2019 Social Media Trends to Watch

Going Beyond The Top Three: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter

Social media is taking over digital marketing, and if your business doesn’t already have a social media plan and budget in place, now’s the time to start. Advertising on social media is key and it’s important to stay on top of the latest changes and trends, so your business can market itself in the best ways. This goes beyond what you may be used to when it comes to the big three social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. With new marketing tools on Instagram and the customers’ needs for more authenticity, it’s time to see what social media trends you should watch in 2019.

Vertical Videos & Instagram Stories

Instagram is more than just a bunch of pretty pictures. Businesses are growing their brand awareness and directly linking customers to their websites all with just the tap of a photo. You may be familiar with Instagram Stories and Instagram Lives, but what started off as short clips that expired after 24 hours has expanded into highlights that can be added to your profile, permanently.

Also, out of Instagram Stories, IGTV was born. This is a way to share longer vertical videos that, live on your business’ IGTV channel, which is optimized for mobile viewing. With the combination of Instagram Lives and IGTV, your business has tools ready to show your audience what you’re all about. Creating content specifically for mobile is important since your customers are browsing daily on their phones. This makes it easy for them to view and interact with your content without going out of their way.

Be a Storyteller

Customers want more from businesses. They want to know that there is a story behind the brand. This is your business’ chance to be a storyteller. Share testimonials of how your business has influenced someone’s life. Tell stories of how a customer impacted your business. Relate to your customers on a personal level and take away the sterile, corporate feel of businesses in the past.

Chat Up Your Audience

Messenger, direct messages on Twitter and Instagram are all ways customers use to interact with each other and with businesses. It’s quicker and easier to communicate via messaging apps versus sending an email and waiting 24 to 48 hours for a customer service rep to reply. In 2019, you’ll be seeing more brands using Messenger and chatbots to learn more about their customers from questions on preferences to getting them to sign up for newsletters. Chatbots are easy to set up and you let Messenger collect info on potential customers while you focus on customer service inquiries. It’s also vital to keep your response time between 24 to 48 hours maximum. The sooner you’re able to respond to any customer inquiries be they good or bad, the better reputation you’ll have among your customers. Stay on top of your inboxes and keep those notifications turned on.

Build Your Brand Narrative

Customers are looking for businesses’ personalities and are paying closer attention to those who are authentic and those who are not. What makes your business unique is what will help you stand out among your competition. If your business was started by family decades ago, focus on how family has and will always be a part of your business. It’s important for customers to see beyond a corporate business identity and learn more about the people who run the business. Have fun and don’t be afraid to let your staff’s personality shine. Remember, customers are building their trust with your business, and in turn, building trust with you.

Hop on Social Media Trends

Trends can be seen as fleeting bouts of popularity, but some trends may very well be along for years to come. It’s important that your business determines what trends are most beneficial to your business and find unique ways to use those trends to your advantage. Remember that mobile content is key to reaching customers and you should always strive to build your business’ brand awareness and remain authentic.