Warren Knight — December 8, 2017 — December 8, 2017
We are heading into the last month of 2017, and the year has flown by.
So much has happened in 2017, especially when it comes to Social Media
Every year I like to talk about Social Media trends for the following year, just like I did with my 2017 trends. The below seven trends are ones that I personally believe will be shaping the way customers communicate with brands, and how brands are going to utilise Social Media to market their products/services.
Here are the need to know Social Media trends for 2018.
1. Voice Search
The first trend I want to talk about is something that has been a part of my daily life as an iPhone user, but for 2018 will become a huge trend on Social Media.
We know Alexa (Google) and Siri (Apple) as the most popular voice search “helpers” but for 2018, expect the big social networks to come out with voice search functionalities to give you the results you are looking for.
2. Artificial Intelligence and Chatbots
Artificial Intelligence was one of the Social Media trends I listed for last year, and I expect it to be another huge trends throughout 2018.
AI paired with chatbots are going to be an amazing way to offer the best customer service on Social Media. With chatbots becoming more intelligent, and AI becoming more advanced, communication is going to change throughout 2018 and I, for one, am very excited to see what happens!
3. Video Marketing
Did you know that 43% of people want to see more video content from marketers? Or that 51.9% of marketing professionals worldwide name video as the type of content with the best ROI?
I have personally experimented with video marketing throughout this year with YouTube, and paid advertisement, and see great results. I know that some of the social networks have big things in store for 2018 when looking at Video.
Video is only going to become a more important piece of content in 2018, especially for small businesses.
4. Shoppable Content (Augmented Reality)
I spoke about Video above, but I also want to talk about another type of rich media; Augmented Reality.
The idea of immersive shopping experiences is something that is going to evolve as one of the biggest Social Media trends for 2018. Pinterest have already introduced shoppable content features, and I know that it won’t stop there.
In 2018, the gap between engagement and purchases will lessen, as will the gap between the content you share, and the products/services you market online.
5. Ephemeral Content
You might not have heard of Ephemeral content, as it’s a relatively new term. This is used to describe short-lived content such as Snapchat, Instagram stories or live streams.
We, as consumers are impatient and time-sensitive meaning that if we are going to listen to what a brand is saying on Social Media, it needs to be in short snippets of content.
2018 is going to be the year for Ephemeral content, and I can’t wait to see what the social networks will have to offer.
6. Influencer Marketing
Did you know that 92% of consumers have made a purchase after reading about a product on their favourite blog? A further 65% are likely to make a purchase if someone they follow on Social Media recommends a product.
Influencer Marketing will be one of the biggest Social Media trends for 2018. Having people who are influential online spread the message about your business for you is so powerful.
We have seen how influential this can be already, especially on YouTube, and Instagram.
7. Marketing Automation
Did you know that 92% of small businesses lose money every single month because they ignore marketing automation? To take your business to the next level throughout 2018, you are going to have to adopt marketing automation, and use tools that will help you achieve your outcomes.
What do you think are going to be the biggest Social Media trends for 2018?
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