10 Social Media Trends for 2020

Social Media platforms continue to grow, new kids turn up on the block and it still continues to be one of the best places to connect with potential and existing customers. But what will we see growing the most in 2020? Here is a round up of what we predict for you and your business.

VIDEO

Video is going nowhere and will continue to rise as the preferred medium with predictions that by 2022 82% of media will be video. This includes in a shorter way such as Tik Tok or long form/pre-recorded. People will continue to watch with the sound off though so ensure that you add subtitles. Facebook tells us that they prioritise it over images and it is super useful for ad conversion too.

TIK TOK

If you think Tik Tok is just for kids then think again with brands such as Adidas starting to use the platform. However, it is worth saying that it is mainly used by teens (for now) and is their third preferred choice after Snapchat and Instagram. 1.5 billion people have downloaded the app and is enjoying high engagement rates. We will wait to see how it pans out for the big brands but for now, get on board and have some fun!

INSTA STORIES

Instagram Stories will continue to grow with more people preferring its reality to the often over curated grid. Instagram tell us that 500 million people swipe Stories everyday and that 1 in 3 are more likely to buy something after seeing it in Stories so is a great pace to be focusing your time and ad spend.

REMOVAL OF LIKES

Instagram continue to roll out the removal of likes after a successful trial with some accounts here in the UK already losing them. The hope is that we start to care less about this measure but the question many are asking is whether it will drive more people to buying followers as no one can see the engagement percentage mix. To make it easier for influencers Facebook has launched a new tool packed with more data to provide to brands.

THE RISE OF THE MEME

Meme accounts are growing fast, with many new people creating them for brands. The idea is that posting random content helps engagement - people like, comment or share ensuring the algorithm shows them the sales posts next. Consider posting content from time to time that will make people laugh and even go viral.

IGTV

Instagram is not ready to give up on IGTV yet, and are planning new things for it soon. While it hasn’t overtaken Snapchat Discover Shows or touched the sides of You Tube, it is not worth ignoring completely. Keep your eyes peeled on this one! We love that it now carries through the video to your grid helping to increase engagement - if you do this, make sure you consider a cover image.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customers are expecting a reply from brands within 30 minutes via social media such as Twitter, What’s App and Messenger - while this won’t be possible for many, it is worth considering your plan for this. Do you have an out of office on that leads the to a FAQs page for example.

MESSENGER BOTS

Utilising Messenger Chatbots to talk to your audience will continue to rise but it is important to use it sparingly. This is where you get a message from a brand asking for an opinion, encouraging you to answer and start a conversation. If you want to get on board with this in 2020, try to keep the personal touch at all times. If you don’t want to use a bot, do still think about how Messenger can help you - for example at an event set an out of office on with your opt in link then get people to message you so they get the download to join your list!

FACEBOOK VS WHAT’S APP

Facebook want us to stay and create communities which can be great to build an engaged audience but many people feel overwhelmed with all the groups. We recognised this and have created a What’s App group so everyone can access it like a text rather than getting bogged down with Facebook. We feel that What’s App will continue to grow in may ways in 2020.

MICRO INFLUENCERS

Brands are finally recognising the power of smaller bloggers and influencers who have less followers but often better engagement rates - some are getting over 10% conversion compared to the average 2-3%. This is great news - and something for you to consider. If you have an audience that love you then maybe you can start to advertise to them. And if you want to invest in influencer marketing, look out for smaller bloggers.

Finally, there will continue to be a focus on our mental health and the impact social media has on it. Do you spend too much time scrolling? If you do and want to change this - join our PRODUCTIVITY CHALLENGE where we look at how to set boundaries so we spend time creating rather than procrastinating!