Social Media Marketing Trends You Need to Watch in 2018

Digital marketing is always evolving, and one of the areas that innovates the fastest is social media marketing. Trends can be hard to predict, and new ideas can arise almost spontaneously thanks to the wide range of content producers on today’s interactive Web.

Still, the social media universe is buzzing with new ideas that have real staying power.

When you’re planning your 2018 social media marketing strategy, keep these in mind:

1 Mobile Content Still Has Room to Grow

Today, mobile represents about 70% of all time spent on digital media. Mobile apps represent a huge proportion of that time. While it’s not easy to get users to adopt a new mobile app, getting your content on their favorite mobile device is easier. Double-check that all your sites are truly mobile friendly and that you’re sharing content across popular mobile apps like YouTube.

2 Genuine Interactivity Drives Engagement

It’s all too easy for even expert marketers to think of engagement as a one-way street – that is, something that “happens” to static content. Toss out this flat notion of engagement and look for truly interactive content in 2018. Polls, contests, and branching multimedia experiences can all shift your users from passive consumption to active involvement.

3 People Trust Each Other More Than Celebritiessocial media marketing

When prospects make buying decisions, they want to know real people like them have had success with a product or service. While influencers do exert pull in B2B, a “real person” can be even stronger. Look to authentic reviews, accessible case studies, and customers’ social shares to leverage the fact that 83% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know.

4 Authenticity is Still the Watchword

As digital video channels expand on YouTube, Facebook, and even LinkedIn, B2B brands are still struggling with the balance between personality and professionalism. B2B video content should be polished, but even experienced decision-makers like feeling they are “insiders” with behind-the-scenes knowledge. Define your brand’s traits, but resist the urge to over-script.

5 Ephemeral Content Matters

Any good site should start with a strong base of evergreen content to build trust and drive organic traffic. Still, keep an eye on the emerging cottage industry of time-limited content from players like Snapchat, Instagram, and Facebook. Deployed carefully and at the right hours, this ephemeral content can spark urgency alongside a sense of investment in your brand.

2017 has been one of the most exciting and fast-paced years on record for social media marketing. In many ways, social media prospecting and sales both came into their own this year, tracking the development of robust video and mature B2B communications channels.

Be sure to make social media marketing an integrated part of your 2018 digital marketing plan.