Over the past years social media marketing has changed drastically and 2020 is no different. As expected, social media will continue to grow dramatically and it is marketers’ job to adapt to the changing tides and give their consumers what they want. Whether it be all mobile marketing, video advertisements on social, or increased product information on social – the way brands treat marketing will once again change in 2020. Below are the five essentials that social media marketers should be aware of going into 2020.
1. Social Media is Only Getting Bigger
In 2020, social media usage will only continue growing. In 2017, 1 million people joined social media platforms every single day. One social platform that will see increased dominance is Instagram. It will quickly evolve over the next few years and become the new home for brands. It is key that marketers understand the power of social media for marketing purposes, especially Instagram.
2. Socials & Visuals are New Tools for Product Research
Almost half of internet users follow brands they like – but how do they discover things about the brand or products? Generally in the United States, internet users primarily use search engines, but in 2020, we will see social media begin to become the primary tool for product research. Other upcoming trends for primary research will be visual searches and voice control. 2020 will begin the trends of pictures over keywords when it comes to product research. All these new ways of research will dramatically change how consumers discover products and create a new set of digital behaviors that forces marketers to adapt to.
3. The Rise of Social Media Videos for Brands
Video is a much easier medium than text to learn about products and communicate online. The opportunity for social video has only begun and its impact will be broad. Consumers will begin to require “one-to-one” relationships with companies that build a customer community rather than broadcast style content and product teasers. While social videos can boost traffic, chasing traffic and adapting to the whims of social algorithms isn’t a winning strategy. Brands need to build a group of loyal followers and create video content catering to them.
4. Social CEOs become the New Normal
In 2020 we will see the impact of employers’ branding and the rise of executives who understand how to use social to listen to customers, communicate their vision and rally employees. Large organizations will realize in 2020 that employee comments and perceptions on social will need to be managed just like customers’ complaints and feedback. Leaders need to adapt their communication styles to be personal, unscripted and direct to fit the social climate of 2020.
5. Markets Innovate with Mobile
Facebook predicts that by 2020 more people will have mobile phones than running water or electricity at home. For some consumers mobile will be the only way to get online. Messaging Apps, Mobile Banking and of course mobile social media platforms will all be very relevant in 2020. Due to these predictions, digital communication will change dramatically in 2020 and it is companies’ job to keep up. Brands need to rethink their strategies and adapt quickly to the changing mobile world.
Social media in 2020 will be an integral part to marketers ability to reach consumers. Those five essentials were taken from a report by Hootsuite. To read the full article click here. Do you think these five essentials will be the new trends? Comment down below and tell us what you think.
Nettie Taylor's Blog IMC 