What would modern marketing be without social media channels? Despite all the enthusiasm, the popularity of the individual channels changes over time: new ones rise to the top while others are declining in popularity. Social media are undergoing constant change. Many providers develop new features to stay relevant. New trends develop out of thin air but become old-fashioned just as quickly.
Brands that want to stay relevant have to adapt to these trends and, if possible, create new ones.
The hottest trends currently are:
1. Messaging Apps keep the conversation going
Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and WeChat are used by 4 billion users worldwide. Given this enormous reach, it is not surprising that big brands such as Nike, Adidas, Pepsi and Mercedes Benz focus on messaging app marketing.
The apps allow companies to establish direct contact with potential customers. This is a fundamental change to classic customer service: companies can act much more flexibly and save money through this fast and simple form of communication. A further advantage is the possibility to strengthen the customer-brand relationship through improved service quality. But it should be taken into account that the users expect to be addressed individually since the apps are mainly used for private communication purposes. However, you need not worry about investing a ton of human resources: chat bots are now sophisticated enough to do this. The text-based dialog systems can take over the complete customer dialogue within a messenger or social media app. The chat bots react automatically to direct text commands and can generate tailor-made responses.
In the future, the focus of social media marketing will shift towards messaging and target-oriented contact in real-time.
2. Live videos are in great demand
Live videos are a great opportunity for experiments and creative content. Above all, Facebook-Live is a very popular platform on which brands can achieve an enormously high reach. The live streaming services of Instagram, Periscope or Twitter can be used successfully as well. Which platform is right for your brand depends entirely on your target group and the channels it uses the most. In terms of content, almost everything is possible: specials or entire events can be communicated to the users and used, for example, to solidify or improve the brand image or the customer-brand relationship.
We may soon see new features. Virtual reality videos are already on the horizon.
3. Shopping on social media channels is becoming more and more popular!
More and more companies discover the potential of social media channels for sales. The massaging app WeChat in particular is a pioneer in this regard. Companies can use this app to create a business account, which allows for almost a complete web presence. Businesses can, for example, create an in-app shop so that users can shop directly from within the app. This creates a very homogeneous user experience, which is conducive to the motivation to buy. Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest also offer users the option in-app shopping. Tip: using video such as product demonstrations can have a very positive effect on the sales figures.
Social media channels and the respective apps are constantly changing. It is important that marketers remain up-to-date and always know about new features, opportunities and trends. Because only those who know all the possibilities can develop the right social media strategy.
We would be glad to help you plan your social media marketing on the platforms that are of interest to your target groups.
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