Social media marketing trends are trends used to gain followers on social media. They are becoming popular. Social media can be an extremely powerful component in many aspects of marketing. It has the ability to reach a large audience for not only your products but also your brand.
What is Social media marketing?
Social media marketing is a form of Internet marketing that involves creating and sharing content on social media networks in order to achieve your marketing and branding goals. The types of content you share might include text posts, images, videos, ebooks, webinars, infographics or podcasts.
Once you’ve determined your goal for using social media, it’s important to come up with a strategy for how often you’ll post unique content. Social media marketing campaigns typically have a short duration from start to finish including refined creative elements such as hashtags.
Social Media Marketing at its core is the promotion of products or brands through one-to-one conversations held online between businesses and customers. These conversations happen in various outlets including social networking sites, email, and discussion platforms.
Social media marketing can also refer to the process of using social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and other blogging sites to promote a product or brand. It is important when doing so that marketers understand the differences between each site’s terms and conditions in regards to their purposes for usage and their target audience.
The broadening of consumer-brand relationships beyond the “one-directional” broadcast model in mass marketing has given rise to new terminology describing ways marketers try to influence consumers’ online behavior. In addition to traditional offline research methods such as surveys, market researchers employ online listening posts (such as blogs) and behavioral targeting technologies (such as web bugs) with the goal of understanding consumers’ online consumption habits as well as their “digital dna”.
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers. Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools, which enable companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of ad campaigns.
Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing, including current and potential customers, current customers, potential investors, journalists, bloggers, and the general public. On a strategic level, social media marketing includes customer research, forming a communications strategy, leveraging communication channels, as well as monitoring and measuring results in real-time.
Social media marketing is the use of social media platforms and websites to promote a product or service. Although the terms e-marketing and digital marketing are still dominant in academia, social media marketing is becoming more popular for both practitioners and researchers. Most social media platforms have built-in data analytics tools, which enable companies to track the progress, success, and engagement of ad campaigns. Companies address a range of stakeholders through social media marketing, including current and potential customers, current customers, potential investors, journalists, bloggers, and the general public. The audiences who actively engage with a company’s content on its chosen platform become its supporters. With the increased emphasis on social media sites, marketers are finding new opportunities to connect with consumers. When selecting which platform to use, marketers must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each venue based on their target consumer demographics.
Social networking websites allow individuals, businesses, and other organizations to interact with one another and build relationships and communities online. When companies join these social media networks, they introduce their brand or company profile as well as a system that acts as a portal where users can post comments or create posts for others to view.
In this regard, social media marketing is an internet-based marketing approach that allows companies to gauge public response to products and services in real-time. This “real-time feedback” allows companies to adjust messaging and strategies in order to refine their approach accordingly.
Social networking websites allow individuals, businesses, and other organizations to interact with one another and build relationships and communities online. When companies join these social media networks, they introduce their brand or company profile as well as a system that acts as a portal where users can post comments or create posts for others to view. In this regard, social media marketing is an internet-based marketing approach that allows companies to gauge public response to products and services in real-time.
This “real-time feedback” allows companies to adjust messaging and strategies (e.g., product pricing) according to such feedback in real-time, unlike traditional outbound marketing approaches such as print ads which offer no immediate consumer response measurement. Social media can enable companies to track and analyze data such as which advertisements or promotions are effective, and how consumers interact with the page.
Social media has a range of uses for business including marketing research, communication, sales promotions/discounts, relationship development/loyalty programs, public relations, and customer service. It can also be used to target or exclude specific demographics (age groups or genders), and “to see what other people like me know about certain things”. Social-based marketing is an approach that integrates traditional word-of-mouth marketing with social media tools. The goal of social media is “sharing”/“viewing”/“liking” content according to their interests. There are five types of social media:
The popularity of social media manifests itself in the ability to measure marketing outputs and process outcomes. Social media is an interconnecting web of minds which often creates a blend between personal and corporate branding, leading individuals seamlessly across the lines of traditional demarcations.
