As we ring in a new year, it’s a good time to start looking ahead at social media trends that could pay dividends in the coming months. Whether it’s creating new goals for the new year or expanding on your existing ones, you’re wise to think about how you can take advantage of these trends to help increase engagement and retention for your product or brand.
The following are some of the trends we’re tracking as we enter a new year:
- Influencer marketing. Influencer marketing has taken off over the past few years, and is expected to keep growing. It’s the fastest online method for acquisition of customers, surpassing both organic and paid search. The realm of micro influencers, those with around 3,000 to 10,000 followers, is especially predicted to grow. Micro influencers are seen as genuine and authentic, with niche audiences that have high engagement rates. Their audiences likely relate to them on a detailed and personal level, and place trust in their suggestions. Influencer marketing is also one of the most cost-effective ways to grow your business and reach new audiences.
- Visual storytelling. Visual storytelling is the use of images, videos, gifs and other visual content in lieu of wordy posts. People’s attention spans are short, and visual content tends to hold our attention longer than text-based content. With the rise in popularity of TikTok and Instagram Reels, short-form video content of less than a minute or so is an essential trend to follow. Utilizing these platforms is also a way for brands to reach younger audiences — the main demographic that use these apps. Relevant, high-quality visual content that promotes your brand is a great way to capture and maintain the attention of your target audience.
- User-generated content. User-generated content (UGC) is any post or content created by your audience about your brand. It’s a great way to get free promotion for your company and is typically more trusted by consumers because the content is seen as independent, unfiltered and generated by real people. One study found that brands that promoted user-generated content on their platforms have a 20% higher retention rate in visitors and those visitors spend 90% more time on a company website than one without UGC. Utilizing user-generated content can create stronger relationships with existing customers and make them feel more connected to your brand.
- Augmented reality and virtual reality. AR and VR have grown over the past few years with tools such as customizable AR filters on Snapchat and Instagram, but this is only the tip of the iceberg relating to the possibilities of AR and VR on social media. These technologies continue to grow beyond just photo and video filters, and Facebook and Instagram, in particular, are taking the lead with associated products such as AR glasses. Celebrities are also starting to utilize VR and AR, for example, Billie Eilish’s collaboration with Oculus. Even using things like scannable QR codes is a great way to start getting into the interactive technology realm.
- Social media as a shopping platform. E-commerce through social media is growing, especially on Instagram and Facebook. Features such as shoppable links embedded in posts and stories are excellent for directing your audience to your website and product pages. It’s expected that by 2023 there will be 100 million people utilizing shopping tools on social platforms.
These are just a few of the current developments predicted to become more relevant on social media over the next year. You can pick and choose which trends fit your company best and begin to leverage them for positive results. If you’re looking for additional help keeping up with social media trends, rAVe [CREATE] has proven success in social media management and content marketing for the AV industry.
