Social media is a huge game-changer for businesses in the modern era. It’s essential to develop a social media presence and know how to own it.
However, social media is constantly changing, so you need to know how to stay on top of things. Here are 5 of the hottest social media trends that businesses need to check out in 2019.
1. Transparency is Key
In an age where consumers are constantly being bombarded with information and advertisements, they crave a human connection. It’s important to be friendly and transparent with customers so that they feel they can trust you.
It has been reported that millennials expect more transparency out of brands than they do their friends, family, or politicians. Perhaps the last one is not a shock to you – but friends and family is a surprising group here!
Customers want to know things; they want to be in the loop. Publicise your app updates, changes to your services, and product iterations. Make sure the consumers are in the know!
2. Stories are Taking Over
Stories are now present on a lot of social media platforms. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter all have a ‘story’ option, where the post disappears after 24 hours. Social media platforms are continuously developing their Story platforms to add new features, and brands should be getting in on the action.
With how popular stories are, your business should definitely be making use of them.
3. Employees are the New Influencers
Influencers are clearly quite a big deal on social media; this is why so many brands invest in making deals with social media influencers. However, the hype surrounding individuals with so much social media prowess is leading to people “faking” their influence. People sometimes pretend to have brand deals to increase their likeability.
As a result, employee advocacy will be the next step in influencing. By having your own employees push the brand on social media, you have a verified opinion from someone who works with you. Plus, it makes the company seem likeable if its employees are happy.
4. Videos are a Hot Topic
Videos have been a big thing on social media for a while now, but 2019 is a huge year for social media videos. Live video, interactive video, and other formats are all great for interacting with your audience.
Vertical video will experience a break-out this year, as Instagram pushes their IGTV platform even further. Optimised for smart-phones, vertical video is set to become a huge trend – get on that bandwagon!
5. Chatbots are in!
The popularity of chatbots grew in 2017 and 2018, and this trend is set to continue. Customers want to have a conversation, and so chatbots provide a great way to do this on a lower budget. Whether that’s a built-in chatbot on your site, or a Facebook messenger chatbot, you really need to be investing.
Trust us, your consumers will appreciate the speedy replies provided by a chatbot.