Creating, communicating, and sharing through social networks such as Facebook and Twitter require participation and engagement on various levels: micro-level (personal), meso-level (group), macro-level (public). Delli Carpini states that these levels can be categorized in terms of active or passive participation; collective intelligence activities are embedded not only in social media but also in computer-mediated communication (CMC). Furthermore, user comments reveal their physical location (“status updates”) while online; indeed, real-world identities increasingly guide online identity construction in a manner that is contrary to its original conception.
Summary
Social network sites (SNS) such as Facebook allow the creation of user profiles, which often reflect characteristics of our offline selves and help build relationships with others based on shared interests and experiences. This process connects the online and offline activities of users, their friends, and networks across multiple platforms. The use and integration of social media create a continuation between real-life and online life: this phenomenon is what has come to be known as the “second self”.
Online Marketing trends
As the occasions of 2020 have driven more computerized correspondence, web-based media has filled in significance for shoppers and publicists, however, the way wherein it is utilized is evolving. We’re very nearly, an eagerly awaited new year. Antibodies are being circulated, progress in racial correspondence and environmental activity is being made, and any reasonable person would agree that the vast majority are warily confident around 2021.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| Customer data analysis | Exposure to competitors |
| Increased brand awareness | Needs qualified personnel |
| Better customer satisfaction | Slow returns on investment |
| Cost-effective | Tarnish brand name |
1. Visual Media Will Rule
It’s no secret that visual media has been trending for quite some time now, but the increase in visual content–specifically Instagram --has taken businesses by storm. The rise of so-called “Instagrammable” products (those that look good on camera) has given way to an industry devoted solely to posting about what you’re doing while vaguebooking, especially if your business happens to manufacture or sell one of these products.
There’s no end in sight for this trend; according to M.I.T., there will be 1 trillion images shared on social media weekly within the next five years! While text is still relevant, it looks like pictures will soon rule supreme!
2. Tweeting will pay
Get ready to tweet about your favorite brands more often than ever! Yes, that’s right–social media influence is being co-opted by corporate influence, and it looks like the trend isn’t going anywhere any time soon. In fact, this year alone saw a number of corporations testing out social media influencers to promote their products–from O’Reilly’s Choose Yarn magazine to Coke’s #ShareaCoke campaign at the Super Bowl.
What does this mean for you? Oh, just increased advertising opportunities! As an expert in your field, there may be brands that want you to represent them as a voice on their behalf. But don’t worry about selling out or watering down your message; according to Brandon Gaille from Forbes , “your brand is about authenticity. If a company can’t get that from you, they’re going to move on.”
3. Visual Social Media Will Rule
While hashtags have been popular for years now, it looks like 2016 will be the year of image-only social media use! In fact, the numbers are already staggering: In April 2015 alone, over 70 million images were posted to Instagram–more than double any other social media platform during that time period.
This shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise given how many recent apps have focused on creating visual content rather than written content–one great example being Snapchat, an app gaining popularity among millennials and Generation Z.
4. Developers Will Take Social to the Next Level
As more and more people abandon Facebook (at least temporarily) for other social media sites like Instagram and Snapchat, developer interest will inevitably shift as well. Not too long ago, we saw Vine take off as a popular video-based social media site; now it looks like such companies as Tout (an app that records up to five seconds of video for you) is trying to make a comeback!
While there’s no telling if these apps will ultimately succeed, one thing is clear: Developers know where the trends are headed and they’re ready to dive in head-first. What this means for your business is that you’d better be keeping an eye out on all emerging platforms–and learning how to use them–if you want to stay relevant among your peers!
5. Highly Targeted Ad Options
If you’re a small business owner, there’s a good chance that you’ve been put off by the thought of social media advertising–but now those days may be behind you! Thanks to new trends in targeting options, it’s now possible for companies with smaller budgets to place equally targeted ads on different networks.
Nowhere is this more evident than with Facebook; according to direct response consultant David Jakubowski , “we’re seeing advertisers able to take advantage of hyper-targeting capabilities (i.e., targeting users based on their behavior and interests).” What does this mean for your company? Better exposure and more conversions! And if not your ad dollars are no worse off than they were before! It’s a win-win.
