Social media can be noisy – which means if you want your message to get across, you need to keep it super-relevant. In order to do that, you’ll want to stay on top of the ever-changing trends. If you want to start 2018 out with a bang, consider where trends are currently pointing and start organizing your own content plan that is headed in the same direction.
Related: How to Create a Media Kit
Here are 5 social media trends to watch for 2018
- Scripted content on Snapchat. According to Snapchat’s Vice President of Content, Nick Bell, we’ll likely start seeing scripted shows on the platform before 2018 even begins. This announcement follows the recent trend of huge online video streaming services Amazon, Netflix, and Hulu creating original shows. Is Snapchat the first of many social platforms to jump on this bandwagon? Could be; Facebook has been pushing video content more than ever in recent months, with the latest development being a dedicated “Watch Now” tab on the mobile app.
- Content with emotional depth. Gone are the days of 1-dimensional reactions. Facebook now offers several different reactions for users to choose from. It’s very possible that other platforms will follow. We can expect to see content creators share more emotional content, now that the possibilities for users to engage with it in a unique way are so much broader. The most effective influencers on social media will be giving serious thought to the emotional reaction their content will invoke.
- Video content. Video content has been getting preferential treatment across a few platforms in recent months and we can expect this upward trend to continue through 2018 and beyond. Top performers will create video content that is high quality, highly entertaining, and useful for the viewer. The bar will raise when it comes to video content in 2018. Live video will continue to grow and get more use.
- Facebook messenger bots are becoming more commonplace as brands utilize them for customer service and sales. We’ll start to see more people using them earlier on in their sales funnel, seeking opt-ins for content delivered via the messenger platform. The possibilities for messenger bots are tremendous; hotels are offering booking service, translation bots and games have been released, and more new bots are being released all the time. Consider how a messenger bot can help you automate some of the systems in your business.
- Social commerce. More and more brands will start using social media for transactions, selling directly to the customer on social media. Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest, in particular, are spaces to watch when it comes to social commerce. Social commerce will grow for businesses of all scales – to the handmade small business to large-scale manufacturers and service providers.
These are just some of the ways social media will continue to evolve over the next year. What’s really exciting is that there are likely many unknowns that will change the game in 2018 as well. What trends are you looking forward to exploring more over the next year?
