April Bowden, Director of Play the Field, who specialise in digital marketing, inform us of what's in store for us in the world of social media for 2019.
From small businesses to major corporations, every brand needs to have a social media marketing plan in 2019. This can be as simple as a calendar with a list of important dates on – anything to prompt you to post to get your message out.
As social media platforms have evolved into musthave communication channels, more businesses are relying on these platforms to reach their target audiences.
With the start of a new year, it’s a good time to look at the emerging trends on social media and implement them into your strategy.
But what is going to influence our social media following to engage? And what do we need to be aware of to stay current and relevant in 2019?
As always, it’s a matter of what you have time to do and to do well. Brand professionalism, voice, authenticity, and trustworthiness matter more than ever.
Social media platforms continue to grow annually. Contrary to rumour, Facebook is not dead – in fact, Facebook has more than 2 billion active users each month!
Facebook has said the Stories format “will soon replace the newsfeed as we know it.” With 200 million Instagram users using Instagram Stories each month, Stories aren’t just for Snapchat anymore. Savvy marketers need to be on top of this one.
Instagram Stories enables creators to create deeper and more engaging content that audiences feel more connected with a brand. The use of emojis, GIFs and Polls allow brands to be creative with their business and allow participation. Alice Hall, (@alicepinkboutique) Founder of Pink Boutique regularly asks her 57k followers if she should stock a particular item, or which colour her followers prefer. It allows her to buy correctly and develop a product line for the forthcoming season with the input of her followers.
Heard of Mrs Hinch (@mrshinchhome)? The modern day Mrs Mop has taken her Instagram account to the next level as she uses Instagram Stories to film herself cleaning. Her hacks and tips has prompted a best selling book deal, overnight success and sell-out of some of household named cleaning products – a firm favourite to follow at Play the Field.
Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram have emerged as the top platforms for video marketing, and audiences are responding more than ever. With the launch of vertical videos on IGTV from Instagram and continued new options for YouTube Creators, video is evolving fast.
But it doesn’t have to be as complex as scripting, filming and editing. Ever gone Live? “Going live” has been a growing trend for a number of years, but the authenticity of live video is really speaking to your audience and showing your personality to engage with your following.
Personal branding is a must on social media. Putting a real, human face to a brand is key in building trust and loyalty, especially for small, relatively unknown businesses. Personal branding gives a business a human element that will naturally connect customers and make the brand seem more relatable.
Businesses that learn to foster their human element will have a real advantage over those who hide behind a logo. @kerrylockwood_ over on Instagram gives her followers a real insight into her life. Whether it be her daily errands, how to style her hair or her daughters messy bedroom, we see more to her life than just her gorgeous home and life as an interior designer.
Influencer marketing continues to develop and grow on social media platforms. Influencers are social media figures who have gathered a defined community around themselves. Their large followings give them influence over others. Likes Mrs Hinch, they are incredibly effective as salespeople because we inherently trust the people we follow on social media.
The selfie culture continues to flourish on social media, with the popularity of selfie photo evolving into the self-recorded video. These “selfie videos” are drawing high user interest on social media. Like the selfie photo, the selfie video allows users to capture a moment in time, but the video format allows users to communicate in a deeper and more personal way than a photo ever could.
Contact April via her website www.playthefieldnorthumberland.co.uk
