Companies of all sizes and categories are racing up to get noticed on social media platforms every minute of the day. The new ones find it hard to get popular and the old ones keep looking for fresh ideas. Social Media is an ever-evolving game one needs to keep track of all the time. The trends change every year and it is often difficult to catch up with what’s cool and what’s not. And, it is always wise to check out the latest drifts in social media before planning your next campaign. There are approximately 3.8 million people using social media on a daily basis and multiple times a day. Though it is hard to please one and all on these networking sites; some brands are killing it with interactive videos and captivating content. Gone are the days when only a logo, tagline, and product description made up a company’s social image. Read on to find ‘5 Social Media Marketing Trends to follow’ for acing the social media game. • Influencer Marketing Investing in popular social media personalities who have millions of followers is a great way to reach out to the masses. People believe in influencers who are good speakers and talk relatable matters. Netizens may not trust a corporate name right away. But having a person talk about your company’s product in a way that benefits the consumers is a good tactic to follow. Consumers believe in honest reviews than the company’s success report. You do not have to shell out a fortune to hire an influencer. You can partner with a micro-influencer as well (those with 1,000+ followers on social media. Macro-influencers are those with millions of followers on social media but they might charge a lot. • Augmented Reality(AR) The future of customer experience lies in making them feel the product without even stepping out of their house. Augmented Reality is gaining popularity for all the right reasons. It is the most fascinating way to incorporate digital images and videos into the actual field of vision. The success of games like PokemonGO and Snapchat proves how AR can bring a refreshing change in any kind of presentation. Facebook has its own AR Studio to help brands create and publish, and analyze the effects of AR on different applications. How can brands utilize it to the fullest? Cosmetic Brands can use AR to show how a particular shade of lipstick will look on the consumer using it. Check out the Sephora Virtual Artist app. Clothing Brands can set up virtual stores that can provide a unique experience for the brands as well as consumers. • Video Marketing This is an ongoing trend and will dominate the social media scene in the future too. Videos are watched, liked, and shared more than text content on social media. About 70-80% of consumers prefer watching a product video rather than reading the whole description content. Video marketing is a great tactic to keep make a maximum of internet users your brand followers. Brands who deliver worthy content through an interesting video post are the most followed on social media. The popular ones are food bloggers posting recipe videos; DIY crafting videos; and ‘how-to’ videos about a particular product; even gadget reviews are most viewed by people on social media. Emerging brands can create an exciting storyline associated with their product to succeed in video marketing. The length of the videos also matters; long exhaustive ones are a big no-no when it is about social media posting. However, long videos can be used on YouTube for better exposure. Short videos inclusive of all relevant matter works the best. • Stories Social Media is the perfect place to showcase your storytelling skills. Well, not the actual stories; but short animated video called “stories” is an ongoing trend. And, itis evident on platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Snapchat where about 400 million users post stories on their profile. These stories short 20-second videos which can be viewed for up to 24 hours after posting. It can include a collection of pictures too, as a slideshow. Since these stories appear right next to the profile of a person it is hard to ignore. There are a lot of things you can as a brand explore here. From asking a poll question to showing off your new office space; anything that your followers will like can be added as a story. • Voice Search Who does not like being reminded about important tasks regularly? Well, everyone who is too busy wants a personal assistant to take care of their daily routine. And, as people are getting more comfortable with smart devices; the future seems interesting. Companies should structure their marketing campaigns considering the rise in voice search today and for the years to come. Alexa, Siri, and Google are known to help people with nearby facilities, weather conditions, or anything they want to know about at that very moment. You just need to ask and these AI-powered devices/applications can answer back aptly. What marketers can take note of? Learn from popular brands that are already delivering audio content to their consumers using smart devices. For example; Nestle launched its ‘Goodnes Skill’ which modifies Amazon Alexa into cooking assistance with a visual browsing experience. And, the coming years will need more of such devices to simplify day-to-day activities. Marketers must replicate similar efforts in and take necessary actions to adapt to voice-based campaigning. Try to incorporate these trends into your business if you have not done it yet. Evaluate one of the above strategies that suit your brand the best. And, create a social media plan around that idea. Either you will get good results or it might prove to be a bad move, but never stop experimenting. Social Media Marketing trends need to be keenly observed by brands willing to keep up with the audience. And, it will keep changing every year. So, the focus should be to provide innovative solutions using the latest technologies to outdo your competitors.
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