We all know social media marketing is in constant flux. What works one day, might not the next based on the latest trends and the whims of changing algorithms. We had several progressive speakers at Social Media Marketing World that covered some changing trends, including Social Media Examiner’s own Mike Stelzner. Here are 4 trends that matter to your small business.
Businesses must advertise and expand their marketing reach.
A recent article from Venture Beat highlighted that there are 60 million businesses on Facebook, but only 6.7% actively advertise. The upside is that small businesses can advertise effectively on Facebook. You don’t need to have a big budget to reach your target audience in social media. Facebook, Twitter and Instagram all offer features like custom audiences and retargeting capabilities so that you can get your company’s message in front of the people who are most likely to buy, including people who have signed up for your email list and those who have visited your website.
Facebook’s algorithm is limiting your exposure and its time to adjust your marketing.
We’ve all seen this happening but it seems like it’s the case now more than ever. Business pages are simply getting less visibility in the newsfeed. Social Media Examiner’s latest report showed that in a survey of 5,700 social media managers, over 95% said their exposure has gone down. The question is: what should you do? The answer is not to post more. The solution is to hone in on your Facebook community. Get to know the people who are interacting with your page. It’s time to look past the numbers and focus on the people and the relationships forged through your social media efforts. And if you want to really get your posts seen, try embracing Facebook Live. Now it’s possible to live stream from your desktop and Facebook will alert your followers when you go live and give your video extended reach.
Businesses are moving on to Instagram.
Instagram is growing at a rapid speed and has reached 600,000 active users. It was once regarded as a not-so-serious platform but businesses are starting to wake up to the opportunities there. Instagram recently introduced a few features that businesses can’t ignore, including Instagram Stories (short-form 15 second video content), and shoppable tags that allow users to simply tap a product photo to buy it (currently rolling out to larger brands). Instagram is also changing the ways that photos and videos are viewed. Again, some of the most effective success stories are small businesses like yourself. Right now only 54% of marketers are taking advantage of Instagram but according to Social Media Examiner’s latest survey, 71% of marketers want to learn more. I plan on writing a blog on how to get the most of Instagram stories soon, so keep an eye out for that!
Visual marketing is growing and essential for your business.
Most people are visual learners, and with the crowded, noisy digital marketing space, this is vital to keep in mind as you create marketing campaigns. Creating visual content is considered a must-do for marketers. According to Social Media Examiner’s soon-to-be-released industry report, 85% of marketers use visuals and 41% claim visuals are one of their most important forms of content. Luckily, apps and tools are coming out in droves to help the average marketer get up to speed. Some of the popular tools that were mentioned by the pros include Adobe Sparks, Canva, Over, Relay, Animoto and Ripl. These can help you create beautiful and captivating graphics and videos to use in your social media marketing.
These are just some of the trends that your business should be on top of as you plan your digital marketing. If you are looking for more ways to plan your social media strategically and efficiently, you can get my newly released book, The Social Media Cookbook: Strategic Marketing Recipes for Small Business Success at Amazon.com in Kindle or paperback HERE. Or if you want to taste of it, I can send you the free Facebook Chapter here.
