The constantly changing world of marketing nowadays imposes requirements on businesses – to keep up with the times, you have to keep track of what is happening. Social networks are constantly changing. We get used to things, and then something is altered or modified. Companies have to spend more money to purchase newer tools or design new marketing strategies. You have to ask your employees to do things quicker. And then the change comes again, and you have to readjust.
Is there a secret that can secure your future? How can you know for sure which strategy to use? If you want to be on the safe side when it comes to the future of e-commerce and social media, read on. We have collected the latest social trends and made a list of recommendations for those business owners who want to keep up. And if you want to know more - visit our Social Media Marketing Course.
Tip #1 Online ads in Social Media
In the good old days when social media sites were only emerging, businesses were striving to build up a community and share updates on the platform. This no longer works. The existing algorithms are very restricting. Only a limited number of people will see your posts if this is the strategy you use. Why has this change occurred? Because our newsfeeds are more crowded than ever. They are overloaded with all kinds of information – images, videos, messages and infographics. Lots of things get lost in the flow. So what can you do to take care of your future?
The answer will hardly surprise you – money matters. All modern social media platforms have ads programs of their own. It is high time you use them. It has become one of the most important social media trends for 2017, 2018 and onwards. In 2017 marketing budgets for online advertising exceeded every other marketing expense. Social media ads are a very clever investment – as soon as you invest in one, you’ll see for yourself. One of the greatest benefits of these ads is that they can be very well-targeted. They are easy to deliver, and most importantly, it is not difficult to track your ROI. You can measure it in terms of the number of clicks and views.
Tip #2 Employees’ Social Media
Continuing our talk about social media trends, here is another one that should be mentioned – your staff representatives are your social media power. If your employees feel empowered and confident, they will do their best to share the message of your brand and your mission statement. As a matter of fact, your social media campaign doesn’t have to be expensive to be successful. You can gain hundreds and thousands of new followers with the help of your employees.
How can you achieve this goal? Consumers are more inclined to trust messages created from personal accounts. How does this work? Your employees share updates using their personal profiles, which increases the number of likes and shares. Please note that the members of your staff should want to share your enterprise’s posts. The content of these posts should be in line with what they typically share. There are numerous useful sharing tools on social media, so the implementation of this strategy is simple and straightforward.
Tip #3 Omnichannel Marketing
Before we move on to the next tip, let us first discuss the meaning of “omnichannel”. What is omnichannel marketing? Omnichannel is a model aimed at improving customer service. It presupposes the simultaneous use of various channels that will make the customer experience better. Omnichannel marketing implies the application of social media, web pages, chats, apps, etc. to your marketing strategy. Social media is one of the most important components of omnichannel marketing. About 90% of companies place great emphasis on utilizing it. Therefore, proper training for employees becomes more important than ever.
However, even knowing this, only one out of ten companies provides employees with effective training. The majority of new hires don’t have the skills necessary to provide excellent customer service. What does this mean for a business? Missed opportunities. The more channels you want your employees to use, the more training they require. Otherwise, they will feel at a loss. Proper instruction will enable them to use the latest social media trends in more complex and exquisite ways. Some university programs have already realized the necessity of looking into the future of social media – they have introduced courses to train students to work in this area.
Tip #4 Social Networks
This might surprise you, but over 60% of CEOs working for some of the most successful companies in the world don’t have social media accounts. However, if you’re working on the creation of an e–supermarket for example, an online presence is one of the obligatory strategies and trends in 2018 and onwards. Social media enables us to become influencers. Just imagine how much influence one can gain if he/she has already established a reputation as a successful CEO.
Facebook and LinkedIn are great platforms for the implementation of this social trend. If you are a CEO, do not think having a social media account is merely an option – it is an inevitability. Social networks like Facebook have more than two billion users. This is a huge number. Moreover, the average person spends about two hours using social media every day. Therefore, CEOs should make sure that they keep up with what is happening. Social media is a must for the modern business representative.
Tip #5 Chatbots in Social Media
Things are getting more social nowadays. However, it would be wrong to treat social media as a marketing tool only. Social media is a great way to familiarize your customers with products, but it is also a place where they can interact with the brand. We can say that the future of e-commerce is very “conversational.” It is very likely that soon there will be more chatbots capable of answering consumers’ questions. Chatbots can become a great tool for assisting people in their purchases. They can give advice and guidance.
These conversational formats have already become one of the most popular social media trends. If you know how to effectively utilize a social media account according to this trend, you will increase your sales in a way that won’t require hiring more employees – the chatbots will do the job. Social networks are a great place for reaching your clients. Use every opportunity they can offer (and they can offer a lot).
Tip #6 Video Streaming
Video streaming is one of the newest social media trends in 2018. It is constantly gaining popularity, and experts claim that this trend is going to expand even further. What makes video streaming so popular? First of all, it is a great opportunity to share information. It attracts new followers and allows you to interact with bigger audiences. In the world of tough competition, you should use every possibility to improve your services. It might be a good idea to schedule your streams. Be on the lookout – new tools are appearing. Master them as soon as possible and make them a part of your strategy.
Tip #7 Augmented Reality
Emerging social media trends change marketing, and thus it is hardly possible to picture a future online shop or an e-supermarket without element of augmented reality. The biggest and most popular social networks are already trying out certain components of augmented reality. Very soon we will no longer treat augmented reality as an element of mobile or video gaming only. It will be actively introduced into other areas of life. Those brands that are quick enough to incorporate augmented reality and make it a part of their strategy will be at the top.
Tip #8 Instagram
This is one of the social trends that does not require any introduction since it has already been around for some time – Instagram stories. As people are becoming more and more visual, Instagram holds its position as one of the most influential social networks throughout the world. Instagram stories are great for building rapport and connecting with people. If this is your aim, use Instagram stories for your brand’s benefit.
Tip #9 Messaging Platforms
The popularity of messaging platforms is also on the list of trends in online shopping. Chatbots are here to make the customer experience more personalized. There is a wide range of messaging platforms to choose from – WhatsApp, Messenger, and Viber are only a few of them. Chatbots have their faults, but they also have lots of potential. As your audience becomes more involved in communication, the overall impact on your brand will be great.
Tip #10 Millennials & Social Media
What are social trends in business? These are tendencies that give marketers guidelines as to how to develop. Millennials are an essential part of social trends. These are the people who are either just graduating from university or have just entered the workforce. Analyze their needs. They have the buying power – you should know their behavioral patterns. Some social media platforms are more popular with millennials than others. For example, they use Snapchat a lot. Why don’t you take this into account.
Tip #11 Keep up with the trends
Social platforms are becoming more and more popular, and the rules of using them are going to become tighter. You have to know the regulations of the social networks you’re using to be successful. If there have been any alterations, do your best to keep up with them. Knowing social media trends in 2018 is crucial – it will help you to be prepared for upcoming trends and benefit from them to the maximum possible extent.