By: Lauren Bupp, Social Media
The great, big world of social media is ever changing and continuously bringing innovative ideas to the table. While changes are often sudden, many are also predictable. Here are a few of our predictions for the top trends to come in 2019…
Here are the most exciting shifts coming:
1. Social listening
Social listening is the process of monitoring digital conversations to understand what customers are saying about a brand and industry online. This includes things like untagged mentions, industry keywords, and mentions on blogs and news sites. The main goal of social listening is customer service and reputation management.
The trend for 2019, however, will be using social media listening for lead generation and social selling. Only a small number of brands are starting to do this but the number is rising. Some tools are even introducing features made specifically for lead generation in their toolbox.
Because people are voicing their frustrations, ideas, and recommendations on social media, social listening usage will grow and expand to new possibilities.
2. Video content
In 2019, video content is expected to dominate the market. Some experts say 80% of what we consume online will soon be video content. This especially applies to live videos. Starting on YouTube, the trend has moved to Facebook and Instagram where you can be notified when someone is going live. Live videos offer an authentic nature and increase the sense of trustworthiness and relevance of a brand.
3. Micro-influencers
Social media influencers have become a major trend over the past couple of years. These people have millions of followers and every post they put up is seen by more people than TV ads. However, the number of social media influencers and their prices for their services have skyrocketed.
Micro-influencers exist in every market and are often considered experts in their niche. They have fewer than 10,000 people following them, but most of their followers express a genuine interest in what they are saying. These smaller names are not used for massive targeting by advertisers so people see them as trustworthy.
