Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2020

Social media marketing and digital marketing now go hand-in-hand. Businesses start promoting themselves on social media right from the beginning so as to build a presence as quickly as possible. It involves posting high-quality content on social media, connecting with the potential customers, advertising, and establishing your authority. Social media marketing has undergone many changes. Whether it be including bots, telling stories, going LIVE, finding influencers or posting more relevant content at the most relevant time.

But, what’s next? Is there anything new to expect in 2020 or will it be the same-old-plain social media posts, one after another? Well, definitely 2020 has a lot more to offer! Customers or the potential audiences are more aware of social media now. They are more accustomed to social media platforms. It is now the time for the marketers to stay ahead and follow the right tactics and strategies to leverage the maximum benefits from their social media handles. Here are some of the most rewarding trends for social media marketing in 2020.

#1 The Zenith of Influencer Marketing

Micro-influencers are on the rise in 2020. These are social media influencers who have built up a trustworthy community of their own. People do not follow them because they are powerful but because they are genuine. People believe that they would recommend something only if it is good and not just because they have been offered a good amount of money in exchange.

All you, as your social media marketer, need is to find such authentic influencers. You must also look up for niche influencers. These are the people who have intentionally more target audience for you. It does not mean that you need to tie-up with every other influencer on social media. Do your research and try to connect with those with whom you see long-term benefits.

#2 Facebook vs Instagram: What To Choose?

Well, Facebook and Instagram both have gone through some notable changes in 2019. As per the ‘Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2020’ by Social Media Examiner, Instagram has grown by 73%. Also, 76% of marketers are using Instagram. The popularity of Facebook has somehow decreased in 2020. However, 94% of marketers still use Facebook. They are using it mostly for LIVE videos and Facebook ads.

This means that if you are planning to build a digital presence in 2020, be there on Instagram and Facebook both. The Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2020 also states that Facebook has been the most popular and important social media marketing platform for marketers and will continue to be for the next 12 months.

#3 Creativity Required!

No matter which social media platform you choose, one major thing that will help you stand out is your creativity. Nowadays, everyone has a voice of their own on social media. No matter who they are, they all want to speak and be heard. So, if you want to stand apart in all this chatter on the social media platforms, you have to bring up more interesting and eye-catching content.

Gone are the days of long posts and video messages. It is time to send your audience quick yet effective videos. Talk about how you are the one who can solve their problems. GIFs are also in action these days.

Everyone understands basic marketing tactics involved in buy-our-stuff posts! So you have to be a step ahead. Show them some value with the help of high-quality content. Give a solution to their problems and you have won the show.

#4 Empower with Stories

Who does not like stories? Stories have been the most exciting yet omnipresent feature of social media now in 2020. With Instagram, Facebook as well as Twitter providing you the opportunity to share your ideas in an interactive way, it is the best time to leverage that opportunity.

Stories are the best way to grab the attention of your audience. They reflect authenticity and genuineness which attracts the audience. Stories can also help you connect with your audience on emotional grounds and can persuade them, inform them as well as convince them to become a part of your community.

For instance, Instagram stories can be a great way to take polls. You can add links to your social media stories and boost traffic over your website. Geo-filters of social media platforms like Snapchat can also provide an interesting outlook to your stories. You can mention other brands or even some of your fans to keep people engaged. Lastly, stories can be a great place for your Call-To-Actions.

#5 The Hidden Gem – YouTube

As per the Social Media Marketing Industry Report 2020, YouTube bags the second position as the most important video channel for marketers after Facebook. There is no doubt that YouTube is growing bigger and better. More and more people are using YouTube to seek more information, to learn and to seek different solutions. This is the perfect time to make your YouTube game strong.

Here are a few important things to note if you want to conquer your audience at YouTube. Use Trailer Videos and introduce yourself clearly. Tell them who you are, what you do and why you are here. Include testimonials videos. This is another way to tell stories. Make Q/A videos where you can answer the audience’s questions. You can also try some ‘how-to’ videos. People love watching them.

The Digital Detox and Its Impact

Just like every coin has two faces, social media platforms have their pros and cons. No matter how social media has connected the world together, a recent trend that has become popular amongst the social media users is ‘social media detox’. A major reason could be that social media is quite overwhelming today with so many platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, Musical.ly and WhatsApp. It has also raised trust issues and privacy issues amongst the users.

Social media detox won’t happen on a large scale though, as social media platforms are still growing. But there can be chances that people would like to use some of them less. Therefore, the social media marketing teams have to prepare themselves accordingly.

The first step could be using social media communities. Many B2B and B2C brands are now encouraging their employees to help build a social media presence of the business. They encourage them to be present on the social media platforms and then promote the business amongst their peers. This is one way to promote authentically.

Secondly, word-of-mouth marketing or influencer marketing can also be a great tool to build your communities on social media. People might want to take a break from their social media but they might also come back and the first few people they would look up to would be the influencers. This means, your voice can still be heard.

The Bottom Line

Social media outreach is growing in 2020 and will continue to do so in the next decade as well. All that is to be done by the marketers is to be aware of the latest features of the social media platforms and how they can leverage them for promoting their brands. One must also be aware of the upcoming social media platforms that can serve as grounds of marketing. Creativity and influence shall be the leading factors of social media marketing in 2020. So one must build their marketing plans around them. Last, but not least, do not lose your authenticity in this world where people prefer ‘talking all the time’. Let your work speak instead.

About the author – Lucy Miranda is a freelance writer at GoAssignmentHelp and editor at GoDissertationHelp. She is devoted to her family, work and friends. She is a News Enthusiast and a Bookworm. She loves Swimming and dancing too. She is interested in educational, marketing and blogging issues. Feel free to connect with her on Twitter.