Social media marketing continues evolving at a blistering rate. Over the past five years, many trends have emerged, including increased social conversations, emotional storytelling, live-streaming videos, focus on customer reviews, proliferation of chatbots, business intelligence, and emphasis on customer service. But the evolution is far from over. Newer technologies are already beginning to shape social media marketing, such as the rising practical effectiveness of virtual reality (VR).
Increased Social Conversations
Social media marketing used to be much more one-sided. Companies would post blogs, Facebook messages, and other promotional content, and readers would peruse it and consider if they needed a particular product or service.
Now, much more emphasis is placed on posting visually appealing content that resonates with the target audience. Today’s audience is less interested in transactional relationships than in forming a personal connection with a company’s brand and story.
Telling More Stories (With Visuals)
Today’s social media darlings have found ways to tell compelling brand stories that set them apart from their counterparts. But the story itself is not enough. Audiences are looking for visuals that go hand-in-hand with those stories, such as brand videos, photos, graphics, or illustrations. The story and related visuals help consumers emotionally connect with a brand or business.
Video Has Taken Center Stage
Five years ago, video played a much more peripheral role in social media, despite video content being popular on YouTube since 2006. Standard videos have been popular for some time, but in the past few years, social video and live streaming has taken social media by storm. Because virtually everyone has access to high-quality video through their smartphones, social media platforms offer applications that make posting live videos simple. Posting these videos regularly boosts social media profiles exponentially.
Consumer Generated Content Became More and More Important
Brands have recognized the value of Consumer Generated Content. This content includes reviews and recommendations provided on social media by a brand’s customers. An overwhelming percentage of consumers trust social recommendations over advertising. This brings audiences together and creates shared emotional connections.
Rise of the Chatbots
Artificial intelligence (AI) has allowed chatbots to take social media by storm. These bots have grown in sophistication to the point that they can handle complex customer service tasks and offer a superior user experience. Chatbots have also entered the realm of social messaging. More than 100,000 chatbots roam Facebook Messenger, and they are also prevalent on We Chat, Slack, iMessage, and countless other platforms.
The popularity of Chatbots can be ascribed to their utility and versatility. They can perform many functions that once required human workers without needing a break or requiring a paycheck. Chatbot capabilities include the following: answering customer queries, completing sales transactions, providing 24/7 customer service, and converting leads to sales.
Increased Business Intelligence
Social media marketers have the advantage to monitor competitors online. In industries with intense competition, knowing as much as possible about rivals can provide a decisive advantage. For example, by following competitors on social media, companies can identify potential customers and find out what difficulties their rivals are facing. They can also learn from the social media mistakes of the competition. By observing the successes and failures of their rivals, companies can avoid costly trial-and-error processes.
Enhanced Customer Service
Providing excellent customer service has always been a difficult task for businesses. The advent of social media has brought this “Achilles heel” to the forefront in a very public way. With customer complaints now circulating on social media and even going viral.
To combat this, companies have developed ways to respond to these challenges on social media in ways that enhance their reputations. In fact, many businesses have established a competitive edge by responding in public on social media to customer feedback and complaints. These responses allow consumers to see how quickly and appropriately a business responds to customer issues, a keyway companies can turn social media lemons into lemonade.
Looking Ahead: Is Virtual Reality the Next Big Trend
More and more, practical applications of VR are proliferating on social media. For example, many clothing shopping sites are offering VR applications that help customers try on virtual versions of garments from the comfort of their homes. These new VR programs show that the technology has evolved beyond games and can be a huge asset in social media marketing. Companies like Amazon, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram are all exploring ways to integrate VR into their social media marketing strategies. With powerhouses like these behind it, VR is sure to be a big player in the next step in social media marketing’s evolution.
New technology will no doubt continue to push social media marketing’s development in new directions. Over the past five years, we have seen the evolution of more customer-centric marketing strategies that focus on emotional connection and enhanced customer service models. The future promises to continue these trends, with developing technology like VR helping to power the way.
More about our agency – Web Fox Marketing is a web agency in Livonia, Michigan SEO in addition to digital advertising experts. We serve our surrounding communities near Livonia, Novi, West Bloomfield, Farmington Hills, Ann Arbor and beyond. In addition to offering digital marketing services, we’re skilled in search engine advantages , Google Ads advertising (Pay Per Click), Search Engine Optimization services, social media marketing, and more!
A web site is the beginning, as on-line success throughout our connected world is dependent on local authority & maximum visibility to several digital networks. Our Michigan lead generation agency is glad to assist you with any kind of inquiries you have. Contact us now and let’s get started creating your responsive site!