Key Social Media Marketing Trends in 2020

If you want to get the most from your social media marketing strategies in 2020, there are some trends to keep in mind as the year progresses. Social media will continue to be an integral part of digital marketing, making it necessary to effectively leverage Facebook and other channels if you want to superpower your campaigns.

Despite social media's importance in today's digital marketing environment, it can be a challenge to keep up with the changes that social media marketing undergoes, as what worked one year might be obsolete the next.

Here are some of the key social media marketing trends in 2020 that you should look out for if you want to develop an effective strategy.

A Decrease in Social Media Use

Billions of people use social media today, with more people using it every year, but a growing number of users are attempting to "detox" from social media at the same time. This means that more people are starting to delete apps or their profiles altogether.

People are taking either a temporary or permanent break from social media platforms for myriad reasons. Some have chosen to "detox" because they simply don't trust the various platforms, while others are worried about being misled with false news and other misinformation, along with privacy concerns.

Keep in mind that this trend doesn't mean you should consider avoiding social media marketing, but it should help inform how you utilize social media in your digital marketing campaigns. The most important step to take is to make social media one of many marketing channels that can boost your campaigns. Social media should be used in conjunction with other media such as email and search engine marketing to help you get the best possible results.

This trend also means that you should work to make your social media presence meaningful, satisfying your audiences with engaging and helpful content that keeps them returning and attracts new customers or clientele. If you stand out in a positive way, social media marketing in 2020 will be worth the time and effort.

Community Building

One of the best ways to make social media marketing a valuable asset for your marketing campaigns is to engage with your audience. In addition to increasing likes and shares, you need to develop social media strategies that help cultivate more meaningful interactions.

You'll find no shortage of B2B and B2C brands out there with large social media followings, but in many cases the level of engagement is minimal. The secret to getting your followers to engage with your brand will be to build a community around your content.

One of the best ways to make sure you're getting the most from social media channels is to consistently measure your efforts and engage with your audience. This way you can gauge what's working and what could benefit from improvement. Feel free to experiment and determine what sticks and what you should ditch.

More than anything, potential customers want to see what current or past customers have to say about your products, and encouraging customer comments and chats with your company via Twitter or other platforms can persuade prospects.

You can attract more current and potential customers to your social media profiles by regularly posting and promoting content using a voice that's uniquely yours, which will give your business a personal touch that helps people see you as a trustworthy source for information, along with solutions to their problems.

The more customers feel like your business is a "friend" to them on social media, the more engagement you'll inspire with both your social media page and website.

Marketing Through Word-of-Mouth and Influencers

Another advantage that comes from developing a social media community is the spread of brand awareness via word-of-mouth marketing. Social media influencers will be able to promote your products or services and could be a significant source of potential customers and leads even if they have smaller audiences.

One social media marketing trend in 2020 will be a decrease in trust of larger influencers. Because of their tendency to endorse brands when paid enough, more and more consumers are beginning to believe their reviews aren't genuine. Subsequently, people are more likely to trust smaller influencers who are a part of their communities. You can also count on smaller influencers to promote your brand honestly at a lower cost than you would need to pay for a more famous influencer, with better overall ROI as you convert those micro-influencers' audiences.

The more people are talking about you favorably, the more you'll extend your outreach and attract customers interested in what you have to offer based on their needs.

The Use of Alternative Social Media Platforms

Another 2020 social media marketing trend to look out for will be the use of platforms outside of the usual Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. Users are getting tired of these platforms and, at the same time, businesses are struggling to gain organic search engagement and traffic.

As a result, you may be better off using alternative social media platforms that are rising in popularity among users. One such platform is TikTok, which has attracted a growing number of users since its inception in 2016. In fact, over 1.1 billion people have installed this platform as of March 2019, with approximately 500 million active monthly users.

TikTok isn't the best tool for B2B brands, but if you're in a B2C industry, you can use this to target younger audiences in their teens to twenties.

One platform that's far from new but still has plenty of traction is Pinterest. Unlike other platforms that people are leaving for the reasons discussed, users are still sticking with Pinterest because of its emphasis on shareable images over more personal posts. According to a recent Pinterest report, 75 percent of users have stated that they're "very interested" in purchasing new products compared to the 55 percent of users on other platforms.

Other benefits of using Pinterest include the lack of fake influencers, a more user-friendly search function, and the absence of intrusive ads.

A combination of campaigns focused on both TikTok and Pinterest can give you the results you want, with plenty of ways to share original content.

Using Social Media as a Form of Customer Service

One element that will always be vital to the customer experience is quality customer service. In today's digital marketing environment, the customer service you provide will be a lot more visible to everyone online through reviews, complaints, and other public engagements with your brand. These instances are also easier to find using social media.

Many consumers will want the most efficient way to communicate with a company for questions or comments, and through the use of social media people can instantly message businesses for timely service.

Because of its convenience, consumers will expect businesses to use social media to communicate with their customers, providing same-day responses to their questions or complaints. If you want to satisfy your customers, providing fast responses over social media by utilizing these channels as customer service centers can keep people from turning away from your brand.

Storytelling Through Social Media

Snapchat and other platforms have made creating stories an important aspect of their features. Telling visual stories using social media can help people further connect with your business, and they can range from sincere anecdotes to fun tongue-in-cheek posts that don't take themselves too seriously.

People also particularly love Instagram Stories because they're more authentic than traditional heavily edited posts, content is only up for 24 hours and thus never becomes outdated, and Stories also enable users to share other people's Instagram posts to connect more easily with other businesses and accounts.

While Instagram Stories aren't ideal for every brand, more people are going to expect brands to create them, making them worth considering and exploring. Instagram may also add more features for brands as more businesses use them, which may make them more accessible for businesses of all types.

Stay Relevant and Ahead of the Competition with Social Media Marketing in 2020

Taking all of these strategies and trends into consideration, you can leverage social media platforms more effectively over the next year to revamp your marketing campaigns and grow your audiences. If you need help creating content or would like a professional consultation, give SkyLowe a call at: 1-855-SKYLOWE.

This article was first published on 11/04/2019 by SkyLowe.