Over the past years social media has not only grown in popularity but also users and even an increased amount of businesses coming to do business on the platform is very noticeable. For some people, the first thing they do when they wake up is to check their social media accounts.
There are 3.484 billion social media users today, which is about 45% of the world’s population. And for entrepreneurs, that’s a good thing as social media enables them to organically connect with their audience. For example, social media platforms allow them to boost their Automobiles business by reaching larger audiences without a huge budget.
5 Social media trends you should take advantage of as a business owner.
Instagram stories
While stories are available on almost all social media platforms, Instagram stories seem to be the most popular. Data shows that over 200 million people use them each month, 50 million more than those using Snap-chat.
About 500 million people interact with Instagram stories every day, which is slightly higher than half the total number of Instagram users. So any brand wanting to connect with its customers on Instagram should embrace Instagram stories.
When it comes to Instagram stories, brands need to take a more organized approach. If you are not already doing so, you should develop publishing calendars and create content to a carefully considered plan.
Most importantly, they should use videos as they seem to outperform pictures. Images have a higher tap forward rate than videos. Photos also tend to have a higher drop-off rate than videos. Already, 51% of brands use videos instead of photos, with this number being likely to increase in 2021.
Publishing
You can now publish, post, and share your content on many social media platforms. Many companies have been using LinkedIn to boost their following by regularly posting influential articles.
On Instagram and Snapchat, users can access your content by the provided links. Facebook, meanwhile, has come up with an Instant Article functionality that allows creators to publish their pieces directly on the app.
Your role is to advertise, taking advantage of the analytic tools to ensure you reach a larger audience and provide contact information or a link to your website. Then watch as customers contact you seeking your services.
Memes
Memes have become so popular on social media especially twitter and even some companies use it in their ads, popular billionaires like Elon musk and even crypto traders. In recent months, memes have quickly gained popularity; their usage had increased from 19.8 million in August 2019 to 24.9 million in July 2020.
The peak in their use was noticed in April 2020, when the lockdown was first imposed. People turned to social media to lessen boredom, fuelling memes’ use and spread. With the pandemic and movement restrictions set to continue in 2021, it is more likely that memes will remain a trend. So consider how you can use memes as part of your social media marketing strategy.
Influencers
Whether they are bloggers, digital brands, or content creators, influencers can help generate brand awareness on social media due to their following they can greatly influence the behaviour of your target audience.
Work with influencers closely to develop relevant brand content that grows not just brand awareness but also ROI. Make sure you collaborate with micro, macro, and mega-influencers to develop textual or video content that appeals to your target audience.
You do not have to work with the most famous influencers to grow your followers. Instead, work with influencers within your budget and those with a significant profile among your target audience.
Live streaming
The 2020 global pandemic meant that people needed to practice social distancing. As a result, Zoom conferences and Google meets replaced face-to-face meetings, while live concerts turned into live streams, with artists playing from the comfort of their homes.
Naturally, social media companies worked to include the live stream feature into their platforms. So now people can live stream on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, either individually or as a group. Twitter partnered with Periscope, enabling people to stream live with their followers. Facebook, meanwhile, integrated an easy feature that notifies your audience that you are live.
As well as the classic functionality, Instagram added an extra feature that allows people to collaborate with another account for a joint live stream. So, if your brand is on any of these platforms, you can live stream with your audience to better understand their needs and preferences.