By: Mery Diaz
This decade brings in new trends to the ever-changing world of social media as it continues to connect with people in different ways. As someone who wants to continue in the media industry by working with social media, it is important to keep up to date with trends. That way the brand or company you work with does not fall through the cracks with their target audience.
Social media has changed into a platform that has been embedded in the common person’s everyday life. As people change, so does social media and it is key to understand why a trend has become a trend and then hopefully adapt to it.
I would like to share some of the most common ones, that even though we are just a few months into this year, we have already seen some influential trends pop up on many channels.
One trend that isn’t going anywhere soon is video content. Video content cannot be escaped; it’s guaranteed if users scroll through any social media platform, there will be video content there. It might be from a brand you follow, a quick advertisement, or even from a fellow friend. This trend is so popular, because users love to get their content quick and in an engaging way yet visually pleasing.
Video is a way to share information that is wrapped up in a bow for you to unpack and can be enjoyed with others at any given time. You can see that many brands have figured this out and continue to take advantage of this trend.
Another trend in the spotlight is showcasing your audience on your social media. Many brands already do this because it bumps up engagement. Users want to see themselves in the content you provide. For example, if a teenage clothing brand posts a picture with someone who is an average college student that wears that brand’s clothing, their target audience will be more willing to buy if they see someone like them buying the brand’s clothing. Keep in mind these users also want to stay on trend too.
The last trend that comes to mind that has been the main trend to look out for is brands making more private engagement with their consumers through social media. Brands want to keep creating more meaningful audiences yet in exclusive settings. I think why the tiny change of adding private messaging from brand to user and why it will click easily is because audiences love the sense of exclusivity and feeling like they are being attended to. Also, I think slowly people want more private engagement on social media instead of public all the time. But it’s not just messaging, as mentioned in this SproutSocial’s article, that features like Instagram threads and Facebook Group marketing make the trend of private engagement more “ exclusive club” like.
These trends are the ones to look for this year, as they continue to shape how we communicate and connect. As we move forward into a future that is filled with new digital and social innovation as users, consumers, and marketers, we need to adapt to social media’s high standards that change every year.
References
Social Media Trends 2020 Video. (2020) Retrieved from: https://hootsuite.com/research/social-trends
Barnhart, B. (2020, January 06). 9 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2020. Retrieved from: https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-trends/
Patel, D. (2019, December 20). 12 Social Media Trends to Watch in 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/343863
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