6. Selfies Will be in Vogue
While the selfie has been around in some form for decades, it looks like 2016 will see another surge in this trend–one that even has its own name: seflie . Yes, it is exactly what you think it is: A selfie taken by someone alone (self + selfie). According to research from Expedia, 89% of millennials are likely to take selfies while traveling solo, and 85% admitted that they would be interested in photographing their hotel rooms when vacationing without friends or family!
What does this mean for your business? Well, if you’re a brand that appeals to young adults, it’s definitely time to get on board with the selfie trend! Think about it: Who would want to buy a product that wasn’t photographed by its owner or potential owner?
7. The Rise of the Virtual Assistant
If you’re already using your smartphone for dozens of tasks beyond basic calling and texting, then there’s good news for you in 2016! According to research from IPSoft, AI assistants like Siri, Cortana, and Google Now aren’t far off at all (the company claims they’ll be “ubiquitous” by 2020 ). This means more search information at our fingertips; whereas before we may have searched something like “Best restaurants in Boston,” now we can ask an app like Siri to do it for us.
While AI assistants aren’t likely to completely replace human customer service reps, they certainly play a huge role in providing quick answers and generating more consumer confidence–two key benefits for any business owner trying to grow their brand! The question is: How will you make the most of this new trend?
8. Social Sites That Benefit Our Mental Health
If you think social media has a negative impact on your mental health now, just wait until 2016! In fact, according to data from Sharecare , depression rates have increased 33% since 2005! Dr. Dan Siegel states that “there’s no doubt that as we spend more time online, there’s a greater incidence of anxiety and depression .”
So what can you do about this? First, it’s important to understand why social media and depression are so closely linked: With more than 2 billion people around the world using some type of social network, we no longer have a sense of privacy. This means we’re constantly worried about what other people think of us, and we sacrifice our time and attention for an unattainable sense of perfection. So how does this affect your business? Well, more than 25% of users on Facebook “like” or comment on their friend’s posts within minutes–and that creates more competition among brands who want to get more fans and followers. The key is recognizing the best ways to leverage the new trend without causing yourself (or any of your customers or followers) more anxiety than they already have.
9. The Social Media Workplace
According to social business software company Spigit, 48% of marketing and sales professionals who use social media for work believe that it is the future of their industry! Whether you’re in sales, marketing, customer service, human resources–or any other department–social media will play a huge role in how your business communicates with employees and clients in 2016.
But it’s important to remember: A policy isn’t enough; in fact, it can do more harm than good in some cases (which we’ll dive into later). So how should you best harness the power of social networks at work? It depends on what your goals are. Are you looking to increase efficiency? Generate more sales leads? Motivate your workforce with team building activities? Whatever it is, there’s no doubt that social media will be an integral part of how businesses operate in 2016–and beyond!
10. The Death of Facebook?
If you’re one of the 1 billion-plus people who use Facebook on a daily basis , then you may have heard the rumors: It’s dying.
A few years ago, Mark Zuckerberg claimed that traditional TV would die by 2020. However, new data from Pew Research shows that 56% of users are seeing less news on their feeds than they used to–and 44% say they’re spending less time per day on the site. So if users aren’t seeing as much content, how can brands get noticed?
The answer: They have to get more personal than ever before! According to a study conducted by NewsCred , videos posted on Facebook led to 2.83X higher engagement rates than photos and 136% better interaction rates than links. And the best part is that video views are actually increasing–which means you’ll need to incorporate them into your social media marketing strategy sooner than later! So what does all this mean for the business owner in 2016? More live streaming . More short-form videos (think two minutes or less). More niche targeting : The more laser-focused your brand is, the more likely it will be connected with other like-minded, passionate users.
And if Facebook does die by 2020 , there’s always…
11. Social Media 2.0?
This year, Instagram launched its long-awaited live video feature; Snapchat introduced Chat 2.0 (with the ability to send pictures and videos that disappear after ten seconds); and Pinterest rolled out “action pins,” which let your customers buy products directly from your website or other platforms! So what do all of these new features mean for businesses in 2016? They’re proof that social media is constantly evolving–and they’re proof that brands need to evolve with it! This means keeping an eye out for the newest trends across social media, even jumping on board when necessary . For example: Being able to send disappearing photos and video across all your platforms keeps you from having to post the same content multiple times. And that keeps you looking fresh–which is a no-brainer when it comes to keeping fans and followers engaged!
