The world of social media marketing is ever-changing, and to stay on top of the game, one should always be updated with the current trends that are dominating the marketing. In this blog, we’re going to take a look at the top 10 social media marketing trends for 2019.
Top Social Media Marketing Trends
Live Streaming
Live streaming has emerged to be one of the most engaging types of content in today’s internet. According to studies, more than 79% of brand audiences prefer to watch video content by a brand than read a blog post by the brand. Most brands utilize live streaming services from dedicated live streaming companies to capitalize on this social trend.
Some successful live streaming strategies include streaming product launches, hosting Q/A sessions, product demonstration, and live broadcast events. With the rapid development and adoption of augmented reality and virtual reality, live streaming has been transformed into being the most interactive and engaging form of communication over the internet in 2019.
Instagram Stories
One of the most powerful features of Instagram in 2019 is Instagram Stories. Just like snapchat, it allows users to post images and short videos that will automatically disappear in a day. Instagram stories are viewed by around 20 million users every single day. Brands have been capitalizing on the popularity of Instagram Stories and including stories as part of their content strategy. Other features of Instagram Stories include the addition of filters, tags, and text.
Instagram Live is a part of Instagram Stories that allows users to go live on Instagram. Read this ultimate guide to Instagram Live to know all about this amazing feature of Instagram.
Live streaming and webcasting solutions offered by dedicated live streaming companies include Instagram live as it is one of the major platforms to go live in 2019.
Generation Z
The generation born in the late 90s is called Generation Z. They’re the next generation after millennials and are heading into their prime working years already. Social media is dominated by Generation Z users who ultimately decide the fate of these platforms these days.
Advertisers are in a rush to figure out how to capture the interest of Generation Z as they will represent the bulk of buying power in the next few years. The social media strategies used by brands are based around Gen Z majorly which means Gen Z will have a major impact on the social media marketing trends for years to come. Read this post to know more about the best live streaming trends for Gen Z.
Rise of Messaging Platforms
A major trend in social media marketing in 2019 is the shift in focus from traditional social media communication to direct communication over messaging platforms between brands and customers. Businesses are increasingly adopting platforms like WeChat, Whatsapp, and Telegram for communication and transactions.
Chatbots
Chatbots are a type of innovative communication tools that use artificial intelligence to provide support to customers. As the world is shifting towards messaging platforms to communicate more and more, chatbots are becoming increasingly common. Most consumers are okay with talking to a chatbot to resolve their issue, and the fact that there is not a human on the other end doesn’t phase Gen Z as much. Most chatbots are smart enough to redirect to a human operative to provide customer support when the issue is beyond their capabilities.
Augmented Reality
One of the major social media marketing trends for 2019 is augmented reality. The technology enables the digital world to be mixed with the physical world seamlessly which can lead to very interesting applications. The inclusion of a dedicated chip in the new iPhones is a big sign of the technology being adopted in the mainstream. Apps like snapchat and Instagram already incorporate elements of augmented reality in their processes, features that’ll only keep growing in size.
Augmented Reality and virtual reality have immense potential for marketing and brand activation purposes and represent a growing market that is likely to reach $289 billion by 2023. Such brand activations with augmented and virtual reality are mixed reality booths and green screen photo booths.
The Decline of Twitter
The popular social media platform Twitter has been seeing a decline in users since 2017. Other platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn have more active users than Twitter. It can be speculated that Twitter would undergo major changes in 2019 to be more competitive in the market.
Some of the speculated changes include change of ownership of the platform, adding new features, and rethinking the advertisement features of the platform. It is interesting what may be in store for the future as massive changes are required to increase the rate of growth for the platform so it can remain in the same league as other platforms.
Influencer Marketing
Gen Z is way more wary about traditional forms of marketing than all generations before them. Most brands are focusing on influencer marketing to target their specific niche through selecting influencers who have authority in those circles to create interest for the brand. The trend of influencer marketing is at its peak in 2019 and most marketing campaigns take it into account.
Stronger Regulation on Social Media
As social media continued to rise, it has created some questions regarding the impact it can have on the world. In order to regulate this impact, governments around the world have been looking at ways to control social media through legislative measures.
Massive players like Facebook have come under a lot of heat for influencing people’s opinions, especially in the shadow of US elections and accusations of interference by foreign government bodies. Other aspects of social media platforms are also under check like the effects of these platforms on the mental wellbeing of their users.
Social Media is The New TV
Social media has made consuming content convenient, easy, and more fun than traditional TV. Live streaming combined with virtual reality and augmented reality are preferred way more by viewers than conventional television. It is clear that social media will eventually completely replace television and broadcasting in the near future.
Conclusion
Social media marketing is all about being on the edge of the latest developments and capitalizing on them. Nobody can predict what the future has in store for social media marketing but these trends are likely to have a significant impact on how we think about social media marketing in 2019.
