Social media has taken the world by storm in the past few years, and trying to keep up with the latest trends can feel overwhelming. You might wonder why social media trends are important to follow, but they can make or break the effectiveness of your marketing strategy for 2019. So far this year there have been three outstanding trends to watch:
- Social Media Storytelling
- Personalized Content
- Audience Segmentation
Social Media Storytelling
The concept of ‘Stories’ was first introduced by Snapchat, and has grown to be one of the most-used sharing tools on social media platforms. It has become especially powerful on Instagram after the company changed its algorithm for how feed-based content is shown organically to users. This resulted in a major shift in the way brands post in order to reach their maximum audience. As a quick and easy way for viewers to experience content, Instagram Stories provide a platform for users to post photos or videos that is sure to be seen ‘in-the-moment’ by followers tapping through. Those wishing to keep their photos or videos longer can take advantage of the ‘Highlights’ feature, which saves content from Stories in easily accessible buttons. The Stories feature can be found on other sites as well, although none have been able to compare to the success on Instagram.
Personalized Content
Social media has recently experienced a change in the type of content that is produced by businesses and brands. In 2019, it is necessary to have an authentic brand that creates content for users that is on a personal and interactive level. Brands need to follow the ‘quality over quantity’ method of creating content while building a brand narrative. Focusing on creative, thoughtful posts will increase the level of user interaction, and build an effective base of genuine users. Trust is built in brands that provide high-quality, consistent, and approachable content. Putting a face to your brand is also important, as it shows users the real side of your business: the people that make it all happen.
Audience Segmentation
Another trend changing the social media scene in 2019 is the use of segmentation for various social media platforms. Businesses are now targeting different groups within their market on all of their social media pages. For example, content posted on Facebook is differing from content posted to Instagram, even though it’s being posted by the same brand. It’s no longer viable to just push out the same content across all platforms. Audiences actively using Facebook are often far different from those using Instagram, and both contrast greatly from those using Twitter. By focusing on each segmented audience separately, it allows you to provide the best, most productive content for each platform. Accomplishing this will create a cohesive brand image while utilizing the best options for audiences on each platform.
It can be extremely beneficial to conduct a review of your social pages to see what changes you can implement in order to keep up with the ever-changing world of social media. If you feel overwhelmed by the thought of keeping up with trends, consider finding help for the management of your brand image.
