Now is the time to decide your New Year’s resolution. What are your goals for 2020? Read more, learn a new language, make it to the gym? No matter your goal, the team here at Shop Style Design is here to help you.
On a completely different note, what do you think your business resolution should be? Traffic growth, sales increase, hit 5000 social media followers? Whatever it is, the suggestions below can help get you there.
These are not chosen randomly: they are based on social media trends that are about to take the world of social media by storm in 2020. You can either wait and see or lead the charge.
Which strategy will you try first?
1. Start Listening to What People Think of Your Brand
Social listening is an ever-growing trend. The number of people using social media to talk to and about brands is growing exponentially. As a result, the number of social listening tools is also increasing; using data to understand the overall make-up of a customer is a must.
Currently, the main goal of social listening is to maintain good customer service and assess the overall reputation of the brand. Although this is still important, another goal can take your business further, and that is demand generation. You’ll find hot leads on social networks, those who are vocally looking for a product or service like yours.
So the trends in 2020 will see social listening used differently than in 2019.
2. Test Marketing Through tiktok
Presently tiktok marketing only works if you target very young people; most tiktok users are under 35 years old. That being said, aside from Instagram, it may be the only effective platform effectively targeting this demographic.
tiktok achieved great success in 2019: the platform reached 500 million active users, making it the ninth-largest social networking site. Tiktok was also the third most downloaded app of the first quarter of 2019 so we expect that it will become mainstream in 2020 and continue to grow to compete with the other social networks.
tiktok also launched advertising in 2019, which means that brands can try to reach their audience not only in an organic way but also through good old fashioned advertising.
tiktok is primarily a video streaming application, so brands should create videos using effects and filters to promote their products.
3. Now is the Time to Post Instagram and Facebook Stories
In recent years, there has been a steady increase in fleeting content and, we hope that this trend will continue to grow. The “trendy” factor of short-lived content is not the only positive.
Short content is also addictive: people choose to watch stories because sometimes they include exciting and essential information, even though most of the time, they won’t. This is what is known as an unpredictable reward, the kind of reward that catches us best. Stories encourage people to act now. We all know the power of advertising “one day only” sales – this is no different.
4. Take You Content Live
With increasing speed, social networks are transitioning to offer “live” content. Within just a couple of years, the major socials have introduced Facebook Live, Instagram Live, YouTube Live and more.
They now allow consumers to communicate directly with the brands and people about whom they care. Not only that, live content is given preference by Facebook’s algorithms, so a business’ potential customers have a higher chance of watching live video compared to recorded videos in their organic feeds.
According to an Interactive Advertising Bureau survey, 47% of live video viewers worldwide are watching more live videos than they were in the previous year. 44% of respondents say they watch less TV as a result of the increase in streaming video online, and live video is expected to reach $70 billion in the industry by 2021.
Going “live” online is something worth trying in 2020. What can you stream? First of all, anything that promotes contact between you and your audience: background scenarios, employees, product launches, and product productions are all great places to start. Second, you can record what you usually post on social media or on your blog (for example, tips and tricks on how to get the best product) as a live video.
5. Find and Collaborate with Micro-influencers in your Niche
2020 will see a continued decline in the reputation of the biggest influencers in social networks. Social media users treat them like celebrities and trust them as little as they trust actors and singers. That being said, celebrity influencers are still very powerful when looking to raise brand awareness; millions of followers could see a single post at a time.
If you’re looking to inspire trust and drive sales, you’re better off working with micro-influencers. Unlike larger “celebrities” with millions of followers, micro-influencers are part of the community, experts in their field and viewed as not being able to be bought. The level of consumer confidence in them is high and their recommendations are perceived as being more genuine.
In 2020 try to find a few micro-influencers you can work with to build your product’s reputation.
6. Try to Record a Podcast
In the United States, the number of people listening to podcasts increased to 22%. Compared to 2018, that’s an increase of 17%.
Podcasts are used to entertain and teach business owners, vendors, and media. They include the same type of content you can find on blogs and news sites but are presented in a way that can be consumed on the fly. This allows you to interact with and have your message heard by those who may not have time to read your blog on a weekly basis.
For all of their advantages, podcasts are not an easy job. They are not suitable for every niche or every audience. While you should consider trying podcasts as they are a trend that will continue to grow, make sure you understand your target customer first and that they’re a good fit.
7. Let Your Funny Side Show
Leveraging humor in marketing isn’t a new concept, but it’s one that’s trendy, effective, and a welcome change. Although developing a hilarious ad or marketing concept is undoubtedly a good idea (depending on your customer persona), interacting with your customers and prospective customers on Twitter and the other social channels often works better. Become a part of the community and use that to look to drive product sales and deliver updates. Be interesting and people will follow you.
In 2019 brands actively used humor in their marketing, even when it didn’t seem to connect with their industry and brand image. From toilet paper to dictionary, from Spotify to Pornhub, everyone was jumping on the humor bandwagon and we expect that trend to continue into 2020.
When you try it, the results are pleasant and clear. Businesses gain more followers, have higher participation rates, and receive free media publications.
2020 is the year to find a social media manager with a sense of humor and see how this will indirectly, but inevitably increases your sales.
