Written by: Hannah Lacamp & Maddie Thannum
Each new year brings new trends (and challenges) to the ever-changing world of social media. Although it’s important to stay on top of the latest features and functions, sometimes it seems impossible to keep up. Lucky for you, our social media team pulled together four social media secrets that will put you ahead of the game in 2019:
- Stories, Stories, Stories
While Instagram and Facebook’s ‘Stories’ function might have originated as a clone of Snapchat’s successful format, it has quickly blossomed into the bedrock of social media marketing. The momentum of Stories has skyrocketed, subsiding pressures to post to the main feed with highlights that disappear in 24 hours. Now brands can take over the entirety of consumers’ screens through a 15-second touchpoint filled with engaging features, such as hashtags, polls, swipe-up functions, and more. According to Instagram, 400 million Instagram accounts use Instagram Stories every day, and, for brands, one in three Stories gets a direct message. Wondering where your audience is spending time on social in 2019? Start sharing Stories and you’ll quickly find out.
- Quality Over Quantity
Don’t post just to post. The newsfeed has become cluttered with millions of brands and advertisers trying to promote their product or service online every day. In order to really stand out, your content needs to educate, entertain, or inspire your followers. Otherwise, you’re just contributing to an overpopulated newsfeed, and eventually, your followers will get tired of scrolling past self-promotion after self-promotion. Be intentional about what you share and when you share it, and you’ll start to notice an increase in engagement from your social media audiences.
Pro Tip: Follow the 90/10 rule. Only 10% of your content should be promotional. The other 90% should focus on sparking conversation or creating meaningful interactions with your followers.
- Vertical Video
More than 70% of millennials never turn their phone horizontally, proving that consumers rarely go out of their way to absorb content unless it requires minimal effort. So, what does this mean for brands? It’s time to embrace vertical video. With an increase of mobile device usage, and the rise of Instagram and Facebook’s immersive Stories function, the dimensions ‘9:16’ have become more crucial than ever before. Now, more than 50% of Stories are videos, and more than 60% of those videos are accompanied by sound. Leave conventional video behind in 2018 and be proactive about creating content suitable to meet today’s trends!
- Micro-Influencers
Who are micro-influencers? Ranging anywhere between 1K-100K followers, micro-influencers are social media users known for having smaller audiences, yet higher engagement, than macro-influencers (250K+ followers). Considered experts in their field, micro-influencers are looked to as trustworthy resources and are especially effective in niche markets due to their hyper-specific audiences. This gives them an edge over macro-influencers when it comes to affecting their audience’s purchase decisions. If you’re looking for a cost-effective way to yield higher engagement and more conversions in 2019, reach out to micro-influencers for the best results.
Pro Tip: Offer up your product or service free of cost in exchange for a social media post or Insta Story from a micro-influencer. Because micro-influencers are genuinely passionate about their niche, most are willing to do a trade-off.
Don’t have time to keep up with all of the latest trends? Ring our bell! Check out our social media services, or email us at [email protected].