Below are my 2020 social media predictions and trends that I believe will be of high importance. This does not mean there are not other areas in social media and digital marketing where you can focus too. But, these are my main top 10!
#1: Video Content should be a TOP Focus!
This is a topic I could go on and on about. Video marketing is and has been an extremely important part of social media marketing for years now. Why?
Reason #1: You can use video in so many facets of your social media. There’s Facebook live, Instagram live, IGTV, News Feed, Instagram and Facebook Stories, Facebook Watch, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest and so much more!
Reason #2: Video can tell a story better than any other type of content
Reason #3: Personally, when I run Facebook and Instagram ads for my clients or my own business, I test videos and graphics to see which perform better. 80+ percent of the time video performs better. Yet, another reason your business needs to focus on video.
Reason #4: Don’t just listen to me! Let’s look at a blog post from Oberlo.com. Here are 10 marketing statistics from 2019 that explain even MORE reasons to use video. Read HERE.
There are so many video websites and software to help you create videos. There’s no excuse not to be using it!
#2: Stories Are Important to Visibility on Facebook and Instagram
Are you using stories (Facebook or Instagram) in your marketing? If not, you could be missing out on reaching and engaging many in your audience.
Stories will continue to grow in 2020. People love the more authentic, spur of the moment posts that stories provide. Some users even prefer stories over the feed. So, be sure to include a stories strategy, as well as the feed.
#3: LinkedIn and Pinterest are having a come-back
These forgotten about social media platforms should be thought about again in your 2020 strategy. Let’s talk about these separately.
LinkedIn: This platform had a major come-back over the last year and it is very hot at the moment. And will continue to be a very important focus, especially for business to business. It is a great platform for making connections and spreading the word about your business. Since it is a business-focused platform, it is a great place to not only share, but also learn.
Pinterest: One of my favorites and has been for years! I realize it is not talked about as often as Facebook or Instagram, but it is completely different from them.
Pinterest is not necessarily a social platform. It is more of a search engine. It has an amazing organic reach and click-through and also has more longevity than most social platforms. It takes consistency and lots of posts per day to make this platform work, but Tailwind is a great tool to help do that.
If these fit your brand, use these in your 2020 social media predictions and trends.
#4: Authenticity beats Polished Marketing
Consumers LOVE authenticity! This relates to #2 and why people love stories so much…because they are real-time and show a person’s authenticity.
This also leads back to #1 of using video. I talk to so many businesses that want the perfect, polished video and it just isn’t necessary. It needs to be professional, but does not have to be perfectly polished.
People relate better to authenticity.
#5: Tik Tok craze
Heard of Tik Tok yet? It is currently the most downloaded app in the Apple app store, beating out Facebook app downloads. Will it last? There is some controversy about it. One is that it is owned by a company in Bejing. Some fear that, but I will let you figure that out for yourself. Also, the main demographic has been teens, so is it really a target audience businesses want to go after?
There is something about building a presence on a newer platform before all the marketers come and ruin it. Tik Tok is at that point. It will be easier to get video views and build a following now vs later.
The questions are “Will it last?” and “Will it actually convert to your core audience?”
#6: Content Marketing on your Website
Is this still important? Why is it part of this 2020 social media predictions and trends?
Content is still King (or Queen 😉)
We have talked about different ‘types’ of content in this post. In the end, getting the traffic from the social media platforms to your website and email list is key. Creating consistent, new content will continue to be very important.
Be sure to create your editorial calendar to keep this consistency between social media and what you actually own!
#7: Influencer marketing
What is the future of influencer marketing? It is still very hot and will continue to be in 2020. More businesses will be reaching out to micro-influencers (people with less than 10K followers on Instagram) to promote their products. The cost of some of the bigger influencers is way beyond what a typical business can afford.
It will also become more important to have a deep strategy, analytics and tracking when hiring an influencer so a company knows if they are getting their money’s worth. With the possible removal of likes, it will be tougher and tougher to really know who is a true influencer and who just purchased their following.
#8: Shopping within the social media platform (ie Instagram)
Shopping inside the platforms will increase and marketers will need to figure out more ways to do this. These social media platforms do not want you to leave the site, so we will see more transactions happening right inside the platforms.
If you are Ecommerce or have any way to do an online transaction, you need to be sure to set up your shopping catalog on Facebook and Instagram minimally. If you don’t have it set up, your business is missing out on SALES! $$$
#9: Chatbots and Messenger Marketing
We will be seeing more of this. Messenger marketing and chatbots will only get smarter and more powerful. Soon we will see Facebook messenger, Instagram messages and WhatsApp messaging all combined.
If someone opts-in to your bot, you will see a very high open rate, as much as over 90%! That’s why building a messenger subscriber list is as important as an email list. Businesses should be doing both.
One side note on this. The rules are changing at the end of January where Facebook will make it more difficult to reach out to your subscriber list. There are ways to stay compliant, so I will link to a great article to learn more HERE.
#10: Paid Advertising will be a key part of Social Media Efforts
PPC Strategy will become even more valuable. Here are a couple comments from an article about PPC on Search Engine Journal, “In a changing landscape, strategy only ever becomes more and more valuable.” “Focusing on helping clients set strategy, really understanding who our audience is and what it’ll take to solve their problems is going to be key.”
Facebook and Instagram advertising prices have and will continue to increase, but if you reach the right audience, with the right messaging and offer, you will see results and an ROI in your business. If you have social media efforts on either Facebook or Instagram, it is wise to also have efforts in your paid strategy!
These are my 2020 social media predictions and trends that you must not ignore. They may not all be for your business, but be sure to start implementing a few that you currently aren’t. Or make a plan to use them even more this year.
Anything you would add to the list? What will you be focusing on the most?
