We have already witnessed the growth of social media trends such as influencer marketing last year, lets which other trends will rise this year.
It has only been a few years since social media came to be, but in this short span of time, everybody’s life has changed. Social media has changed the way people communicate with friends, the way we brand ourselves both professionally and personally, and the way consumers interact with businesses and service providers.
Whether it is ordering a product off a facebook group, stocking up on that favorite Instagram lifestyle personality’s product of choice, or using a clothing brand social media page to quickly browse photos of their new collection before hitting their store or website, people are further engrossed into social media culture in increasing ways. This is not going to stop anytime soon. Social media is evolving and it will seep into even more areas of business and pleasure this year with these seven upcoming social media trends.
1. Augmented reality
Augmented reality has been up and coming for quite some time now, but it looks like 2018 will be the year we finally see a leap in that area. With Apple’s integration of AR technologies in new devices, and snapchat making big leaps in the area, it looks like this will be the year AR makes the long-awaited leap into our social media feeds.
2. The rise of Generation Z
One of the things to look out for this year is the impact of generation Z. With this group of young men and women graduating and making a heavy entry into the market, things are bound to change to adapt to their needs and habits. Generation Z is at least twice as likely to be influenced by social media than they are influenced by discounted prices, according to retail dive. This young crowd is also as interested in ease of finding products as they are by its price. This means that social media will have a big role to play with this emerging market segment both directly, and through creating ease of finding and purchasing products.
3. Influencer culture
The era of paying full-scale celebrities to advertised a product has taken a strong shift. Now, instead of relying on an extremely expensive celebrity with a general reach, businesses use influences and micro influencers, who are best defined as mini-celebrities in their own areas of interest. The social media influencer often enjoys tens of thousands up to millions of followers who view the sponsored content and, more often than you think, make buying decisions based on it. In fact, 49 percent of this study’s participants stated that they rely on recommendations from twitter influencers, while 56 percent said that they rely on recommendations from friends. The efficacy of this marketing technique carries it very computably into 2018 with more room for growth.
4. Instagram stories going strong
Instagram stories came to life to face strong skepticism and doubt, but they have been proving everybody wrong ever since. Less than 2 years after its launch, Instagram stories views have now exceeded Snapchat views, and it doesn’t seem like the feature’s success will be stopping anytime soon.
With their immediate nature, Instagram stories give a current feel and make the audience feel more submerged and included in an instant and timely way. However, Instagram stories have more to offer than just immersion; they offer an alternative to the dreaded “link in bio” marketing option. A business or an influencer can add a link to their story making Instagram Marketing more effective.
5. Live streaming continues
Live streaming has been growing slowly but surely recently, with Facebook cashing in on the success early on through launching facebook live. A video takes the top spot where social media is involved. 80 percent of users prefer watching a live video from a brand to reading a blog post, while 82 perfect preferred a live video to social posts.
The growth of video is expected to continue into this year, and for good reason. The real of a video is directly proportional to the quality of a video, and that, in turn, is dependent on current technology. Video quality is the most important factor for 67 percent of live video viewers, and 90 percent of Facebook live viewers also think that video quality is the most important factor. Luckily for all parties involved, with new technology at hand, both in terms of devices and data plans, better wait for video is now easier to produce and to watch than ever before.
6. Messaging apps on the rise
Businesses have already started making use of messaging apps, but the fun is only getting started. It is expected to see substantial growth in chatbots and messaging apps, and how they are used to interact with customers at different stages. The younger millennial and generation Z prefer using messages to phone calls and emails, and businesses are now ready to meet them where they are comfortable from the very early stages of marketing to after sale services.
7. Instant wins
The shift has been happening slowly, but surely. From snapchat to Instagram stories, to live streams, temporary content has been gaining ground over traditional social media posts. The short-lived content feels more current, more immediate and it, therefore, generated more engagement and is more effective in reaching and gain an audience. This rising trend shows no sign of slowing down this year, and it will most likely have a big impact on social media throughout the next few years.
All in all, this year will witness the growth of some already rising social media trends such as influencer marketing, and it will also present the chance to shine for technologies that have been waiting in the background for the best opportunity, namely augmented reality. With these trends and the other trends we covered to look out for, it looks like 2018 is going to offer fresh ways for organic reach and expansion.
Vivian Michaels is a huge tech enthusiast, who likes to write articles on evolving technology and internet marketing. He has written for various websites like Socialnomics, IamWire, ProvenSEO, etc. Vivian is also a fitness trainer and never forgets to renew his Netflix subscription.
