marketing ads and posts. Now they all need to be compatible with mobile devices otherwise, your content won’t go very far.
4. Chatbots
Because of the growth of the internet younger generations expect an answer to their question within a few minutes. They don’t want to call a company and talk to the machine. They want to grab someone’s attention almost immediately. This is why chatbots got invented. They stimulate a conversation between users online and allow you to send personalised messages to your customers’ queries instantly. It’s a great way of interacting with your target audience and providing an exceptional customer service.
5. Personalised content
2018 will be all about personalised marketing. Most people hate advertising and somehow a lot of companies keep posting promotional content on their social media sites. If you are one of them, you should definitely stop. Social media is about people, therefore you should post content that is relevant to them. Once you understand your customer persona, you’ll be able to create content specifically tailored to their interests. That’s why it’s so important to know exactly what they like, what they find funny and what annoying. You should use data to analyse your customers’ behaviours and respond to their needs. 63% of people expect brands to use their purchase history to provide them with personalised experiences. If you know what they want and what is their problem, you will be able to provide them with a solution. And frankly, if you are the solution, they will buy from you. Engage with them on a personal level, like and share their posts, respond to their queries and you’ll be perceived as a company who cares.
With the rise of technology, social media keeps changing and adapting to people’s needs. Online users expect immediate attention, entertainment, and a personalised content every time they browse the web. It’s not so easy anymore to attract their attention. That’s why you need to go one step further and understand your customers’ purchase behaviours. In order to remain relevant and effective, you need to be able to provide fresh and engaging content constantly. Staying up to date with the latest trends might be time-consuming but it’s definitely worth it. Even though 2018 is still months away, brands should start incorporating these changes into their strategies as soon as possible otherwise, they risk staying behind.
