Social Media Trends 2020 & Beyond

North East based social, digital and design agency Curtis Gabriel share their essential social media trends for 2020 & beyond.

The world of social media is always evolving with changes in user behaviours and developments to devices and platforms enabling new ways for people and businesses to interact. A recent example has been the rise of stories, just a few years ago stories weren’t even a consideration and in 2019 more than a billion people use Stories every day across Facebook and Instagram.

It can be difficult for businesses to keep up with the latest social trends and this guide shines a light on some of key trends we expect to see in 2020 & beyond.

Personalised Content

Social users value content that is personally relevant and meaningful, yet many brands lack the time and resources to invest in personalised ad content. Facebook AI is making it easier than ever to develop dynamic ad & organic content that resonates with your target audience.

Here today…gone tomorrow

Ephemeral content such as Instagram stories have continued to grow in popularity during 2019. By using visual content, you can share in-the-moment social content that allows you to take your audience behind the scenes of your brand to trigger immediate reactions.

Product discovery

Up to 50% of online searches will be through images or speech in 2020, consider how this could impact your social content and copy to ensure you are appearing in search results.

Video Content

In 2019 56% of internet users watched video content on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter, high quality video content that aims to engage, entertain or inform users will deliver the best results. With the rise of messenger apps where people type less and increasingly use audio snippets or live video messages, the opportunity of social video has only just begun.

VR & AR has arrived

Expect to see the practical roll out of a range of new VR & AR tools like Facebook 360 immersive video content or Facebook Canvas, a full screen ad experience built for bringing brands and products to life on mobile. Consider how your brand could adopt these technologies to better connect with your audience.

Influencer marketing will grow…not dwindle

Social audiences are increasingly seeking out reviews and trusted voices when making online purchases. This has seen the rise of social influencer over recent years, many leading brands have stated that influencers now play a key role in driving their success and reaching new audiences. Targeted micro-influencers will become more important in 2020 and users focus in on personalised content.

Social CEOs

Social media offers business leaders the perfect tool to communicate with their teams, listen to customers and communicate their vision. Employees are vocal, they have immediate social reach and they can easily build or pull down an employer’s brand. By 2020, large organizations will understand that employee comments and perceptions on social will need to be managed similar to how companies monitor customer complaints and feedback.

Social Messaging Apps

Social Messaging Apps like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp will become a key tool as part of your customer service and engagement strategy, offering an alternative to online live chat functionality. In a recent survey, 67% of people said they expect to use messaging apps to talk to businesses.