While most companies are savvy enough to have a social media presence at this point, the rules of the game are constantly changing. We’ve pulled together five trends to keep in mind as we head into the new decade.
Declining Reach on Instagram: We predict that Parent Company Facebook will continue to turn the network into a pay-to-play environment by slowly, and painfully, decreasing organic reach.
What you can do: Set aside ad dollars and also manage expectations. Use best practices including location tags, hashtags, and Stories to reach a larger audience.
Tik-Tok Knock-Offs: Instagram is famous for “borrowing” features from other networks. As Tik-Tok continues to gain momentum, we think Instagram and Facebook will look for ways to take what’s popular on the network and make it their own.
What you can do: Spend time on Tik-Tok now. Get to know the platform and start to think about how your brand can play in the space.
Micro-Influencers = Major Reach: We’ve seen a backlash of larger accounts that are more about looking “perfect” and less about being relatable. We think local experts (a.k.a. Micro-influencers) are the best way to reach real customers.
What you can do: See who’s leading the conversation on social in your key markets or industry, and start to build a relationship. That’s what we did a year ago when we launched our podcast “Eat. Drink. Social.” If you’re interested in food and beverage get to know some of these influencers through our interviews.
Cheap Video: It’s been said that social video generates 12 times more shares than text and images combined, so in theory, we should all use video, but the price tag is often a roadblock. We predict more apps and more tools will come out to help make social video attainable to all. We also think traditional video shops will rethink their offerings to make social video a reality, just like photographers have done.
What you can do: Play around with apps like Pixaloop and experiment with Facebook and IG Live. Also, use the slideshow function on Facebook to string together photos so you can download the end video for use on other networks.
Stories overtake Feed Posts: We think Stories will continue to grow as Instagram has seen success and Facebook puts them front and center.
What you can do: Develop an Instagram Story strategy and leverage the Highlights on your page where you can save stories. The Highlights will give people a chance to get a taste of what they can expect, and may just reel them into following you.
What trends in social do you expect to see? Tell us in the comments below and be sure to follow our ongoing insights on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.