5 Social Media Marketing Trends to Watch in 2019

So much has happened in the social media marketing world since the beginning of this year, but looking at the past 2 months, it would be safe to say that 2019 is going to be even more exciting.

Not only will 2019 be a continuation of the change that has been happening in the social media marketing space, but we are also going to witness a consolidation of some existing trends.

Influencer marketing and video content were the dominant trends this year and may continue next year.

However, we are most likely going to witness a shift in the way marketers and socially-conscious companies approach social media marketing.

Here are some trends to watch out for come 2019:

Short Videos and Ads Will Gain More Popularity: We are seeing this trend already and it is called “snack ads”. Come 2019, it is going to become full-blown and those who are quick to catch on the trend may witness more video conversions. People are developing short attention span for video ads and companies trying to feed them unnecessary information. What we see today is that companies are witnessing increased video views on their analytics but in the actual sense, people are not watching.

Come 2019, we are going to be seeing more ads cut into short video series of 10 seconds per video. So, if you are going to continue making video ads, make it snappy and convey your point within 10 seconds

Chatbots will Gain Will Go Mainstream: As customers continue to demand instant gratification, the need for chatbots as customer care representative will continue to grow. This year, major corporations have adopted the technology and many are testifying to its impact on their customer retention and lead generation. Smaller businesses are jumping on the trend and we don’t see the trend slowing down in 2019 and beyond.

User-Generated Content Will Continue to Draw Social Engagement: It is common knowledge that user-generated content gets higher engagement from an audience than brand-specific posts. Apart from the engagement benefits, sharing content created by your audience is a sign that they are appreciated and considered a part of the company. In 2019, we will be seeing more of this; especially as content reach continues to decline across the various social media channels.

Video marketing will continue to grow. Influencer marketing will go in a more micro dimension to accommodate newer influencers and minimize cost, and people will continue to click ads.

Generation Z Will Become More Socially-Active: Yes! We have heard enough about Millennials and all that they like. Gen Z has grown and interestingly, the oldest of them grew up surrounded by technology.

But that is not the most interesting part. The thing to notice is that they have started entering the workforce which means that they now have the purchasing power to satisfy their needs without relying on stipends from their guardians.

If your business caters to people in this demographic, then, you must create a social media strategy that incorporates storytelling and personalized customer service. Instagram should be at the heart of your marketing strategy and you should be generous with showing off what goes on behind the scenes. These folks are not interested in your product, they are interested in the story behind the product.

Audience Will Demand More Transparency from Businesses: We stated earlier that Gen Z is not just interested in your product but the story behind the brand. But this is not just common with people of that age.

Generally, people are becoming wary of what they spend their money on. They want to know how you treat your staff, how you source the materials for your products, what goes on during the production process and what causes that drive your business.

People no longer buy a product just to solve their needs but to feel that they are part of something bigger than the product. It is called “community” or “tribe”. If you can have an open communication channel and explain things to your audience as it happens, you will keep your customers and even win more customers come 2019

However, whichever way you decide to approach your social media marketing strategies, putting these trends into consideration while creating your content will help you to see better results in 2019.