New trends in digital marketing come and go every day. Accordingly, it is crucial for all digital marketers to keep up with the pace.
As digital marketing specialists in the Greater Toronto Area, we always advise our clients never to assume that something they know from the past is considered within the “best practice” category of industry knowledge at present. In order to ensure you are maximizing your digital outreach and using your advertising budget effectively, it is valuable to subscribe to the RSS feeds of qualified industry blogs and news sources and read up on as much of the trending information at the beginning of each work day. There are several good social media marketing feeds that summarize all new industry news and trends on a daily basis. You’ll be surprised at how many times reading this summary in the morning will change your social media marketing activity or strategy for that day. The name of the game is to follow the new trends in the industry on a consistent basis. Below, we have highlighted 5 social media marketing trends that are currently affecting digital marketers in North America.
1. Expiring Content
One of the biggest digital marketing topics trending in the digital world this fall is the use of expiring content. Expiring content is essentially content that has an expiration date attached to it and is similar to a flash sale. For instance, think of a photo that circulates for 24 hours, and 24 hours only. And make sure to express this time limit on your ad. Unless someone takes a screenshot of it, the photo (and ad) will disappear and one will never be able to view it again. This obviously is effective in creating a sense of urgency in the consumer.
The thing with expiring digital content is that it provides business owners with an opportunity to cut through the noise and clutter, and gain the attention of their target audience without spending too much time and money to achieve organic reach. Using expiring content as one of your strategies will instill a sense in your consumers that if they do not act fast, they may not be able to take advantage of the same deal again.
2. Mobile-Only Platforms
Mobile was a huge buzzword a few years ago, but this year it seems like many online marketers have forgotten that we are still in the midst of a massive transition. Many social media platforms, such as Facebook, have already started transitioning to mobile-only platforms because the majority of their ad sales come from mobile devices. Digital analysts predict that by 2020 the mobile transformation will be complete for Facebook. Facebook is not alone in this; there are several other social networks that are already mobile only – Snapchat, Instagram, and Periscope to name a few.
3. Social Messaging Apps vs. Social Network Apps
Consumers now prefer using messaging apps such as WhatsApp more than any other social networks. Recent Statistics reported by The Economist show that a quarter of all the apps downloaded worldwide were uninstalled after a single use with the exception of messaging apps. That’s because consumers are not just using messaging apps to make plans with friends or talk about their day. The apps’ main purpose is to act as a prime destination to share content – interesting articles, funny gifs and cute stickers for free. Big brands are also using the messaging apps to offer real-time customer support.
4. Social eCommerce
A number of social networks allow their users to sell and buy products within their apps. Think of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat. According to a 2016 study, social media was reported as the most favorable platform for users to visit when looking for something to buy online. Although consumers are not yet able to buy all products directly through social media channels, they are already using brands’ social pages for inspiration, which should act as an indicator of the potential value of social commerce for your brand.
5. Paid Content
Be forewarned: Social media users are generally resistant to ads popping up on their social media, and rightly so. Newsfeeds of social media users are filling up with content that consumers do not want to read. Social media sites are all for superior user experience, so they have been changing their algorithms to show personal posts and ads that are only relevant to the user; basically the ad must touch a nerve of the read. As a solution to investing in paid content, our digital marketing agency suggests leveraging Influencer Marketing in your Social Media Marketing. For those who are not familiar with Influencer Marketing it essentially involves researching who are the most influential bloggers and digital spokespeople for your industry and try to leverage their following by introducing your business and product or service to them.
What’s Next?
Social media is constantly changing, and one prediction that we can safely make is to prepare for anything. Social media is an ever-evolving sphere and if you intend on managing a social media marketing campaign it is incumbent upon you to keep up and take advantage of all industry trends and evolution.
iRISEmedia.com is a Toronto based social media marketing agency, specializing in social media management, digital marketing and online branding. Our team helps clients manage and grow their online presence and branding to increase qualified web traffic and online leads. Please contact us today at this link for a free social media consultation: https://irisemedia.com/contact-us/.
