This post was originally posted on Entrepreneur.com
It’s 2020! There’s no doubt that social media will play a growing role in our lives for the next decade. So, how should businesses, brands, and even the average user anticipate the future for social platforms?
Here are 4 Social Media Trends You Shouldn’t Ignore in 2020.
Authentic content will be essential to social selling.
When it comes to gaining prospective clients and customers through social media, users are more skeptical than ever. They want to hear insights from real people before they pull out a credit card and close the sale. This is where user-generated content is critical, with the key being that these must be genuine.
User-generated content provides some social proof that your product may be worthy of trying.
Audiences wanting meaningful connections.
Brands must find ways to create more private, intimate connections with their audiences without becoming overly intrusive. This will likely come down to building brand communities, or groups where your brand message is relevant, but where you are also receptive to direct messaging.
Video Content will continue to rise
Video continues to be one of the most important trends in the social media world. In fact, video content will make up 82 percent of all internet traffic in 2020, according to Social Media Today. Content creators (especially video content) have many options that might be profitable for them. For instance, they can upload their videos on platforms and when they gain popularity, that can be available for someone looking for viral videos buy on newsflare or other similar sites. As social media platforms look for ways to further prioritize video content, marketers will increasingly zero in on videos as part of their overall strategies to target specific markets.
Less emphasis on “vanity metrics.”
Losing the “like” button on Instagram is part of a broader trend to de-emphasize the use of “vanity metrics” on social media.
For social media marketers and influencers, this should signal that it’s time to start digging deeper into actionable metrics — such as the rate and quality of user engagement on social media. Savvy marketers will take note and begin exploring user demographics and relevant user data to understand better how to target potential customers.
