The Future of Social Media Marketing
Next few years for social media will be very exciting, because it will reach a point where it has to keep pace with the demands of users rather than offering what is available. Being a business owner, you need to be aware of the latest info about your field and modify your strategy once the new trends emerge. Let us discuss the most expected social media predictions for next five years, especially on how to integrate them.
1. Videos will reign
According to one survey by Baidu, in the next few years, 50% of survey will be done through voice recognition systems or graphics. Now, social media users are becoming more comfortable with visual contents. Website designs have been optimized in ways that allow image searching in just seconds, and with the rise of social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, and new channels such as Chingari, Houseparty, Helo, or CoNnEcTd there are more visual-based contents than ever before. And with easy availability of smartphones, most users are now connected to cameras, photos, and videos. Now an average user on social media is sharing less personal information and more engaging videos or funny memes to tag friends.
2. Preference for VR and AR
Advanced technology and more practical applications of Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) are proving a game-changer for social media networks. Snapchat provides Geofilters, which is a good example where you can view location-specific videos. This feature will likely find a lot of supports among youngsters because as per the survey made by GlobalWebIndex 22% of Gen Z is using Geofilters every month.
You can experience these features on shopping sites that help customers try on virtual clothing versions before actually buying. Facebook Messenger, Amazon, WhatsApp, Instagram, CoNnEcTd India and WeChat are exploring ways to include AR in their marketing strategies.
3. Mobile will dominate
The way the number of smartphones is increasing, most of the social media channels are introducing mobile-centric features. Therefore, for users mobiles will be the most preferred device to explore social media.
4. Chatbots
If you are having an online business, chatbots can be very important tools for you. We are living in a time when people to people communication is becoming limited, and Chatbots can be ideal replacements. It can perform multiple functions like - displaying a product gallery on Instagram, or tagging products on Facebook. Now young users on social media platforms prefer chatbots to engage and discover products.
5. Personal conversation
Nowadays teen users are more likely to send video or image snippets rather than typing a message on their phone. Businesses need to keep this in consideration by moving forward with different forms of social videos to grow their customer community.
6. Marketing through Influencers
Influencer marketing has come to stay, and in the last few years, there has been a phenomenal growth in this segment. People prefer endorsement of products by the influencers because when they share a product on social media, it does not feel like advertising. They appreciate the fact that it's coming from a real person instead of a celebrity. Usually, about 22% of young consumers in the age group of 18 to 34 years make purchases only after seeing recommendations from influencers online.
7. Surge in fake news
Fake news has always been a major issue on social media, but now marketers might be looking at a stricter regulation of the industry. Therefore, Facebook is now planning to take consent from businesses before posting any content for a niche audience. Still, there will be a lot of fake news on social media, and users should be prepared to negotiate with it.
8. Trust for search engines
Although people love to be on social media, still 95% of people do not trust it, and 66% do not trust even search engines. Therefore, if you are thinking about the social media future, you should begin planning your social media strategies for search engines too.
