Social media is an ever-changing landscape, and as we head into a new year and a new decade, we can expect to see some new ideas emerge and some old tactics to gain greater momentum.
Because billions of people use social media daily, marketers have flocked to the platforms. But it’s increasingly difficult to break through the noise and get your message seen and heard. That’s why it’s critical to have a social strategy and to know how usage of each platform is changing.
These are the social trends we recommend capitalizing on in 2020.
Video still rules.
Video has been the most powerful content form for years. That’s not changing. In fact, a study by Cisco predicts that more than 80% of all content on social media will be video in just two years. Time to get on board!
Ephemeral content increases engagement.
This trend emerged as a powerful marketing tool in 2019, and it will only get stronger in 2020. Ephemeral content is content that is available for only a short time and then typically disappears (but not always). Facebook and Instagram stories are examples of this. Nearly 500-million people use ephemeral content every day, according to SocialMedia Today. If your personal or company brands aren’t showing up, you’re missing an engaged and interested audience. In our work, we’ve seen a 20% growth increase for clients who post ephemeral content at least weekly, over those who don’t post.
Twitter will continue to lose users.
The exodus has been so strong that Twitter has decided to stop sharing how many users it’s losing, but we do know that by late 2018, Twitter was down another 5 million users to 321 million users total. That may sound like a lot of users—but compare that to more than one-billion for Instagram and you get a clearer picture. Engagement is down drastically on Twitter, too. It’s not MySpace yet, but it’s on the same trajectory.
TikTok may open up to ads.
If you haven’t heard of it, TikTok is a short video platform that is growing in popularity among teens and young adults. If it begins accepting advertising, you’ll see brands targeting a younger demographic flock to the platform. We don’t recommend it now for our thought leaders, but we continue to monitor for the future. Again, video is king here!
Authenticity has never been more important.
Social media has allowed many brands and influencers to create ‘fake realities’ on social media. Consumers are wise to this, and as a result, the more authentic content will get more and more engagement. Users want honest messaging, and they’ll continue to turn away from purveyors of the phoney. Instead of creating a ‘brand’ on social, we recommend showing up authentically for the greatest success. Time to get real, folks.
Over the course of 2020, new trends will likely emerge; but as we start the year, brands who stay on top of these 5 trends in social media marketing will see greater exposure, engagement, and overall success.
Happy social posting!
Christy Kirk, Vice President of Client Services, is a social media strategist, writer, and former television journalist, who’s done everything from launch a news department to create social content and strategy for Fortune 500 companies and brands including Pampers Diapers, Pantene, Luvs Diapers and Carlson Rezidor Hotels. Now, Christy manages marketing projects for Weaving Influence, with an emphasis on social media marketing. She is also a wife and mother of three children, one dog, and one cat. She loves reading, baking, running, hiking and exploring new places.