2018 is just around the corner. Hard to believe, right? And with a new year comes new social media trends. We’ve seen the rise of Facebook Live and demise of Snapchat this past year. But what do we have to expect for 2018 and what should you prepare for?
1. Instagram Stories Will Blow Up
50 million more people use Instagram Stories than Snapchat! That’s a HUGE number. And Instagram Stories has only been around for a year! This number is only expected to greatly increase. Make sure you are using this tool wisely for your brand.
2. Influencer Marketing Will Continue Going Strong
Brands reach out to influencers to promote their products and of those, 90% find it successful in finding new audiences and building engagement. Goodbye to the more traditional marketing budgets and hello to more investment into influencer marketing. It’s a sector that’s only growing more powerful. Keep this in mind when you make your marketing decisions.
3. Live Streaming Will Become THE Medium to Use
We’ve said it before — live video is KEY to a great social media strategy. More and more brands are noticing the power of this tool and will be using it more than ever before. Have you been live streaming?
4. Virtual Reality Will Be an Everyday Thing
Wait, really? Yes, you heard us. Virtual reality technology is already coming to Facebook via their new project, Spaces. People will be able to connect and talk with friends in VR as their own character. If Facebook is using it, we can only imagine who else will employ this technology. What do you think about this trend?
5. Consumers Will Be Able to Message Brands More Personally
Brands are starting to realize the importance of immediate responses to customers and great customer service. That being said, more and more will be using messaging platforms, such as Messenger and Whatsapp to speak with consumers. Brands will be spending more money on this customer service tool — with artificial intelligence and chatbots to help them.
Are you excited about any of these trends for next year? Our advice is to start trying to incorporate them in your social media plan. We can’t wait to see what happens!
Facts and information were sourced from here.