12. Social Media Ads
The good news: If your fan base has been growing at a steady rate, there’s a good chance that Facebook will be able to monetize those numbers for you. The bad news: It can be hard to identify which users are worth targeting with ads because so many brands are doing the exact thing as you–trying to convert them! And according to Business Insider, an estimated 85% of businesses expect their social media marketing budgets will increase this year alone. So what does this mean for you? You’ll need to determine which social media channels make the most sense for your business and figure out which ad platform makes the most sense–Facebook, Twitter, Google’s AdWords…the list goes on!
13. Employee Engagement = Sales Leads
According to a recent survey by Social Media Examiner, 66% of businesses claim that their employees’ involvement in social media is an effective lead generation method . And we’re not talking about throwing your enterprise into chaos with lax policies: A study conducted by Weber Shandwick found that 86% of employees want their employers to be more involved with their personal brand . It all comes down to trust. By being involved with your employees’ personal brands–and supporting their efforts–your brand becomes more trustworthy. And it’s all about trust…because what do you think happens when your employees are trusted, respected members of the community? People want to work for you. And they want to buy from you.
14. Location-Based Services
According to a report by IBM , 40% of U.S. consumers rely on mobile devices to discover new brands and services. And last August, Facebook released its first “Places” feature–which allows users to check into locations that other people have checked into previously! According to Forbes, the company has already partnered with Foursquare, which will make this feature available across multiple social media platforms! So what does all this mean for you? Get active in your local community–whatever that might mean for you! You’d be surprised at how quickly word-of-mouth can spread to people who are similar to you or have an interest in what you have to offer.
15. Giving Back Is Good Business
According to a survey by Forbes , 58% of companies say they’re planning on ramping up their charitable giving efforts this year. And another study conducted by Weber Shandwick found that 87% of millennials say that brands help society when they give back. It’s not hard to see why: Consumers want to feel like the businesses they choose to do business with actually give a crap about more than just making money off them. So while it takes time to get involved in your community, the more you put into it, the more your community gets back out of it–and you’re left looking like a hero.
16. More Product Reviews = More Sales
According to Forbes, 80% of consumers are likely to read online reviews for products before making a purchase . And according to one study that analyzed over 100 million social media messages containing product-related terms, user-generated content had 6.9 times the conversion rate of professional content . That means if you have an ecommerce website, putting more focus on how people are finding your products–as well as what they think about them–is crucial! And whether or not you have an ecommerce site right now is irrelevant.
17. Great Content Creates Instant Credibility
Social media isn’t just about attracting and interacting with your followers and customers; social is also a proving ground for gaining the credibility that paves the way to business opportunities in real life. While it may seem like reputation goes by merit alone, the truth is, appearances go a long way toward affecting how people perceive you–and appearance starts with great content! Not only does great content speak to your expertise, but it’s also an instant sign of professionalism and reliability–qualities any business owner or salesperson knows are invaluable when establishing connections in their industry.
Online marketing company arrangements for 2021 will be somewhat not the same as those in earlier years. While change is ubiquitous in advertising, 2020 caused a ruckus so remarkably that numerous advertisers are reevaluating everything from profiles and purchaser excursions to mark reason.
18. Web-based media’s renaissance
Web-based media advertising is one showcasing field that will recapture notoriety in 2020. It appears to be legit - as the globe turned out to be topographically isolated, online media overcame any barrier and kept us associated with family, companions, and the organizations we love.
Most organizations got where they remained via online media until early this year. They had a decent blend of communication, tuning in, content, and publicizing. Be that as it may, as the plague struck, the game’s guidelines changed.
19. The ROI race
Web-based media overcomes any barrier to another shopper experience Just about 3/4 of advertisers surveyed for the exploration picked “expanded obtaining of new customers” as their top web-based media result in 2021, a 58 percent rise year on year. Exchanges, then again, don’t create particular brands or secure long haul achievement.
Advertisers will keep on utilizing online media in 2021 to address two similarly squeezing goals:
● Designated advertising strategies give momentary ROI.
● Making extraordinary computerized encounters to acquire long haul.
