Shape Your Marketing with These 2018 Trends in Mind

With Social media platforms forever changing and updating, we do too. By following suit you’re making the critical decision to stay on top of what’s new in such a competitive space. It’s important to prepare for the ongoing changes throughout 2018 and years to come. From these top 5 marketing trends, hone in on what will benefit you and watch your growth sore. 

1) VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO

It’s in demand and there’s proof why it’s worth everyone’s attention:

• YouTube viewers watch a billion hours of video each day 
• Facebook users consume over 8 billion videos every day 
• Snapchat has more than 10 billion daily video views 

Social video engagement stats are expected to skyrocket this year. With strong, eye-catching video content nothing else will compare. It’s always important to remember though, mobile comes first! Majority of consumers use mobile devices now a day, whether it’s to go online or check social media so it is vital to keep content quick yet engaging. There’s a huge variety of formats to take advantage of so what’s your excuse?

2) SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER GAINS

Social influencer marketing at this point has been well established. There’s an upwards climb of tough competition when trying to work with top brand influencers. There is a way to avoid all that pressure though and that’s with marketers looking to develop more long-term relationships with key social media influencers this year. Don’t get left out in the cold because another brand stole your deal! Look for ways to stay savvy and focus on building an organic relationship that will mesh with your brand in 2018.

3) PRIVACY PROTECTION

A selling point in anyone’s marketing message should contain privacy protection due to the widespread problem it has become. In 2017, 143 million Americans were affected by one of the biggest breaches by a consumer credit reporting agency. You want to make your message induce a sense of trust and increase credibility. This will really make you stand out in a crowd! Check that your contact information is always up to date, display all secure badges prominently, secure your checkout process (if applicable) and always share customer reviews. 

4) ARE CHATBOTS TAKING OVER?

People think of chatbots and they think, FAKE! We should not associate a negative connotation with this. Chatbots have been around for years, but with some big improvements as of recent. More brands are working chatbots into their customer support and in doing so helping to perfect their chatbot marketing strategy. Customers want fast, reliable service so the future of bots is looking bright with an estimated 85% of customer interactions managed by chatbots by 2020. 70% of US Millennial Chatbot Users experienced a positive attitude toward their chatbot experience in a study done back in December of 2016. It’s only a matter of time before artificial intelligence become the new normal. (Source: Social Media Examiner)

5) THE NEW ART OF STORYTELLING

With “stories” growing popularity on social media this will be something marketers cannot ignore in the coming year. The “stories” format was originally pioneered by Snapchat and has now become a social media staple. Every platform is following suit following a very similar concept. This creates a new fun little way to present video content and with “stories” short nature since they disappear after a short period of time, this creates the need for people to check constantly or FOMO will set in.
All these trends will shape the landscape of social and digital marketing in 2018. To keep your brand ahead of the curve, you’ll need to update your content and strategy to reflect changing consumer desires.