Social Media in 2018 – Where is it Heading?

Social Media has been a growing force in the world of marketing for many years now, it has allowed communicating with prospects and customers to be easier than ever before. It has allowed businesses to advertise to a wider target audience, helping them to get noticed and most importantly, to get results, whilst choosing how much they want to spend. It works for large businesses and small and many business owners will tell you that it is key to lead generation and sales. It is one of the first things considered when creating a strategy and with this in mind, we are going to explore where social media could potentially be heading in 2018.

Instagram Stories

Over 200 million people use Instagram Stories every single month which is staggering, what is more interesting is that this is over 50 million more than those who use Snapchat stories. What makes this even more impressive is that Instagram stories have only been around for roughly a year. If this trend continues into 2018 which looks highly likely, it would be best to start getting a strategy together now to connect with users via Instagram Stories. Master an appealing and eye-catching Instagram Story and you will be able to connect with users like you have never seen before.

Generation Z

Generation Z is the term being used for the generation after the Millennials. The oldest person in this generation now is believed to be 22 years old and therefore they are in the early stages of their lives and most will just be starting to generate some buying power. This represents a huge opportunity for businesses and they will soon start to recognize the social trends that appeal to this generation. This will lead to a shift in social media strategies in order to connect with this generation and convert them into customers. As mentioned above platforms like Snapchat and Instagram or predicted to be highly targeted.

Social Media Messaging Platforms

Businesses have hit social media platforms hard and with great effect, but recently social media messaging platforms such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp have started to be utilised as well for marketing purposes. The rise of Chat Bots and Artificial Intelligence will allow businesses to create a seamless and personalised shopping experience through messaging platforms to prospects and customers resulting in higher conversion rates and increased customer satisfaction.

Live Streaming

Live streaming throughout 2017 has become an increasingly popular way for companies to get the attention of their audience instantly. Some businesses who have utilised live streaming in the right way have managed to get thousands of views on a single live stream video giving them great exposure and interest whilst increasing their brand reputation. As social media platforms progress, Live Streaming is set to become even more popular with more and more businesses utilising it to make announcements, draw competition results and launch new deals or products. This will likely become a major part of content strategies over the next 12 months.

All the above are predictions and are not set in stone, however as the majority are starting to be used now it is likely they are going to become even more popular throughout 2018 and beyond.

At Equinox can manage Social media and messenger campaigns, create content, maintain your social media profiles and even plan stories and live streaming videos for your business. With monthly reports of engagement rates and enquiries being fed directly back to you so you are always in the loop. Whether you simply want to raise your online presence or launch a full-scale sales campaign, we have the resources, expertise and service that can help you.

For more information of any of the above or for a quote on our Social Media Marketing Services, please call 01934 643961 or email info@equinoxmarketing.co.uk