Social media trends change at lightning speed, and it’s vital for businesses to be aware of these changes as they arise. Social media management platform Hootsuite has recently released a forecast report to help us understand where social media trends are heading in 2019.

Here at Chronicle Republic we consider ourselves social media trend gurus, but we must admit – a few of these surprised even us! For your ease, we have put together a summary of the report findings. If you’d like to find out what your business should be looking out for this year in regards to social media trends, keep reading!

Trend 1: Rebuilding trust

Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer Report reveals 60% of people no longer trust social media platforms. In fact, a growing scepticism for media and celebrity influencers has seen users revert their trust back to friends and family on social media, and traditional and trusted news sources.

Brands must focus on earning trust and providing real value to their customers. Doing this, they can better generate quality engagement with a positive impact on brand value and long-term ROI.

Some of Hootsuite’s recommendations to help build users’ trust include:

  • Use a branded hashtag to create conversation and bring together your brand’s community
  • Involve micro-influencers in your marketing strategy. Cheaper than well-known/celebrity influencers, they have highly engaged audiences and are viewed as more trustworthy

Trend 2: Storifying social

A huge social media trend is the changing landscape of the newsfeed. Stories are becoming a leading format for sharing, growing 15 times faster than feed-based sharing. Visual, ephemeral and immediate, stories are usually budget-friendly, created and consumed ad-hoc, and add a personal touch to your brand.

Some of Hootsuite’s recommendations for integrating stories into your strategy include:

  • Create story-specific content. It should feel raw, unedited and live action
  • Utilise all creative resources. Find ways to integrate video, photography and graphic design
  • Track the effectiveness of your content via UTM links attached to the ‘swipe up’ feature

Trend 3: Closing the ad gap

The increasingly competitive nature of paid social media advertising means that brands are now having to work harder than ever to be noticed online. While one in every four Facebook Pages uses paid media, it is not enough to simply pay your way into a newsfeed. Your ad must also be engaging enough to stand out among the background noise.

Some of Hootsuite’s recommendations for making the most of paid social include:

  • Target a focused group
  • Use defined goals and metrics to measure the effectiveness of your ads
  • Invest in high-quality content that will resonate with your audience. You do not need to splash out on expensive equipment or a professional crew, but learning some video basics, or hiring a freelancer can increase quality greatly
  • Embrace new ad formats, which have the inherent advantage of leveraging user curiosity

Trend 4: Cracking the commerce code

While social commerce has taken off in Asia, this trend is yet to emerge in full force in its Western counterparts. However, with 28% of Hootsuite’s survey respondents having either already implemented social commerce, or planning to do so in the next 12 months, we are slowly but surely seeing the emergence of new technologies to help bridge this gap. Some examples include Instagram’s shoppable posts, Facebook Marketplace, and Pinterest’s Buyable Pins.

Hootsuite’s recommendations for leveraging social commerce technologies include:

  • Set up shoppable Instagram posts
  • Showcase images and videos of your products in action. This will help potential customers consider how your products look and feel virtually

Trend 5: Messaging eats the world

Users on messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, QQ and Skype now easily overtake the number of traditional social network users worldwide. This social media trend demonstrates a shift from public to private spaces, with users spending more time messaging, and less sharing on social. According to a 2016 survey, 9/10 consumers would like to use messaging to communicate with businesses. Not only is a direct channel for businesses, but also presents an opportunity for high-value conversations and building rapport.

Some of Hootsuite’s recommendations for leveraging messenger platforms include:

  • Enable Facebook Messenger for your page
  • Quickly move conversations from public to private spaces when customers reach out to you

Need help with your digital marketing?

Chronicle Republic Communications is a boutique Sydney marketing consultancy for real estate, property and interiors professionals. We specialise in social media, content marketing, email marketing, blogging, search engine optimisation, social media advertising and much more!

If you are looking for social media for real estate, property or interior design our digital marketing experts can help you bring your brand’s story to life.

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