If your eyes are open, you know that social media significantly impacts the way we communicate and relate to one another. Over half of the world’s population (3+ billion people) actively uses social media, and that engagement is only projected to increase.
In this post, I want to explore where social advertising is headed. 2019 promises a ton of innovation, from AI to mature voice technology to IoT. As you’re reading my insights on social media trends 2019, please comment your thoughts. I’d love to hear them!
- Desktop vs. Mobile
The layout for ads for mobile is different than desktop. If you’re on the other end thinking, “duh,” then bravo—you’re ahead of the curve.
Whenever you launch a paid campaign on social, it helps to know where your audience spends time. With that knowledge, you can build campaigns with their preferred medium in mind.
- Social Listening
Social listening is the act of scouring the web and social platforms to discover mentions of your brand, services or related keywords. Currently, social listening is primarily used for reputation management. In the coming year, I believe social listening will be used to score leads. It makes sense, right? If someone on the internet mentions you, it’s worth following up with them.
- Video
The moving image has captivated audiences and been an invaluable medium for marketers since the dawn of television. Now, Instagram and Facebook have made video an integral part of communication. For that reason, video engagements continue to grow. But this year, we’ll see a major increase in live videos. On Facebook, live videos alert users whenever they begin, which is why you don’t want to ignore this trend. Live videos have the potential to organically reach more people, faster. Plus, they often make brands appear more trustworthy because of their personal, off-the-cuff nature.
- Storification
Stories on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp are created and consumed on the fly. They are highly visual, and shares are growing at rate that’s 15 times faster than feed-based sharing. The best part about them? They feel real. On social so little feels authentic. Stories, on the other hand, offer immediate and highly personal social experiences. This increases trust and brand awareness.
- Interactive content
As marketers, we want to offer audiences our best content—something that is actually useful and leads our customers to trust us. However, offering “useful” content is easier said than done. At the end of the day, the internet is a crowded place, and it’s hard to project a voice that rises above the others.
Rather than posting into the void, post content that encourages an interaction. With the state of social media features today, it’s not hard to create interactive content. Below are types of interactive content that you can start using today.
Interactive content on Twitter:
- Polls
- Hashtags
- Questions
- Conversational video
- Partnerships and sponsorships
- Daily trends (e.g. #MondayMotivation)
Interactive content on Instagram:
- Questions
- Polls
- Shopping features
- Stories
- IGTV
Interactive content on Facebook:
- Polls
- Stories
- Facebook Live
- Messenger chatbots
- Quizzes
Interactive content on LinkedIn:
- Storytelling
- Quick, relevant status updates
- Questions as a driver for white papers
- Advice (how-to posts)
- Employee Advocacy
Employee advocacy is the act of your employees representing your products, services and brand on social. Studies show that someone is more likely to trust a post if it comes from a normal person. In other words, posts from users get more meaningful engagements than posts from companies.
If you’re considering developing an employee advocacy program, check out our blog.
Conclusion
There you have it: our summation of social media marketing trends 2019. Using these strategies in your social campaigns will not only increase a positive brand awareness but will help your brand beat the traffic—speeding ahead of your competitors.
If you’re worried your social strategy isn’t ready for 2019, download our social content guide. This will help you define and work toward measurable goals.
HILLARY SUSZ
CONTENT DEVELOPER
Hillary brings her background in marketing, academia and the arts to deliver eye popping content that’s not only engaging but necessary. When it comes to her writing (and maybe her personality, too), the message is not hidden. It’s there for you, bright and clear, communicating vital material.