20. Brands gain their spot in the talk by being quiet
Numerous organizations caused the mistake of endeavoring to benefit from expanded online media movement during the plague, altogether disregarding the truth that individuals fundamentally needed to interface with each other, rather than with brands.
Generally, these organizations saw the mix-up of their ways right off the bat and diminished their publicizing spending, moving their regard for emergency reaction, social client care, and commitment. Advertisers will plan to put a higher need on content over-commitment in 2021—detached watchers will keep on burning through your material.
21. An age disregarded by computerized advertisers flourishes with online media
Advertisers have consistently designated children of post-war America through regular TV promoting, which stays one of the best strategies for contacting them. In the course of the most recent four years, in any case, there has been a 66-point flood in gen X-ers finding new organizations and things by means of online media, and in excess of a fourth of children of post-war America are investing much more energy in friendly stages as a result of the pestilence. Social advertisers will keep on diving into this all the more mechanically refined populace in 2021.
Intense brands rise out of the meeting room, not from the bleeding edges of web-based mediaAdvertisers battled in 2020 constrained to freely face worries that their associations had never tended to. Solid CMOs will utilize online media insight in 2021 to help the association adjust to new purchaser convictions and build another street to progress that necessities, adjusting the double destinations of fostering a superior business and superior society.
Summary
Online media showcasing in 2021 will in any case be about organizations, however, web-based media publicizing will appear to be extremely unique from what it does today. It will be all the more clever and focused on, with plugs assuming a far bigger part than they do now.
FAQ
Here are some important question
1. What are the top social media marketing trends for 2018?
Some of the top social media marketing trends for 2018 include: increasing use of video, live streaming, and augmented reality; increased use of chatbots and AI; and increased emphasis on customer experience and personalization.
2. What platforms should businesses focus on in 2018?
Businesses should focus on all the major social media platforms - Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Snapchat - as well as emerging platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, and WhatsApp.
3. What is the best way to use live streaming for marketing?
Live streaming can be used to create engaging and interactive content that can help to connect with customers and build loyalty. Smaller businesses can use Periscope or Facebook Live, while larger brands should consider using YouTube Live to create events and content that customers will want to share.
4. What are some tips for using chatbots?
Some tips for using chatbots include: keep the requests simple; user testing is important; be patient with bots, and take advantage of automation.
5. When should businesses use augmented reality?
Businesses should use augmented reality when it enhances the customer experience, rather than just being used for promotional purposes. Some examples include allowing viewers to get a real-time view of products before purchasing them online, providing information about characters in movies or TV shows, and providing real-time information for visitors to businesses such as tourist sites.
6. What are some tips for getting started with Instagram advertising?
Before deciding to invest in Instagram advertising, businesses should conduct market research, define their target audience, and create a business plan that includes goals and objectives. They should also use relevant hashtags to help them reach potential customers, and ensure that their feed is well-curated.
7. How can businesses use Facebook Live?
Businesses can use Facebook Live to create real-time content for fans, followers, and the public. They should consider creating a page specifically for Facebook Live events, share relevant hashtags with followers, take advantage of the top live videos feature on Facebook to highlight best performances, and encourage interaction with viewers by asking questions.
8. What are some tips for using Instagram Stories?
Businesses should use Instagram Stories to show potential customers behind-the-scenes access to their products or services, provide information about discounts, share links to other content on their profiles, and post images of customers using products or services.
9. Which social media platform would be best for a vegan restaurant?
A vegan restaurant should use Instagram to highlight the healthy, animal-free foods they have to offer, as well as behind-the-scenes posts about how those dishes are prepared. They should also consider using Instagram Stories to provide discounts or other promotions.
10. What are some tips for using Snapchat?
Businesses should use Snapchat to create engaging, relevant content with a sense of fun and spontaneity, engage users by asking questions, host events on the platform, encourage interaction with viewers by posting personal stories about company staff members, and take advantage of Snapcodes that link back to their profiles.
Conclusion
Social media marketing is evolving. The days of just posting about your company and hoping that something will happen are over – you need to be strategic in how you approach social media, or else it won’t work for you. And the good news: there are plenty of strategies for building a loyal following without having to spend much time on them at all!