Social media has now become an essential part of your marketing strategy. It can help build relationships with your customers, create brand awareness, and drive sales. But it’s more than just a way to stay connected with your audience—it’s also a way to sell your products, reach new people, and spread the word about your business. If you’re just starting with social media marketing, here are some top trends you should keep an eye on.
The Rise of Mobile
Social media is all about the mobile experience. It can be hard to keep up with, but you could lose customers if you don’t have a mobile-friendly website or app. In fact, according to research by Google and Adobe Digital Index, 85% of users expect brands they interact with online to have a mobile-optimized site or app.
Studies have also shown that most users access social media from mobile devices, so if you’re not optimizing your content for mobile, you could be missing out on a considerable part of your audience. In fact, over half (56%) of users who come to your site via a search engine will leave if it’s not optimized for mobile. Mobile-friendly websites are not only more appealing to users, but they also help you rank higher on search engines like Google. According to Google, having a mobile-optimized website can increase your click-through rate by as much as 85%.
Content Creation
With the rise of social media, content creation has become increasingly important for brands. If you don’t have fresh, engaging content on your site or in your app, users will get bored and move on to another brand that does. In fact, according to a study by HubSpot, businesses that create blog posts that resonate with their audience see an average increase in traffic of 26% over time.
In recent times, short-form video content like Instagram reels, Instagram stories, and Snapchat has become a significant part of the marketing mix. Brands are using these platforms to engage with their audience in new ways and show off their products in a fun, lighthearted way that’s more approachable than traditional advertising. In fact, according to research from GroupM UK and Google’s DoubleClick Bid Manager, video ads on mobile are three times as effective as other formats like static images or text-based ads.
eCommerce on Social Media
eCommerce is also a big trend, with many brands using Instagram to sell their products directly to their audience. In fact, according to research by Shopify and Salesforce, 92% of brands using Instagram as part of their marketing strategy are also selling on the platform. This is because Instagram has a built-in audience of more than one billion active users, making it a great place for brands to build brand awareness and reach new customers. Plus, Instagram’s shopping feature makes it easy for people to buy products directly from your page.
This isn’t the only way financial transactions have been integrated into social media. International money transfer centers and money remittance services traditionally used by people to send money are also starting to use social media as a platform to reach out to their customers. Take Facebook, for example. In 2015, the social media giant partnered with Interac and MoneyGram to allow users to send money through Messenger. Since then, other companies have followed suit by introducing similar features on their platforms.
Personalized Digital Marketing Efforts
Personalized ads have also come to the forefront of social media marketing. They use data from your profile, including your location and interests, to show you relevant ads. This can help improve engagement with your audience by showing them content that they actually want to see. The analytics of social media marketing has also improved. You can now track the effectiveness of your campaigns much more quickly and see which ones are working best for you. This helps you find new ways to reach your audience or adjust your strategy if something isn’t working well.
In addition to analytics, social media marketing has improved with new features. For example, Facebook now allows you to create a “dark post” that won’t appear on your page or any other user’s timeline. This is great for sharing information about special offers or events only relevant to specific people. You can also create custom audiences based on users who have visited your website or interacted with certain content in the past.
Final Thoughts
The digital marketing space is largely evolving on a wide variety of social media platforms that are quickly gaining popularity. With new features and tools, social media marketing is becoming more effective than ever before. And with the right strategy, social media can be an extremely powerful tool for your business. It’s crucial to stay on top of trends and learn from other companies in your industry. The more you know about the latest tools and features available to you, the more effective your marketing will be.
