Social Media changes at an extremely fast pace which can seem overwhelming if you are not prepared.

Social Media can be a fantastic cost-effective way to grow sales for your business, but it does require some diligence and a willingness to stay ahead of the curve – which is what I’ll be helping you with today!

First, some fast facts about Social Media today:

• There are now 2.5 Billion social media users
• Social Media has gone mobile – more users now access their social media platforms direct from their mobile phone
• Businesses can no longer afford to ignore social customer service
• Organic reach and referral traffic has plummetted
• Video remains the most popular content type

So what does this all mean for your business?

It means great market opportunity – all within the reach! Let’s explore each of these emerging trends in more detail.

 

5 Social Media Trends Your Business Cannot Afford to Ignore

 

There are now 2.5 Billion social media users

Social media has become one of the best ways for an online business to reach it’s target audience – because of the sheer size AND data available.

There are currently 2.5 Billion users on social media, an increase from 2.46 in 2017, and with predicted growth to over 3 billion by 2021.

Social media allows businesses to reach a large volume of customers for free using organic posts, or for a fee using paid campaigns, such as Facebook Ads.

As each platform continues to grow, with it comes more data that businesses can leverage to improve targeting and refine their campaigns even further. This presents a fantastic opportunity AND levels the playing field entirely. Both big and small business are accessing social media users on the same platform with the same technology. The only difference is how much time, effort and money you are prepared to invest in your campaigns – but as I’ve discussed in previous blog posts – you can gain great results with very little investment.

Here is a snapshot of the main social media platforms:

• Facebook: 2.07 Billion Monthly active users
• Instagram: 800 million monthly active users
• Twitter: 330 million monthly active users
• LinkedIn: 500 million members
• Pinterest: 200 million monthly active users
• Snapchat: 178 million daily active users

Social Media has gone mobile

The use of smartphones has grown rapidly and recent studies have revealed that most of us also use our smartphones while watching the TV.

More and more people are using their smartphones to access social media, which makes it even more important now, than ever before, for online businesses to take into consideration the user experience for anyone on a mobile phone. You can no longer turn a blind eye or cast this aside in the too hard basket!

Also, keep in mind mobile FIRST social platforms like Instagram – which continue to provide a better user experience on the phone than on a desktop computer.

2018 will be the year to get your business on board with creating ‘mobile first’ content.

A couple of quick tips for designing on mobile:

• Use the recommended image sizes (most platforms provide these).
• Create square or vertical content to take up the majority of screen real estate available on a phone (as opposed to landscape content)

Businesses can no longer afford to ignore social customer service

Here are some important facts to consider when it comes to your business and social customer service:

• 56% of customers would prefer to message then call
• 61% like receiving a personalised message from businesses
• More then 50% prefer shopping with a business they can message

Facebook has kindly made social customer service a little easier for businesses with their new Apps. In 2017 they release ‘Click-to-Messenger ads’, ‘Click-to-WhatsApp Ads’ along with several other native messenger feature boosts.

These days customers WANT to connect with you on social media. They want their questions answered as quickly as possible and they want the security of knowing that the business they are buying from is meeting them where they are – that being on social media.

Need a little more incentive?

• 70% of customers are more likely to buy from you
• 75% are more likely to SHARE their good experience on their social media profile
• 73% will share their experience with friends

So what are you waiting for? 🙂

Organic reach and referral traffic has plummetted

Facebook introduced changes to its algorithm to prioritise posts from friends and families over businesses which have drastically impacted the organic reach of business posts. So if you have noticed a decline in your post-performance, rest assured, this was felt across the globe!

Referral traffic has also declined as a direct result. When people are no longer seeing your post content, then they are no longer clicking, which impacts the volume of traffic heading to your website. For some businesses, the decline was almost half.

Does this mean you stop posting organic content? In a word, no!

What it does mean is rethinking the focus and goal of organic content. Where possible, use organic posts as an opportunity to build engagement, share your brand story, and consider it part of your larger brand building strategy.

Video remains the most popular content type

Social media has seen an increase in the performance of video for the past two years, and 2018 will see that trend continue.

Facebook has been very kind to video and in general, I notice twice the engagement on video compared to other posts. This presents a fantastic opportunity for online business owners.

With the introduction of Facebook and Instagram live videos and stories, 2018 may well just be the year of the video. Thanks to these features, businesses can now incorporate more candid, raw, or behind the scenes video into their content strategy, alongside more polished high-end video – and see great results from both!

There has been a great success for many brands ONLY sharing user-generated content, or content shot on a smartphone – no editing, no hair and makeup, just video showing real-time behind the scenes action. Super powerful for building a connection with customers.

If you are not already using video consistently on social media, I encourage you to try. Video can include animated slideshows if you are feeling particularly shy – but a video that tells a story or paints a picture of your customer is ideal!

 

 

As social media continues to grow and the platforms introduce new features and support for businesses, the opportunity for online businesses becomes more exciting!

My hope is these trends allow you to stay ahead of the curve as you continue to grow and build your social media brand presence.

Already on social media?

• What other social media trends have you spotted?
• What is working well in your business? Or what have you noticed shifting?

I’d love to hear from you – contact me here.