6 New Social Media Trends for 2018

You may have started planning your social media marketing strategy for the new year. However, it’s never too late to learn the top social media trends for 2018 that are projected to dominate the industry. To get a leg up on your competition, it’s important to be on top of your social media game!

In today’s increasingly digital world, trends come and go at lightning speed. It can be tough to know which new features are actually viable solutions, and which are just passing phases. Read on to learn which social media trends for 2018 trends are going to take over the game.

• Chatbots that you can customize – messaging apps have soared in popularity over the past few years. Chatbots are becoming increasingly intelligent and are now able to personalize their responses based on data collected. You have access to all the data that your chatbots gather- such as behaviors, preferences, and purchases. The information collected can be used to target and engage with potential customers. Chatbots can make the customer experience much more personalized.
• Social listening will provide new insight – social media isn’t just a place to blast out updates, it’s a platform you can use gather new information on your industry. Social listening is the process of listening to mentions of your brand, learning about your customers, paying attention to trends in your industry and shaping your marketing strategy accordingly.
• Look forward to lower engagement – social media platforms continue to grow, yet as the user base grows, organic reach and engagement tend to fall off.  Most noted in 2017 were the major Facebook algorithm changes that resulted in most social content reaching fewer people. Yet this trend is also true on Instagram Twitter, Snapchat and Pinterest.
• Use Instagram Stories to your advantage – though Instagram added its Stories feature in 2016, it really started to take off last year. The trend is very likely to continue in 2018 as Instagram continues its aggressive push to take more of Snapchat’s users.
• Address the people talking about you on social media – people will talk about you on social media. It’s crucial to take a look at what they’re saying and respond in a way that makes them feel respected and listened to.
• Filters and tagging can make your communications unique – in 2017 there was a huge upswing in the use of augmented reality face filters (filters that can detect your face and give you bunny ears, for example). These filters remain popular on Snapchat and Instagram and are likely to continue being popular in 2018.

How to integrate the social media trends for 2018 into your strategy:

• Use chatbots to increase productivity – use chatbots on Facebook and Twitter to save time and increase efficiency. They can answer some of your customer’s most frequently asked questions. You can also use them to find more information about your customer base.
• Social listening can help you create engaging content – if you listen to what people are saying about you, your products, or your industry on social media, you may be able to identify certain trends. This will save you time and allow you to make your content relevant to your customers. Creating valuable content that your customers crave will turn you into a reputable resource for all their needs.
• Lower engagement means high quality content and paid media are crucial – the cream will rise to the top and your content is no different.  The major social platforms will reward the best content with higher read (both paid and organic).  Testing of content is crucial…find out what content best resonates with your customers.  Paid media (Facebook ads, Instagram ads, etc) will also help you improve reach and social engagement.  So, make sure you have a dedicated social budget for paid ads.
• New features on Instagram offer new ways to connect – Instagram use is increasing every month through features like Instagram Stories and Instagram Direct. Implementing these new features in your social media strategy will create new opportunities to connect with your audience.
• Use criticism as an opportunity to grow – when people criticize you on social media, it can be beneficial. This gives you an opportunity to connect with a customer who may be unhappy and directly solve the underlying problem. Customers love the individual attention, and when you’re able to fix their problem, you may earn a positive shout out from them. This is a chance to show off your best customer service skills, even in the face of adversary.

2018 is a great year to kickstart some brand new social media marketing tactics. With trends in messaging, Instagram and lower brand engagement, 2018 will prove to be a unique year on social media platforms. Spend your time and resources wisely. Use chatbots and social listening to see what’s really important to your customers, and use messaging features to provide stellar customer service. If you’re looking for more marketing tips for the new year, and how to best capitalize on the most important social media trends for 2018, contact us. Dapper Goat is a premier social media marketing agency that will work directly with your business to create comprehensive social media marketing campaigns that will help you achieve the results that you need.