Social Media Trends In 2018 – What To Watch Out For

There was a time where social media solely thrived on your holiday pictures and fun events. Although this is still partly true, social platforms have now made way for brands to take the opportunity to connect and build relationships with their audience. This concept is ever growing and the era of social media has no intention of slowing down anytime soon. Why may you ask? One thing that we can rely on in 2018 is that millions of people across the globe will continue to reach out for their phones, from morning to night, and engage in an array of social media. So, what are some trends that brands should embrace in the months to come? We’ve got four trends for SMEs to tackle in 2018.

1. Ephemeral Content

Snapchat was the first social media platform to embrace the idea of ephemeral content. The ‘here today, gone tomorrow’ craze revolves around user-generated content that completely vanishes after a 24-hour period. While Snapchat founded the idea, other platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have adapted and created their own version of this content. Since it’s launch just over a year ago, Instagram Stories took only a few months to overtake Snapchat with an ever increasing 200 million users (50 million more than Snapchat).

Currently, Instagram has documented more than 1 million advertisers who are actively using Stories each month to broadcast their brand and connect with users. At this rate, it is estimated that nearly half of all Instagram users will be utilising Stories by the end of 2018. If you haven’t already begun using ephemeral content to connect with your audience, begin experimenting with it now or you may be left behind.

2. Influencer Marketing

As a rising trend over the past couple of years, the age of the micro-influencer is here and making social media its home. The idea around an influencer is having them advertise your product to their followers in order to drive more sales. If you aren’t already jumping at the opportunity to work with an influencer, you should know that the younger generations are 2-3 times more likely to be influenced by social media than they are by discounts or sales. 90% of marketers who have utilised influencer marketing have experienced 11 times their ROI compared to when they have used their regular digital channels.

3. Live Streaming

It is estimated that by 2020 video will make up 80% of consumer internet traffic. Last year we were able to experience the phenomenon that is live video. Instagram, Facebook and Twitter now offer a live streaming option on all of their apps for users and business to utilise in order to reach their followers. These platforms offer the opportunity to create even more user engagement as your followers must be actively watching the live stream in real time in order to be able to see it. The idea of live streaming is a whole other ball game, but when done correctly, it can be extraordinarily beneficial for your brand.

4. Chatbots

Already, there are over 100,000 monthly active bots on Facebook Messenger and have been shown to increase organizational productivity by up to 3.5 times. Setting up a chatbot brings the potential to add value to your brand and customer interaction. It is not possible to actively reply to consumer questions and comments across all hours of the day and chatbots allow you to interact with your followers 24/7 to ensure they don’t feel ignored. Many consumers will often cease to interact with a brand and their products if they feel as though their business is not valued. In 2018, we are looking to the future and chatbots are a trend to jump on board with.

This is the year of social media. With various trends and phenomenon taking root, brands and marketers have more opportunity than ever before to broadcast their products and services out to the world. Gone are the days of conventional marketing and it is time to embrace the new.

Don’t know where to start? Contact one of our social media experts at SponsoredLinX on 1300 859 600 today!