Social Media Marketing Trends for 2020

Social media marketing has evolved quickly over the past few years in conjunction with the growth and development of social media platforms. Due to the rapidly changing environment, staying on top of changes as well as forecasting expectations is critical to effective marketing. That is why every business should be aware of the Social Media Marketing Trends for 2020. As a top digital marketing agency, we wanted to share what we see as critical areas in which brands should focus attention for higher engagement and more conversions in the coming year.

Social Media Marketing Trends for 2020

• Increased E-commerce Integration – Platforms will continue to integrate and enhance their e-commerce capabilities. In 2019 Instagram added a great option to allow e-commerce checkouts without leaving the platform. This allows multiple benefits for the platform. Obviously, there is the ease it provides customers for all-in-one shopping. Also, this allows the platform access to more customer data which can then be used for future personalization of the shopping experience.
• Even More Quality Visuals – Generation Z and Millennials have both shown that they love quality visual content. You can make jokes about not liking to read, but it is more of a matter of time and attention span. The younger generations pop more quickly from one thing to another so the ability of good visuals to convey information quickly and efficiently is critical. That means focusing on spending for both video ads and images including infographics and other visual content.
• New Channels for Gen Z – We will see new platforms rise, primarily battling for the attention of Generation Z. Snapchat has started working on e-commerce integration and even Tik-Tok is experimenting with social commerce. Generation Z is a huge market, and so far, there has not been a singular platform that has dominated that demographic. Keeping an eye on the smaller platforms is a wise idea for any business marketing to Gen Z.
• Facebook Remains Dominant – While other platforms are experiencing growth and many have active users bases in the hundreds of millions of users, Facebook is still by far the king. That doesn’t mean other platforms won’t be buzzing as the year starts. By in large Facebook will not be overtaken for total users so they should always be on the marketing radar. But businesses that have younger customer demographics need to recognize which platforms perform better and utilize a multi-platform approach.
• Social Media Customer Service – In addition to platforms using social media for e-commerce, they will also become a top option for customer service. As more customers use platforms as a method of communication, the more we can expect complaints and problems to flood social media platforms. Due to the explosive nature of complaining taking place on social platforms, businesses will have to establish customer service plans that incorporate popular platforms to not only help their customers but also head off marketing nightmares if a complaint that is unanswered ends up going viral.
• Influencers Stay Influential – Influencer marketing made its presence felt in 2019 and that trend will continue into 2020. The primary benefit of using an influencer is the reach. They have an existing audience that can be immediately tapped into, often very effectively. That connection they have fostered with their audience then provides a base level of trust when the influencer promotes a product, which is a proven method of generating sales with younger consumers.
• More User–Generated Content – The internet has quickly proven that everything has a short shelf-life. Much like Influencer Marketing became prominent because consumers have less trust in brands, User-Generated Content adds a level of confirmation of value which is unmatched. Customer Reviews used to provide this level of trust; however fake reviews poisoned that well. User-Generated Content is a similar endorsement showcasing real people and how they feel about a brand, interact with them, or use their products and services.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that social media and marketing both continue to change and adapt to customer needs along with how they use technology. Brands that wish to be successful need to stay aware of the social media marketing trends to ensure that they can reach their audiences efficiently and effectively. Staying up to date is a necessity in our fast-moving world if you want continued success in an ever-growing marketplace.

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