In the last couple of years, marketing efforts worldwide focused on a distinct client base with specific needs, and social media trends reflect this. Technology has progressed in countless ways as individuals have acclimated to virtual life, and customers are pushing hard to bring societal change along with it. Any marketing plan must either identify and respond to these factors or perish — if it can't, it won't stay long.
Let’s look at the 6 most important social media trends for now and beyond, which your marketing department should be following. It's fine if you haven't checked off all of these boxes yet; it's never too late to start. These social media trends are hot right now, so brush up on your knowledge and get going. You'll be meeting your consumer in a timely, relevant, and forward-thinking manner this way.
Before we get started, here are a few social media data to consider:
●The average social media user spends more than 2 hours every day on social media.TikTok topped the app store charts last year and it currently has over 689 million monthly active users who spend over an hour on the platform on average – this trend is not going to go away anytime soon!
Do you think this platform is only for young people? Wrong. Do you believe that getting your business active there is a waste of time? Wrong again. Point your social listening tools in the proper direction to figure out the best methods to reach out to your customers with relevant content.
Platforms for audio conversation such as Clubhouse and Twitter's Spaces are still in their infancy. Clubhouse is still an invite-only app with a rapidly expanding user base, and Spaces is currently in the early stages of implementation.
Clubhouse is still getting its bearings and isn't quite ready for a hard sale - yet. Meanwhile, companies are taking notice since the platform is chock-full of influencers and speaks to a popular social media trend.
The indisputable king of social media is the video content, and it continues to dominate social media trends, with no signs of slowing. Every day, Facebook users watch almost 100 million hours of video. YouTube viewers consume an incredible 1 billion hours of material every day. In addition, video content is prevalent on platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and TikTok.
You need a strong awareness of your target demographic and the social media trends that resonate with your audience. You also need to know the nuances of each platform you want to submit video to. When you bring in tailored content, it results in smart marketing.
Recently, VR evolved from being a curiosity to general usage as many people adopted the technology in their daily life. Virtual reality headsets and gaming are at the forefront, but many other innovative applications have emerged too. People have done their exercises in faraway regions, taken virtual tours of far-flung destinations, and even purchased cars using Vroom.
Your brand messaging is taken to a whole new level with virtual reality. Why not tell it virtually? Every brand has a story to tell. Coupled with the ability to view content on smartphones and tablets, it becomes a fun approach to show what you do to your customers and inform them about your company.
Insta’s story feature is used by 50% of the users to learn about a business's products. This is a social media trend that is getting popular by the day. However, brands seem to be not very competitive about it. You can use Instagram Stories to highlight your customers, share your brand's narrative, and collaborate with influencers.
While brands are looking at Stories to keep things trendy, it’s an effective platform for brand marketing.
Businesses can no longer afford to have the interpretation of consumer data just by demographics. This is due to the fact that today's social listening techniques rely on artificial intelligence that extends much beyond gender, ethnicity, and geography.
Current social analytics look at the beliefs, views, interests, and personality traits of customers to better understand them. These psychographic characteristics of your target population go much beyond basic demographics. Knowing your target in this way puts you ahead of the pack, allowing you to tailor your marketing language and product placement to their individual needs.
The social media ecosystem is evolving rapidly. While not all of these social media trends will apply to every business, dig into the ones that do so that your company doesn't fall behind. The customer's voice is waiting, and wise businesses are adapting to meet them where they are. Is your social listening up to the mark? Get in touch with us to know how next-generation processes can transform your social media marketing.