Digital marketing and social media go hand in hand. It is often the best way to market yourself to an audience. It’s not just about using social media however; it’s how you use it that counts. Watching out for trends and how others use these platforms will inform the way you do marketing as well. Here are some of the trends to be aware of..
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Tik Tok Takeover
Tik Tok is taking over the world as one of the most popular social media sites. Hot on the heels of Instagram, which has been most social media marketer’s favourite for the past few years. Even some older and unexpected mainstream celebrities and bands are succumbing to the success of Tik Tok and creating specific videos for the platform.
As well as some famous users, it’s actually helped certain people, as well as the music used in videos, to become popular. One such example is the recent Eurovision runner up, Sam Ryder. His song covers that he posted on Tik Tok during the first UK Covid lockdowns in March 2020 saw him gain recognition before he represented the UK in Eurovision 2022.
Short Form Videos
Following on closely from Tik Tok, short form videos are everywhere and they are here to stay. Short videos are now all over your Facebook and Instagram newsfeed, whether in your timeline, stories or reels. Statistics from Vidyard, a software company for hosting and analysing videos, show that 60% of all videos published on the internet during 2020 were under 2 minutes long
It was only a couple of years ago that it was looking like long form videos were the future, with the rise of livestreaming on IGTV and Facebook Watch. YouTube even rewarded users for creating videos over the 10-minute mark.
But with the rise of short form video and Tik Tok, rival websites have responded with similar ways to post short videos in the form of YouTube Shorts and Instagram’s Reels. It didn’t always work, Twitter’s attempt at sharing short disappearing videos and tweets via Fleets lived up to its name, disappearing almost as quickly as it was introduced. The feature was removed within 8 months as not as many people as hoped took full advantage of the feature.
Marketing Tools
Don’t forget, if you’re creating a fresh marketing campaign, you’ll need up to date graphics. If you are located in Essex, look to digital marketing agencies to get the best graphic design Southend on sea has to offer, though there are some great freelancers out there too.
Good social media advertising will need good visuals in the form of photography, videography, typography and maybe even some animation. At the very least you’ll need a graphic designer to make the images you post look their best.
Don’t Forget the Forgotten Networks
Even though Facebook and Instagram are still pretty much on top and it might feel as though Snapchat is an abandoned wasteland, this could mean it’s the right time to strike with ads and content on there as there’s less competition and more people likely to see it.
Social Media Shops
Instagram gives you the ability to purchase directly through the app, rather than just linking to another main website to navigate around. Because of this persons are starting to expect it from most social media platforms.
From a business perspective, you’ll want to set up a social media shop because the extra step of having to visit another website in the conversion phase could lose your potential customers. On mobile, the rate of people abandoning their online shopping cart is especially high, so making it the easiest it can be will ensure you make a sale.
A lot of people discover brands through social media, so shopping on it makes sense.
Keep An Eye Out
Whether you follow trends or go against the grain, keeping your eye on what is working for businesses and what customers expect will inform all of your most important decisions. If you hear of any small new trend emerging, don’t be tempted to dismiss it, instead fully research it and see if you can jump on board early – it might do wonders for your business.
