In the past year with social media, there have been a lot of significant events: Facebook lured Snapchat users into Instagram, Apple announced plans to change the way of interaction with mobile devices. Social Media Trends in 2018, ready to give users even more challenges.
Innovations related to social networks are actually developing before our eyes. Let us dwell on the 15 most notable trends in social media in 2018 …
1. The development of augmented reality
At events at Steve Jobs Theater, Apple announced the iPhone 8 and the iPhone X, which have a special chip for augmented reality. And although this technology will primarily be used in the gaming industry, social networks will for sure find ways to use it in their own interests.
It is possible social media trends in 2018 will soon have filters that allow users to do selfies with a friend or celebrity with the help of augmented reality. Similarly, thanks to special filters, brands will be able to “embed” their products into the homes of users of social media.
2. Growth of the popularity of Instagram Stories
According to statistical resource, more than 200 million people use Instagram Stories every month, which is 50 million more Snapchat users. In this Instagram Stories just a year! Experts predict that almost half of all Instagram users will use this option by the end of 2018.
This means that brands interested in building contacts with Instagram users should invest time in learning the Instagram Stories functionality.
3. Investments in the marketing of agents of influence
According to the report of The State of Influencer Marketing 2017, more than 90% of marketers who use the marketing of agents of influence, believe in its effectiveness. Such companies include, for example, North Face, HubSpot and Rolex, they use this strategy to establish communication with new customers and improve interaction with existing ones.
This year, we could observe how brands that gravitated toward traditional advertising strategies were struggling to set up communication with users of social networks. It is likely that more brands will follow the social media trends in 2018, and will begin to master the marketing of agents of influence as a way of communicating with audiences that tend to ignore traditional strategies.
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4. Focus on the Z Generation
A recent study by Goldman Sachs showed that the Z generation was more interesting for most organizations than the Y generation. Today, the oldest “Z” are only 22 years old, they are just beginning to enter the labor market and over the next few years, this age category will differ high purchasing power.
Brands will begin to recognize this and, accordingly, will adjust their behavior strategies in 2018 social media trends. Therefore, we should expect more investment in platforms that the “Z” like.
5. Brand participation in messaging platforms
More than 2.5 billion people use messaging platforms around the world, and yet brands are still focused primarily on communication with consumers on ordinary social networks.
Experts expect that social media trends in 2018 brands will invest more time and money in their presence on messaging platforms. Artificial intelligence, voice assistants and chats will allow brands to offer personalized purchases on platforms such as Messenger, WhatsApp and Telegram.
6. The key role of live broadcasts
What was once an entertaining novelty has become a key and integral part of social networks? Today brands actively use streaming broadcasting to attract the attention of followers.
GORUCK, the manufacturer of backpacks and the organizer of extreme events, is one of the vivid examples of how the brand becomes more accessible thanks to streaming content on Facebook: thousands of subscribers are ready to watch the 48-hour coverage of the endurance race.
Social media trends in 2018, more brands will become aware of the power of streaming and include it in their monthly content plans.
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7. Rethinking the role of Twitter
In 2017, Twitter was unable to significantly increase the number of subscribers. In fact, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram have more users on social networks. This year Twitter also lost access to the broadcasts of the NFL games. Social media trends in 2018, Twitter’s leadership is likely to seek to rethink the platform’s operation.
Possible changes: Sale of the company to private investors, development of the resource in the direction of subscription, updating of advertising options, etc.
8. Digital Hangouts
Houseparty is a platform for video calls, which is used by more than a million people every day. The format has become the most popular among the representatives of the Z generation. This platform has so loudly declared itself that Facebook has decided to explore the possibility of implementing similar functionality.
We have already seen that the role of video in social networks is increasing, and real-time video calls are a natural stage in the development of this trend. It is possible that social media trends in 2018 Facebook is announcing a similar product that will gain popularity among users, as it happened with Instagram.
9. Interest in Facebook Spaces
Facebook is not just interested in streaming video. Now the company is working hard on the Spaces project, which allows users to interact with each other in the virtual space, using voice and gestures along with text messages. Given that Facebook owns Oculus, it’s no surprise that the social network is developing a resource for using VR technology.
Facebook plans to scale social media trends in 2018. When this happens, it is likely that this will be the first successful product with VR for social networks.
10. Social platforms influence management
Social networks try to control the behavior of users. Facebook, having analyzed thousands of posts, invested in new tools of artificial intelligence and monitoring formats.
Given the claims that Facebook constantly receives, the social media trends in 2018 will continue to focus on codes of conduct and management policies that protect brands and users from fake news and unreasonable criticism.
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11. Reliable analytics signals great opportunities for personalization of content
Content that does not relate to the needs of the user automatically becomes ineffective. This is especially true when you interact with a brand that you know and love. The last thing you need is content that does not offer anything unique to you as a member of this audience.
Personalization of the audience will be the main trend in content marketing; it also applies to social media trends. As social platforms evolve, their analytical tools and business-specific functions will become more valuable for brands.
Marketers will be guided by tools that will suggest how to create better quality and personalized content for the audience. It’s time to distribute content that really attracts the audience on a personal level; social media will simplify this goal.
12. Selectivity
Instagram demonstrates visual content, so for the user, indicators such as audience and coverage are important. Instagram Stories are gradually gaining a much wider coverage and more participation; now the indicators of Instagram reach the point that about 10% of the audience of the resource daily leaf through their Instagram Stories.
As more and more platforms intersect in functions, brands and marketers will have to be more selective about the resources in which they decide to invest money and time. And here the analyst will play its role, it will help determine which platforms can achieve the best results.
13. Surveillance in social networks becomes a tool for the brand
Instead of just keeping track of what content your competitors share on social networks, it’s best to keep track of the context in which they are mentioned. Use this information as an indicator to compare your results.
Using web monitoring, we can collect a huge amount of data about the company and competitors and use them in the marketing strategy. Monitoring mentions can show you what people like and dislike about your general audience.
14. Video will occupy the main place in the content strategy
Video content is popular and, therefore, important for brands. And as social algorithms are updated, the video will only strengthen positions among other tools.
For example, the experience of Influence & Co. with the video on Facebook showed that the company does get a higher involvement: more people leave comments and share their emotions. Statistics Facebook allows you to understand how video content works in comparison with other formats.
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15. Facebook becomes almost completely mobile
By 2020, about 59% of US users will go to Facebook only through mobile devices, and 80% of the company’s advertising revenues are already coming from mobile ads.
Facebook was one of the latest social media platforms, which from the very beginning were not designed specifically for mobile devices. An example of the growing popularity of applications such as Instagram and Snapchat, led to a certain trend – the development of mobile applications (or mostly mobile). Of course, the optimization for mobile devices has become a key task for advanced marketers for a while, but if Facebook takes the lead in mobile devices, brands will not be able to create and distribute content that is not optimized for this.
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Conclusion
A number of new social media trends in 2018 that will affect users and brands are intensified and accelerated. It is likely that streaming video and virtual reality will take the lead in the list of social media trends in 2018. In addition, brands will be drawn to social platforms like Instagram and Snapchat, where representatives of generation Z spend more time.
Announcements about the new iPhone show that augmented reality has a chance to become a part of social networks, and in a way that it was impossible to imagine just a few years ago. Finally, Twitter and Facebook are likely to adjust their policies to protect brands from criticism and fake information.