Social media trends for businesses in 2018

As 2018 begins, it’s no big secret the popularity of social media continues have an impact, and it’ll be increasingly important to carefully select which networks to invest efforts. Once the right avenues are identified, knowing which marketing trends are moving forward and which ones are dying is a necessity. 


If you’re looking for ideas to integrate into your social media marketing strategy and keep up with the times, here are some trends experts suggest will matter in 2018.

Stronger personalization

Personalization has been a steadily growing pattern over the past several years and 2018 will be no exception. Improvements on the social analytics front will help marketers move forward into the next year and beyond to better customize content. Consumers have come to expect personalization and won’t accept being treated as an arbitrary number. That being the case, when considering the content to be promoted on social media, consumer preferences must be taken into account. Speaking to your audiences with a genuine intention to help or offer useful and unique content will go much further than generic information or putting too much of an emphasis on blatant promotion. Social media platforms have changed and will continue to evolve and, in terms of marketing, it's all about the customer experience.

Images, video and live streaming

Photos tell stories and typically increase engagement, and it's a given you need photos to accompany the text-based content you’re sharing. Random images have long not cut it, the ones chosen should engage and touch people as they see them. Additionally, videos on social media tend to receive more interaction and numerous experts predict the power of video is going to get even stronger. They suggest not to focus on “viral” content but engaged viewing as that translates into conversions. Improved analytics will help determine which video is winning content. Some suggest shorter snips may also be the way to go, while others predict longer-form video is better. Either way, video is here to stay and Facebook is going to be a major player.

The use of Instagram/Instagram Stories is also on the rise, making this a definite outlet to give attention to. Even though Instragram has surpassed Snapchat and where the larger audiences are currently engaged, if your audience is comprised of Gen Z and younger Millennials, this is a space you’ll probably still want to watch closely. Snapchat is not quite down and out yet and the network may just find ways to adapt to evolving trends.

Live streaming will also increasingly become an important channel in 2018. It’s no longer a gimmick for brands as it has already grown to become a staple in marketing. 

“In 2018, more brands will begin to realize the power of live streaming, and will incorporate it into their monthly content plans," says Deep Patel in an article published by Entrepreneur. 

Growing connections with social media influencers

Traditional social media strategies have evolved and now many brands are connecting with social media influencers who can help spread the proverbial word. History has shown us that word of mouth is golden and when brands have the big influencers backing them, this has an impact.

Amazing technology on the horizon

OK, maybe not exactly on the horizon as tomorrow’s tech is already here. That being said, some technologies are rapidly gaining traction. Even with this progress, these have barely touched the surface in reaching what they'll eventually be able to do. The developments taking place in artificial intelligence and augmented reality is nothing short of amazing and every industry is eventually going to be touched by these technologies in some shape or form. All indications suggest likely 2018 is going to be a big year for AI. Consider, just the integration of chatbots alone is growing exponentially.

As free organic reach on social media is rapidly becoming a sweet memory, marketers should prepare themselves for fee-based social media marketing, not unlike other channels such as radio, print and television. An app-friendly social media presence also will continue to be a priority as will generally anything that would help promote mobile accessibility and a user-friendly interface.

This year should be an interesting year. What social media marketing trends do you see taking place in 2018?


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