Every year, social media trends change. This year, we have seen some new and not-so-new trends that businesses must incorporate. Here are four social media trends and tips for businesses to leverage these trends for maximum benefit.

 Trend 1 – Facebook still rules as the king for many

Business tip: Choose your social media site wisely

Social media has moved on from Facebook. While Facebook remains the king of social media with 242 million viewers, other competitive social media platforms have crept up: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, #LinkedIn, Snapchat, and Pinterest.

Just because Facebook rules the world of social media doesn’t mean that you should use it as a priary site for business purposes. For instance, research shows that at least 2.2% of Instagram users will interact with an ad, as opposed to only 0.22% of Facebook users. Also, keep in mind that every social media site has a different type of audience that it caters to. The social media site you choose must depend on the type of business you run. Some research on the different types of audiences on each site will give you a better understanding of which social media site will suit your business. #Real estate industries can benefit from some of the extremely active groups on Facebook. Although a LinkedIn afficianado, I always point certain clients in the direction of Facebook for group activity. Unfortunately, many LinkedIn groups can still be a bit of a spammy graveyard.

Trend 2 – Stories make the world go around

Business tip: News feeds are passé – tell a story instead

Remember ‘news feeds?’ If you have ever used news feeds, you can stop using this tool to advertise your business. Stories are the new news feed. Users are using stories to capture their audience’s attention. Today, stories are shared 15 times faster and are much more popular than feed-based shares. Stories stay up for a day before disappearing but they are viewed more than the age-old news feeds and leave a lasting impression on viewers. Stories can be shared across Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and even WhatsApp. They sound scarier than they are and once you’ve mastered the, they’re incredibly valuable.

Chris Cox, the chief product officer of Facebook, believes that stories will surpass. For businesses, this means that they must stop viewing their social media updates as blocks of information that can be dumped on social media sites. Rather, they must take a more intimate approach to what and how they post business information.

Trend 3 – Groups come to the forefront

Business tip: Join groups and start a group

Although not a new feature, groups are gaining popularity this year. A group is a place where people with like-minded interests can gather together to discuss specific topics of interest, whether it is real estate, fintech or baking!

For your business, starting a group ensures a very specific crowd of people who are interested in your business,which is why they are a part of your group. Your business marketing can be streamlined through this old but very effective strategy.

There are over 50,000 members in Facebook’s closed groups. A “Closed Group” allows you to screen individuals before permitting them to join your group. A closed group ensures time wasters, idlers, and the general riffraff of social media stay out of your very professional group – click above on my Facebook Group for Professionals (closed).

Trend 4 – The use of AI Chatbots

Business tip: Build relationships with the help of employees and chatbots

Do you use social media only to promote your business and broadcast messages about your latest innovations and services ? If you are, then you are not making full use of social media. In 2019, the focus of social media is to build relationships and engage with those you build relationships with – that’s how you gain loyal followers and customers via social media. Give your followers the information they want, and then give them more information, and then a bit more too. The more information you share, when it’s asked for, the more they will help your brand grow. Get your employees on social media to help you do this.

A chatbot can be a very useful tool: One place you can set up a chatbot is on Facebook Messenger. There are several other areas on social media that chatbots can be used. A chatbot will ensure your followers’ questions are answered even when the rest of the world is asleep. In clearer terms, a chatbot ensures quick response time and efficiency. Some time ago, Gartner predicted that by the year 2020, 85% of customer interactions would be managed by Artificial Intelligence.

So there you have it. Four social media trends and four business tips to help you to gain business traction. Follow these tips and you are sure to do much better with your social media strategy going into Q4

For bespoke social media marketing advice to understand, plan and take full advantage of the opportunities available to you and your business, schedule an hour strategy call here: https://calendly.com/melaniegoodmantrevisan/60min