In the tumultuous realm of social media, the only constant thing is change.
This state of affairs echoes the shifting pathways of human communication and interaction. As a result, the marketing playing field is evolving and expanding as well.
These days, merely being present on the big stage is far from sufficient. If you really mean business, you have to constantly adapt and refine your tactics.
Yes, many trends come and vanish fast, but some of them stay around to transform business strategies. Separating them from mere fads is vital to leveraging powerful social platforms.
The good news is we did the homework for you. Here are Facebook trends poised to dominate 2019 and beyond.
Jump ahead to:
Live Video is Booming On
There’s no stopping a steady incline of video content.
Users just can’t get enough of compelling stories told through striking visuals. They prefer this kind of engrossing experience over simply reading articles.
Therefore, the vast majority of brand executives underline this format as a key part of their digital strategies. Many of them have already implemented live streaming features, so you may want to take action soon enough.
It’s your best shot at stealing the spotlight and driving engagement with content.
Just make sure to prioritize content quality and join real-time interactions. This due diligence will spearhead your attempt to cut through immense noise out there.
Rise of Micro-Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing has been around for some time.
But, the way brands approach it has changed. Most notably, they have moved away from striking deals with celebrities. Instead, they embraced tactics that revolve around micro-influencers.
This term refers to people who have anywhere from 1,000 to 90,000 followers. While macro-influencers have the unmatched reach, their micro counterparts have a few selling points working for them. We’re talking about higher cost-effectiveness, as well as audience engagement and cohesion.
On top of all that, the micro-influencer approach tends to yield better conversion rates. What you have to do is set up a budget and reach out to suitable individuals.
Targeted Paid Ads
Advertising is the backbone of many winsome social media strategies.
The number of paid advertisers is growing and you don’t want to lag behind. Spending on ads could even surpass newspaper ad spending next year. It’s clear that investing funds is the key to generating new leads and business.
The trick here is to target demographics with utmost precision. You need to create a custom audience for a specific location and factor in indicators such as gender and age. The more data you have at hand, the more ROI you can count on.
Speaking of data, you would be wise to carry out ongoing social listening. Do remain mindful of privacy and security concerns while going about it.
Local Promotion is Gaining Prominence
Modern users scour the social landscape for relevant brand information.
Most of them do so with clear local intent. What does this mean for us? Well, when it comes to customer acquisition and retention, nationwide strategies no longer cut it.
One has to develop an effective local action plan and capitalize on local opportunities. Aim to direct more local traffic to your brick-and-mortar stores. Fine-tune your content or advertising campaigns according to local perimeters.
All in all, local-based marketing is a chance to foster meaningful relationships with people. It’s a win-win situation, whichever way you turn it.
VR and AR Have Joined the Race
Technology is the driving force behind the digital transformation.
Social media is no exception. Facebook officials have made VR and AR integral parts of their plans for the future. Profs come in the form of Camera Effects Platform and Facebook Spaces.
As for customers, they perceive this turn of events in the most positive light. They’ve never seen such interactivity and immersion before. And from a business standpoint, this is great untapped potential there.
Using two cutting-edge technologies, you can enhance your visual content. For instance, you engage in creative branding that goes beyond static written descriptions. 360-degree splendor is one of many ideas to entertain down this inroad to success.
More and More Chatbots Incoming
Another tech-fuel innovation comes in the form of chatbots.
While they already existed in many corners of the internet, social media started harboring them only recently.
Essentially, chatbots are meant to fill the gaps in the flow of communication, which runs around the clock. They are able to come up with automatic responses to common queries and issues. The Messenger platform is the birthplace of this phenomenon.
It’s also one of the ways to integrate them with Facebook. But, the list of amazing promotional and customer service possibilities goes on.
Take the example of Brands like Pizza Hut. They utilize chatbots for their automated ordering systems.
Facebook Groups Will Have Their Big Moment
Finally, we come across the peculiar case of Facebook Groups.
This facet to networking has been somewhat neglected for years back. Then, in 2018, Facebook introduced new features. These changes reflected the surge in the areas of Stories, business pages, and live videos.
And if this year’s F8 Conference is any indication, Groups are only going to become more important.
We’ll soon have Groups Tab, which will display posts from groups you’re a member of. Even the News Feed, bread-and-butter of Facebook, will start doing the same.
Businesses have to awaken to this new reality and find a way to thrive in it. Group-backed community building is the name of the game.
Time to Get on Top of Facebook Trends
Facebook is where most of your potential customers spend their time.
But, in this day and age, you cannot set up a profile and post from time to time. Emulating what other brands are doing isn’t good either. It’s certainly no method to make big waves.
So, get back to the drawing board and rethink your approach.
Focus on keeping up the pace with the latest Facebook trends. Determine what works best in your specific business case and for your audience. Use smart tactics in conjunction and allocate your marketing dollars where they’ll matter the most.
That’s the way to amplify your messages and extend marketing reach. Feel free to browse our resources for more actionable tips.
Stay vigilant and quick on your feet!
