Ever since the appearance of Facebook and Twitter, it has become clear that social media is here to stay, and it is hard to foresee a scenario in which people stop relying on social media as much as they are now.
Naturally, because so many people are spending time on SM sites, it attracts businesses to establish their presence with the intent to monetize an audience.
As far as marketing channels go, social media stands as one of the most popular options. At the same time, if a brand is looking to make the most out of social media, it should expect to encounter certain issues, particularly when it comes to competing against other brands operating in the same or similar niches.
One of the ways to stand out from the competition is to be one of the first to adapt to social media trends. Or, at the very least, to make the most out of what is trending right now and likely to continue in the future.
The purpose of this article is to cover some of the most prominent social media trends and how brands should approach them for their own benefit.
Giveaways to Attract More Followers
Let’s start with a pretty easy one. Giveaways are often the go-to method to attract more followers and increase a brand’s reach on social media.
You can announce a giveaway in a post saying that you are going to be giving away stainless steel mugs, t-shirts, hoodies, or other merchandise. Physical goods are not the only option. You can also consider giving away digital products, such as discount coupons or vouchers for free shipping.
So long as there is something available for free, people will jump at an opportunity to participate. And by sharing the giveaway post, they help the brand to reach more people on social media.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is going as strong as ever. In fact, it feels like even more businesses are turning to influencers and using them as a primary source of marketing.
Modern consumers tend to follow the words of an influencer on social media because they find influencers relatable. It is easy to trust the words of someone you find relatable and easy to connect to.
Influencers vary in terms of follower numbers. A-listers have millions of followers, and they are obviously a target for the biggest brands who want to advertise to as many people as possible.
On the other hand, you also have micro-influencers who, despite having fewer followers, still offer great value.
The more followers an influencer has, the more they will ask for compensation. Therefore, it is crucial to thoroughly research influencer marketing and find influencers who fit your brand’s audience and your budget.
Every time someone retweets your content, you’re accessing a new audience of readers that can retweet you again. This is the perfect breeding ground for your content to go viral. how to write content to go viral? You can check ship 30 for 30 to know more about this topic
Visual Content Popularity
On average, a person’s attention span is decreasing, which is understandable considering the kind of lifestyle we have.
A poor attention span calls for social media marketing to take a different approach. Instead of using texts, it has become common to focus on visual content.
Images, GIFs, memes, shorts, animations, infographics, and other types of visual content perform better. When a brand is developing its content strategy, it should emphasize visuals the most.
Social Media Commerce
It was only a matter of time before social media platforms incorporated direct ecommerce features. Facebook was the first to do it.
Now, instead of having people click a URL and get redirected to a landing page, brands can create dedicated ecommerce store pages and sell directly on a social media platform.
The convenience is great because it means skipping an extra step—clicking on a URL to reach a landing page. On the other hand, businesses also need to spend time setting up a store. It takes a while, particularly when you need to add new products and their details manually.
The Rise of TikTok
Overtaking Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram is hardly possible as far as social media platform popularity goes. However, it seems that TikTok has been on the rise in recent years, and its user numbers are growing a lot.
The surprise is not that surprising considering what kind of content and demographics TikTok targets. Short videos are a massive trend right now, especially among young people who are less likely to spend their time on Facebook or Twitter.
TikTok is an excellent example of a platform that has a lot of room to grow, and it is unlikely to disappear like some other social media sites in the past.
Brands ought to invest more in TikTok marketing because the potential might be yet untapped on the platform. If your brand becomes one of the first in its niche to establish itself on TikTok, there is no telling how many potential profits there could be.