Social Media has evolved magnificently during the last decade. Be it new platforms, different consumption habits, varied forms of communication and the inception of social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, etc. These platforms are always coming up with creative features or affordances that add various new dimensions to their services. These changes have only helped the vast base of users engage in a number of fascinating ways with their preferred brands online. This also facilitates marketers in exploring a chance to captivate their audiences through an array of marketing tools and tactics.
There have been many changes in the social media marketing trends. New technologies and ideas come to the market and feature grand launches on every social media network. It has been recorded that the global social media users in 2018 are at an astonishing figure of 3.196 billion. This number exonerates the way social media will affect your marketing goals and proficiency.
Top Social Media Marketing Trends in 2018 & Expected in 2019
To stay ahead of the curve, keep your marketing fresh and make most of the content distribution efforts which have been quite successful in 2018 and will definitely prevail in 2019.
● Video Content on Social Media
The usage and acceptance of video content have been growing at a rapid pace. It has been quite successful in the current year and is expected to continue like this in 2019. It has been researched and forecasted by various experts, that, 80% of what we consume online will soon be in the form of video content. This is particularly true for live videos. It has always been an effective tool used on YouTube; the trend has now taken over Facebook and Instagram, to the point that we get notified when someone is going live.
● Extensive Customization
Given the massive amount of information being uploaded by people every day across the globe, it has become quite an easy task to gain insight regarding all kinds of information about your end users. This has paved the way for enhanced personalization and, in return, it has increased the level demanded by consumers. Booking.com, for example, notifies you about deals in the location you have been to or searched for aggressively. This approach develops a proximity of the locations you have searched for and then notifies you if any openings are available.
● The Dynamic Use of High-Resolution Images
The dynamic and efficient use of images in the e-commerce segment has proved to be excellent. It has been estimated that they form the first impression in as few as 50 milliseconds. In the modern day marketing, you must always be striving for the user’s attention by promptly depicting what the business sells and where exactly it fits in the overall market.
Ideally, photos should be the centerpiece of attraction on your site, starting with your home page. It has been observed that high-quality photography has taken preference over product lists. In the present era, every element of content is masterfully designed around pictures. They catch and keep your visitor’s attention, as customers have become familiarized of scrolling through pictures on Instagram and Facebook. Furthermore, an interactive image can convey a message more effectively than most forms of content.
High-Resolution photos along with great web design are the two vital ingredients you should target if you want to capture the eyes and mind of the reader. People hardly retain 10-20% of the information they read. However, if you combine the same information with a relevant image, they are likely to remember almost 75% of the information.
● Social Sharing
Another popular trend which has dominated the marketing landscape is allowing customers to immediately share and post their experiences on social media platforms. Now consumers can not only instantly make a purchase but they can also share their experience with all of their friends and family members. Companies like Offer Factor have included a share icon after the end user is done making a purchase, this has helped them effectively market their brand and cultivate long-lasting relationships with their end users.
The Bottom Line
In the present era, social media is practically everywhere. You need to know how to leverage these platforms to boost your business. The survival of any business needs a solid activity on social media. However, it is important to understand that being active on social media does not translate to success automatically. Staying up to date with present social media and marketing trends and applying them is the way to go. As always with the arrival of the new year, 2019 will prove to be challenging as marketers seek to adapt to new advanced tools and new options will certainly enhance the consumer process and provide new ways to connect and convert in real time.
Author Bio:
Megan Dennis is a passionate blogger at pncdigital.com, an Orlando based digital marketing agency. She specializes in SEO and SEM techniques. Follow @megandennis07 for more updates.
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