6 Social Media Marketing Trends You Need Implement, Stat

The world of social media marketing is a fast-paced one. Trends come and go, and if you want to stay on top of your game you need to apply strategies that are up-to-the-minute. Here are six of those marketing trends that really make a significant impact – penetration-wise – this 2018. We still have one quarter to go this year, and that’s still plenty of time for you to implement these marketing trends and tactics to create better brand impact!

1. Video content is king. There’s never been a more effective time to utilize video as one of your premiere marketing tools – especially since businesses and brands that utilized it are up 63% from the previous year. And with over 1.5 billion users logged in to YouTube every month, social networking sites have launched all sorts of new features that will encourage the use and creation of video content. You have Live Videos, 360-videos, instant stories, etc. Apart from being an enjoyable aspect of consuming social media content, these videos are also high on value. Ad recall is achievable within your video’s first 10 seconds. Video pros suggest creating animated videos as these are more popular than mere explainer videos.

1. Mobile solutions count. Smartphone users now number 2.53 billion as of 2018. According to Facebook data, their number of monthly active users on the mobile platform is nearing 2 billion. It’s safe to say that mobile traffic now surpasses desktop, which is why it’s important to tap into the consciousness of these digital natives through prioritizing mobile. In particular, you can study how you can better take advantage of the call-to-action button on social network mobile apps. These are more able to generate better conversions than their web platform counterpart. Thus, your marketing strategies should be tailor-fit to attract all of these mobile users.

1. Chatbots are crucial for CRM success. Customer Relation Management, or CRM, is an essential element of business success. This is especially true when addressing the social media aspect of your business. On this platform, Chatbots have proven itself to be very capable in creating real-time engagement to address your customers’ needs. Social media sites have already announced chatbot functions on their platform, so its effectiveness has already been measured and deemed worthy of use. With a Chatbot deployed to deal with your customers’ first line or level of concerns, you have something that works 24/7 without using real-time human effort for customer service. It’s also a cost-effective way to manage some aspects of your marketing strategy. Since chatbots seem to be in its infancy stage, you can surely expect more out of it in the coming years with improvements in AI research.

1. Investing in influencer marketing. Influencers have varied backgrounds – celebrities, fashionistas, savvy moms, articulate and engaging children and everyone in between. What they have in common is their amazing ability to convince people to try a particular product or service. Thus, investing in influencer marketing should definitely be something you should consider to generate significant returns out of your social media marketing efforts. The key is in finding that perfect influencer that hits the target for your niche. The choice isn’t based on popularity alone. Rather, you want someone who has a wide reach and has developed his/her audience’s trust when it comes to things that he/she patronizes. Social media influencers might seem like a steep investment, but the dividends will pay off in the long run. Brands that count on influencers to get the word across enjoy up to 10x more in their conversion rates – a number that’s pretty hard to beat, strategy-wise.

1. Paid content that’s also personalized. Paid content such as sponsored ads is a worthy investment if you want your business to have a wider reach on social media. It’s a good way to be better noticed on social media, especially since there are a million other businesses that create a lot of noise on the same platform. However, it is important to factor in personalization to your paid content. People are generally resistant to random ads on social media, and platforms have responded with new algorithms that match ads to the users who are more likely to appreciate seeing it on their feed. This goes for Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. With this in place, your task is to personalize your content in such a way that your audience immediately sees its relevance in their lives. Social media platforms are already doing you a favor with these new algorithms that bring your target market closer to you, so you’d best focus on crafting your content to capture their attention and create conversions as a result. As a tip, you can also apply the use of analytics to truly understand your data and therefore find out how you can better apply what you know to reach your target users.

1. Automation = real and lasting solutions. With so many competitors all vying for the attention of users numbering in the billions, working smarter is more effective compared to working harder. In this line, automation presents itself as strategy that does away with manual effort so you can spend more time concentrating on other more important aspects of your business as a digital marketer. The good thing about automation being so prevalent these days is the cost has gone down significantly. Having said that, you really have no excuse to avail of it for better success in social media marketing.

Variety Wins in Social Media Marketing

With all these new trends coming out, it is safe to say that a general rule to follow when drafting a solid social media marketing strategy is to have a focus on variety. Nowadays, it is never enough to focus all of your efforts on just one strategy. The gains you can generate by casting a much wider net is hard to ignore, especially in a digital platform wherein all the tools are right there in front of you for you to take advantage of. At the same time, it pays to remember that while everything is about technology these days, the heart of your marketing strategy should be the people you want to reach. Trends come and go, but the people – your target market – will constantly remain the same for the most part.