As the end of the year approaches, it’s time to start looking forward to 2018 and how social media will continue to evolve.
Social media is a fast-moving platform, that is ever changing and developing. Just this year, Twitter doubled its 140-character limit to 280, whilst Facebook created the ability to upload stories to your profile.
With some of the most popular social media channels making significant changes to their platforms, what else can we expect from 2018?
Video
Even though it has been around for a while, video content on Facebook and Twitter continues to rise in popularity. One element that is expected in 2018 is the use of subtitles, which will encourage users to watch anytime, anywhere, even in a public place. It is important to develop video content which can be viewed this way to engage a wider audience.
Short-Lived Content
In today’s society, time is short and speed is key when trying to get messages across using social media. This year, we have seen Facebook and Instagram following in Snapchats footsteps and introduced video stories which allow short video clips to be viewed for a limited period of time.
Instagram stories are popular amongst young people and will continue to increase in popularity in 2018 as other audiences start using the social media site. This means if you want to start connecting with Instagram users, your brand must invest time in creating stories.
Influencer Marketing
Using social media influencers is big business and it has exploded in recent years and looks like it will continue in 2018. However, the key trend for next year will be moving towards authenticity, rather than working with the ‘biggest’ influencers or celebrities. It will be far more beneficial working with influencers that want to endorse your product than someone with a larger following who has no interest. This is because the audience can distinguish when a celebrity is being genuine with the product.
Rethinking Twitter
Twitter has failed to grow followers significantly this year, with Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn acquiring more year on year. Twitter is the slowest of all the major platforms, despite making key changes such as increasing its character limit. In 2018, Twitter needs to make big changes to stay relevant and interesting to users.
Following these social media trends will ensure audience engagement with your brand.
We look forward to seeing any new editions to the social media world for the new year. If you need any help with your business’ social media pages, just get in touch!