Social Media: Trends To Watch In 2018

Social media can be one of the biggest tools that you can use in order to market your business. As the new year begins, understanding what trends are going to be hot for social media in 2018 will help maximise your social media marketing efforts and give you the best return on your investments. Here are some of the best trends to watch out for this year.

1.      Video & Live Streaming

Live streaming capabilities that you can access through Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter allows you to give your customers an inside look at your business and products. This was huge in 2017 and there is an expansion to this expected in 2018.

2.      Instagram Stories

Instagram is a hugely popular social media site at this point in time. Instagram Stories has become especially popular for users to connect with their followers. This is a tool that you can use to build up your brand awareness and connect with potential customers. When you master Instagram Stories, you can engage your audience in a manner that will increase your earning potential.

3.      Augmented Reality

Virtual reality is so popular right now, especially when it comes to gaming. However, augmented reality can be a real game changer as far as social media marketing goes. Some sites, like Facebook (which owns Oculus Rift), has already started to experiment with this technology. Brands are going to be able to utilize this technology for their own purposes of marketing as this technology advances and moves away from just the gaming industry.

4.      More Regulations

There has been a lot of controversy of how people used social media websites to manipulate consumers. Because of that, the rules and regulations about social media usage is changing so that they can more closely monitor potential abuse. With these changes, it will be essential for brands to learn about these regulations to prevent yourself from getting into trouble when using social media to market your business.

5.      Gen-Z

As this generation graduates from college, they are getting jobs and disposable income that you can earn if you know how to market to them. Using social media properly will help you to reach this group and get them to try out your products and services. Follow what social media sites they are currently using and use these sites to get the attention of this group.

6.      Messaging Platforms

Artificial intelligence grew in popularity in recent years and this is only going to get more popular in 2018 as technology advances. Chatbots on messenger platforms can be an effective way to engage your audience, especially as artificial intelligence becomes more intelligent.

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These are just some of the trends that you can keep an eye out for in 2018. If you want to maximize your social media accounts for getting your brand out there, it is crucial that you keep up with these ever-changing trends. This can make a huge difference in the success of your business.

Scott Jones is the CEO of 123 Internet Group, a full service digital marketing agency with a head office in Milton Keynes and further locations in Northampton and London we support a national audience with web design and development, search engine marketing, social media management, hosting and email services. For more information about our services or advice on how to improve your online marketing activities please reach out and connect with us via our website or our social media channels.