Social media already plays an integral role in digital marketing, which is why your social media strategy must be clear, concise, and up to date. Consumer habits shift, new tools rollout, alternative platforms emerge—and you must be prepared to adapt in order to stand out among competitors and connect with your target customers.
With a new year on the horizon, it’s time to start thinking about how your social strategy needs to evolve. Here are six trends that will shape the social media landscape in 2020 and beyond:
1. Social communities will continue to thrive.
In recent years, social media communities have grown in popularity. These groups give consumers an opportunity to connect with one another over shared interests, as well as engage with brands on a more personal level, typically in a private space.
Facebook Groups are one of the most popular examples of these social communities. (So much so, the social media giant recently update their app to feature Groups more prominently.) Not only do these groups bring like-minded people together, they provide brands with an opportunity to get customer feedback, collect insights, and even announce new products.
Condé Nast Traveler launched their closed Facebook Group, Women Who Travel, in 2017. In order to join the group, Facebook users must answer a series of questions and gain administrator approval. The group has grown to nearly 145,000 members and it remains an active space for women to ask for travel advice, share stories, discuss the Women Who Travel podcast episodes, and more.
Brands who make an effort to embrace these more personal social communities will open themselves up to a world of possibility.
2. Brands will refocus their personalization efforts.
Throughout 2019, brands focused on rebuilding trust through personalization efforts. In the year ahead, these personalization efforts will shift to social media in the form of ads, one-on-one interactions, and ephemeral content.
By focusing on personal, communication-driven content and interaction, businesses will also play a part in increase their dark social interactions. In some instances, social interactions between brands and consumers may even appear to decrease publicly, but in reality brands will actually increase their social media interactions behind-the-scenes.
3. User-generated content will become more prominent.
While leveraging user-generated content (UGC) isn’t a new concept, it’s one that will continue to grow in the coming year. If you’re not familiar with UGC, it refers to any content that is created by consumers of your brand and made accessible to you. Essentially—your customers are promoting your business for you and it helps to create more meaningful connections with your audience.
This type of content is seen as more authentic and trustworthy, since it’s not coming directly from your brand. It can also bolster your SEO, boost your social reach and influence, and provide important customer insights. Best of all? It’s free.
If you haven’t experimented with user-generated content yourself, 2020 is the year to do so. (As a best practice, we do recommend asking permission before sharing UCG.)
4. Alternative social networks will rise.
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have long been the primary social networks for businesses, marketers, and consumers. While they won’t lose their value in the new year, it’s worth noting that plenty of other alternative platforms have been making their mark.
LinkedIn continues to thrive when it comes to B2B companies. Pinterest users are primed to shop online, making the social network a hub for e-commerce. TikTok has been attracting younger consumers—41% of their users are ages 16-24. The gaming community has found a home in Twitch, whose social features continue to evolve.
Embracing these alternative social networks is a great way to connect with your target consumers who are spending less time on other social platforms, while giving your business an opportunity to experiment with content. You may achieve better results than core platforms or discover a niche target audience that hasn’t been on your radar.
5. Social media will become a hub for customer service.
Instead of reaching out over the phone or via email, oftentimes consumers will turn to a business’ social account in hopes of achieving a quick resolution to a problem. Whether they message directly, leave a review, or share a complaint, the fact remains—your customers expect a response. 37% of them expect that response in 30 minutes or less.
Since customer service has become more visible in the digital world, it’s important for businesses to have a plan in place to tackle issues. For some, this may mean utilizing chatbots. For others, dedicated support accounts have proven valuable. Or for your business, it may be best to take it offline. The year ahead is certain to see an increase in these interactions, as well as improvements that benefit both brands and consumers.
6. Social commerce will play a bigger role in sales strategies.
Throughout the last year major social media platforms have been incorporating more tools to improve social selling for brands. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have gone to great lengths to not only improve the shopping experience, they’ve been striving to keep the checkout process in-app to increase conversions.
For 2020, expect to see more platforms introduce shoppable posts, as well as new and improved social selling tools. If it isn’t already, social commerce should be an element of your sales strategy.
These are some of the most important trends that will dominate social media throughout 2020 and into the future. By incorporating them into your social media initiatives, you can elevate your social presence, stay ahead of your competitors, and create lasting connections with your target consumers.
Interested in learning more about these trends and how Business House can help your business create a social media strategy that achieves real results? Contact us for a free consultation today. Let’s make digital magic, together.
