In light of the ongoing pandemic, the overarching social media trends in 2020 is that brands will use this channel to ...
In light of the ongoing pandemic, the overarching social media trends in 2020 is that brands will use this channel to update their fans about the changes to their business.
Additionally, social media helps the community as people look for ways to connect digitally while staying at home.
This gives social media an important role in their media mix as digital marketers adjust their focus this year.
Beyond providing emotional support, here are some 5 social media trends we cannot ignore this year
In fact, we are starting to see some of them happening already:
Top 5 Social Media Trends in 2020
1. TikTok will be part of social media strategy
The pandemic has further accelerated the growth of TikTok, a mobile app which lets users share short videos with music and filters. Already among of the fastest growing social media platforms last year, it has 800 active users around the world as of Feb 2020 and downloaded 1.5 billion times on App Store and Google Play, especially popular among teens. With its massive user base, brands will have to consider adding TikTok in their media mix this year.
2. Video consumption continues to boom
Staying at home due to lockdown means that people have more time to spend on their desktop/notebook computers. Or maybe on their sofas to watch videos, especially long-form videos.
And that’s indeed what is happening: a recent study has shed light that media consumption – especially online videos – has reached unprecedented levels during the outbreak.
Brands that don’t create inspiring, entertaining or helpful videos in their social media marketing are missing out. You will clearly lose a massive opportunity to forge connections with their audiences.
3. Live streaming gets even more popular
Live streaming lets users and brands broadcast videos in real-time. This enable live conversations and deliver raw, unedited content about their products and services to raving fans in exciting ways.
As one of the consequences of the pandemic, many businesses have “moved online” and jumped on the live streaming bandwagon.
This is done by conducting webinars, do live auctions or product demos, or to broadcast an event.
4. The rise of Augmented Reality (AR)
Although people interact less by far this year due to the pandemic, we expect to see more applications of Augmented Reality (AR) experiences which will boost engagement on social media.
AR will be popular as social media users love to play with filters, a feature that brands can use to improve their offers and promotions.
We will also see more applications of AR in the fashion industry where users can virtually “put on” a dress, which could influence purchase behaviours and promote impulse buying.
5. More powerful paid social media ads
The impact of excellent content on social media is limited unless it goes viral or if supported by paid social media advertising.
Paid social ads let businesses deliver the right messages at the right time and in the right context, exactly to their target audience.
As seen in the previous years, paid social media ad platforms have become powerful and more sophisticated quite rapidly.
More hyper targeting options, more ad formats and placements, remarketing features, and campaign automation will make paid social campaigns a must do for many businesses who want to succeed on social media on top of their organic postings.
Not sure where to start? Contact us today to start influencing your audience’s path with these social media trends in 2020.