What is the latest update for Social Media marketing 2018?

Brands are constantly trying different ways to connect with audiences through various platforms. It has become difficult for brands to catch the attention of consumers due to the increasing competition and the decreasing attention span. Users scroll through content every day and brands get a very small window of time to grab their attention. Here are the latest trends that should be included in the social media strategy for your brand.

1. Chatbots that will make customer service faster: In 2018, chatbots will no longer be robotic; they will become bots which will provide an instant connection to customers from across the globe. Many brands are testing chatbots with varying degrees of success. Chatbots can give brands a choice to interact quickly with an audience in a personalized manner. Bots will become smarter and more human like which will allow customization of the brand voice to send personalized messages directly to the users. This is the year to test chatbots for your business. It is easy to design one using the latest tools and technology. Make your chatbots less complicated and give users a reason to use it.

2. Ephemeral content will provide a higher engagement rate: Instagram, Facebook and Snapchat have led to the popularity of ephemeral content. Most content is shared for upto 24 hours and then disappears but brands are now creating content that have a separate strategy for their ephemeral content marketing. The content is authentic and high quality which is suitable for real time content. Due to the nature of the stories, the content is lost within a few hours, thus making followers take fast action and marketers gain from it. Have a plan to reach out to audiences with the help of a content marketing strategy and offer real time content to engage the audience in a short time.

3. Augmented reality: The use of augmented reality provides a unique manner of engaging with marketers to reach their audience. Social channels will plan on introducing different ways of integrating it into their platforms. Snapchat has rolled out a new augmented reality feature that allows users to their Bitmoji. Social Media will help augmented reality go mainstream with its features.

4. Growth of Influencer Marketing: Due to an increasing number of marketers wanting to tap into the influencer market, there are many challenges faced by brands and agencies. Influencer marketing is not a new concept and will continue to grow in the year. Consumers are looking for authenticity from influencers and influencers will become more thoughtful on who they want to work with. The future of influencer marketing will see brands turning into real experts.

5. Video: Video will be the main consumption in 2018. In 2017, majority of the content shared by users on social media is video. Brands need to start using video as a part of their social media strategy. The way videos are consumed is changing. It is predicted that by 2020, video will make up 80% of the online consumer internet traffic. It will be the closest brands will get to a face to face conservation with the audience. Brands need a strong strategy before diving into video. Tools like Facebook Live and Instagram Live can help create exciting content. Make sure the content is engaging and high in quality.