Social media continues to take over the modern world. Astonishingly, the average person will spend nearly two hours (approximately 116 minutes) on social media every day, which translates to a total of 5 years and 4 months spent over a lifetime. Due to constant updates, social media platforms are gaining traction and showing no signs of slowing down.
As you begin planning for ways to strengthen your social strategy in 2018, it’s important to keep up with the social media trends. To help, we asked Commit’s Social Media Manager, Nick Christensen, to clue us in on social media trends you need to prepare for in 2018. Here’s what he had to say:
Video is King
Companies that don’t incorporate video into their content strategy are going to get left behind in the digital space. Not only that, but they’ll lose to their competitors. Video is shown more frequently on platforms like Facebook and Instagram and engages better than traditional photos and statuses. If you want to be top of mind with your audience, seriously consider using more video in 2018.
Be on Top of Reviews
We’re about to see a lot more reviews and recommendations in our news feeds, even more than we’ve seen in the last couple of years! With Snapchat debuting Context Cards, the younger generation is being exposed to current business ratings. They’ll have the chance to begin adding their voice to the mix. Eventually, Instagram will clone this service (because it’s what they do!) and then that modified service will trickle over to Facebook. It’s the circle of virtual life.
Target the Next Generation
Move over Millennials, it’s time for Generation Z! This group, primarily those currently in high school and college who have never known a time before the Internet, will have increased buying power. Brands hoping to sell to them will dominate Instagram and Snapchat, where this generation lives, and we’ll essentially start to see these platforms turn into Amazon 2.0.
We’re only a few months away from 2018… have you started next year’s social planning yet? Social media provides a cost-effective platform for your company to interact with customers, create and distribute meaningful content, and build your brand. But to use this marketing tool to your advantage, you’ll need to stay consistent with the social media trends—or else your content will get buried.
