In today’s world, it would be an understatement to say that most people spend a lot of their day using social media. Social media has become a huge part of society’s daily routine, and an integral part of business. Considering the importance of social media to today’s consumers, businesses and marketers are turning to Facebook, Snapchat and the like in hopes of connecting with their target customers. However, with the popularity of social media marketing on the rise, it can be extremely challenging to stand out in this oversaturated space unless you are highly educated in optimal social media marketing strategies.
Staying up to date with social media trends, tools and predictions will not only help fuel your strategy and presentation but make you STAND OUT! Listed below are a few of the social media predictions our team believes you should be aware of in 2020.
TikTok Will Continue its Massive Uprising
TikTok officially hit over one billion downloads in 2019, which means it has established itself as a legitimate monster of a platform and experts say TikTok will only continue to grow in 2020. The massive uprising of this popular app doesn’t come without controversy, as many top influencers still aren’t getting compensated for their work. Nonetheless, until other social platforms catch up with this side of the social media game focused entirely on video (which is in the works, Instagram has announced their newest addition to the app – Reels, which will mimic TikTok’s functionality), TikTok is predicted to reign supreme throughout the year ahead for Gen Z and Millennial users.
Influencer Marketing Will Continue to Grow
In 2020, the world of influencer marketing will only continue to grow, with an emphasis on the micro influencer (accounts with less than 50k followers).
A classic know you, like you, trust you strategy; consumers are increasingly seeking reviews and inspiration from the influencers they trust and have gotten to know through social media. This has created many opportunities in the world of influencing and brand management to grow and monetize online. If your business sells a product, or a service – we highly recommend you work with an influencer to expand your brand’s reach and establish a genuine relationship between you and your potential customer.
Engage with the Platform and Your Industry
While posting daily is one of the best ways to remain relevant and active online, it alone is not enough to substantially grow your following and expand your reach. The fact that Instagram and Facebook are both making an active effort to eliminate fake accounts and robots, along with their newest algorithm updates has made this very apparent.
The platform rewards users who are engaged, period.
The more you use the platform’s tools, such as Instagram Stories, the augmented reality filters, GIFs, geotags, IGTV etc. the higher your content’s likelihood is of being seen. So go ahead, post a selfie with a filter to your story, follow hashtags and make sure you check-in or geotag your content.
While you’re at it – it’s also very important to engage with your followers and members of your industry, community AND potential customers. By ‘liking’ posts, following other accounts and commenting on content, you are guaranteeing more eyes on your page and increasing the likelihood of attracting more followers.
These strategies can be very effective but also very time consuming. If you’d like to increase your followers but don’t have the time, be sure to #SayHeyMr and give us a shout – we will get you growing in no time!
The Future is Now! The Rise of Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual and augmented reality are here, and presenting a huge opportunity for businesses to engage with consumers in a new and authentic way. While it may be awhile before we are able to see this new technology thrive on a massive scale, virtual reality is promising to be a powerful up and coming weapon for online marketers. And it’s already been proven that consumers react to augmented reality in a positive way, helping build an authentic relationship by seeing a business’s creative and human side. We should expect to see a lot of experimentation this year as new filters are created and companies adjust their marketing strategies. It’s all about telling your brand’s story, and both VR and AR are proving to be essential new tools for businesses.
In 2020, it is imperative for marketers, businesses and influencers to focus on optimizing their content! Emerging platforms like TikTok, influencer marketing, and virtual reality continue to boost the stakes across social platforms. And of course, our team is here to help! If you want to optimize your social media this year, give our team a call and say #HeyMr!
