10 Social Media Trends to Prepare for in 2018

Social media is a constantly evolving landscape, and there’s a lot businesses need to do to keep up with the latest trends.

However, there are some straightforward ways you can make sure you’re still penetrating the market and reach the people you want to.

Here are 10 of the biggest social media trends to keep an eye on in 2018!

1) FOCUS ON CONTENT

As competition in the News Feed heats up after Facebook’s Algorithm Change, brands will be forced to focus on creating better content.

2) A FOCUS ON TARGETING AND TAILORED EXPERIENCES

People don’t want generic – they want to connect with brands, services and more that are relevant to them and their location. Improved targeting will come hand-in-hand with this, as well as customised geographic based content.

3) A STRONGER FOCUS ON TREATING EACH PLATFORM AS UNIQUE

Brands have long been sharing the same content and message across different platforms – 2018 will see a more direct push in brands needing to treat social media platforms differently to get the greatest level of success.

4) ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENT, ENGAGEMENT.

This is more a continuing trend, but engagement will only become more essential for brands in 2018. This includes audience listening and engaging with what they’re talking about, responding in good time to messages and comments and actively engaging with audiences.

5) MOBILE, MOBILE, MOBILE.

With the boom of Instagram stories and Facebook stories, designing for mobile is going to become even more important. Think vertical video, link sharing in stories and images tailor built specifically for mobile devices.

6) PAID SOCIAL STRATEGY

If you’re not doing paid social, you’re not in the game. As all the social platforms continue to evolve and focus more on how they can generate revenue, the success of organic reach will decline, especially if you need to reach a particular audience. Good content is essential, but so is a budget to showcase it to other people.

7) MESSENGER APPS

We saw this really come onto the landscape last year with Facebook’s messenger bots, and this is going to become more accessible and more of an opportunity for businesses to connect with customers – think targeted messages sent to social media inboxes!

8) LIVE STREAMING

Another one that’s not new, but will become more important in 2018. Live videos perform better than any other type of content for both engagement and reach, and good execution can see your brand appear above the rest in the News Feed.

9) VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO.

To continue from point 8, video needs to be an essential part of your strategy in 2018. If you’re not creating video, you’re not doing what you should be. Side note: video should be tailored for the platform – wide screen videos on Instagram are the worst, people!

10) PRIVACY

There’s been many discussions around privacy on social media, and this is going to hot-up in 2018.. Make sure you’re doing what you can to allay any fears your customers have about their data, and how you’re using it.

HOW CAN GDR HELP?

If you’re ready to take your social media marketing game to the next level and get ahead of modern trends, look no further! GDR have the skills and expertise to deliver a winning social media strategy to help you connect with your customers on a more personal level – fostering brand loyalty and repeat purchases.

We can handle all aspects of your social media marketing and deliver a winning strategy that will:

• Increase reach to potential customers and engage their emotions
• Tell your brand story in a creative and innovative way
• Track analytics and return on investment

We would love to help!