When it comes to reaching your audience, putting out great content, and keeping up with a steady brand image, social media is absolutely essential. Many businesses put all of their time and effort into search engine optimization and traditional advertising. While this may work for some, just don’t neglect social media.
Social media offers so many possibilities when it comes to connecting with your audiences and building a following around your brand. As you begin planning ways to strengthen the reach of your company in 2018, it’s important to keep social media in mind.
If you want to hit the ground running by ramping up your social media presence, keep in mind the current trends and changes. Here are a few social media trends for 2018 you’ll want to follow:
- Strong Social Media Analytics Equals Strong Content
One thing that can turn people off to certain brands is generic content. If most of the space on your brand’s social media page is filled with generic content, audiences will see it as irrelevant.
Improving the personalization and uniqueness of the content shared will be heightened in the coming year. With the different kinds of data and analytical insight being pulled from social media, marketers now know what content to create to best reach the target audience.
Creating and posting content that engages their specific audience and offers something unique is truly made possibly by social media.
- Feature Overlap Increases Selectiveness
Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook all offer the “stories” feature. When different platforms begin offering similar features, marketers have to look at the audiences and reach of each platform to decide which to choose. Although the features are similar, not everything is equal. Snapchat has a much younger demographic than Facebook and Instagram, so it’s important to be selective about which platform you use.
More platforms will begin to offer overlapping features, so brands will need to take the time to research and invest in the one that will reach their demographic the best. Marketers need to take advantage of the analytics and data insights that each platform now offers. Consider which platform offers the best return for you, and go from there.
- Video is a Strong Strategy
Video content has become increasingly valuable and popular, making it impossible for brands to ignore. Video is the best type of content to generate engagement. Facebook videos usually receive more likes and shares than links, pictures, or any other type of content.
Having the ability to create video content, and strategizing to tie it into written content, will be one of the top trends of 2018.
Social media allows brands and marketers to connect with their audience, create and distribute strong content, and build a following around their brand. To reap all of the benefits that come with social media branding, you have to keep up with the current trends. Shifts in social media happen so frequently, so staying one step ahead of the trends is vital.
The Found Gen can help you develop a content and social media plan and create your posts for you, ensuring maximum engagement. Give us a shout.