10 Hot Social Media Trends

Social platforms dominate modern marketing, so saying that they are just another business tool would be a serious understatement. With more than three billion users, the likes of Facebook and LinkedIn actually represent the most important communication channel of the 21st century.

Marketers understand that very well, which is exactly why more than 70% of US businesses use Instagram. When you add other social platforms to the equation, it becomes clear that the vast majority of companies rely on social media for promotion.

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So how can you find and secure your place in the social media sun? The only way to do it successfully is to follow the latest industry developments. We will help you with that by pointing out the 10 hottest social media trends. Let's take a look!

1. 1. Social shopping

   

   Twitter, Facebook, and other platforms are primarily relationship-building tools that help businesses to strengthen relationships with the target audience. However, the latest trend is to use social shopping and allow fans to purchase products from social media accounts directly.

   Such a tactic drastically simplifies online shopping and enables customers to buy the product they need within seconds. Although you are not supposed to be too pushy with this feature, it should certainly become a part of your social media strategy.

2. 2. Multichannel approach and diversification

   

   We all know that Facebook and Instagram are the most popular networks, but younger generations are not impressed and they are ready to experiment with other platforms. In such circumstances, you must consider adopting a new multichannel approach and diversifying your social activities.

   The likes of TikTok and Snapchat are gradually becoming young users' favorite tools, whereas new channels keep emerging year after year. Keep it in mind and don't hesitate to create new accounts if it suits your target audience.

3. 3. Be authentic

   

   This goes without saying, but authenticity has become a quintessential social media trend simply because too many brands copy/paste the same ideas from each other. Jake Gardner, a term paper help expert at the essay writing website, claims that a business has to be unique: "The point is to offer something else to your fans if you really want to stand out and leave a great impression on social media followers."

4. 4. Social networks as research and discovery engines

   

   When you want to learn something new, you probably visit Google and type in your keywords. It's the way things work in 2020, but social platforms give you yet another research channel.

   Many brands have started using social networks as research and discovery engines because they offer a variety of customer-related insights. Hashtags are essentially social keywords, so you can discover and analyze almost any topic, person, or trend with Facebook, Instagram, or any other platform.

5. 5. Augmented Reality

   

   Augmented Reality (AR) is a view of the real, physical world in which users find elements enhanced by computer-generated input. Perhaps it sounds futuristic, but the trend is already there – you can see it in so many variations on almost all social networks.

   Agile brands should take advantage of AR to add new layers of information to the content, enrich users' experiences, and encourage additional engagement.

6. 6. Voice assistants

   

   Voice assistants are yet another trend that threatens to win over the social media universe. Voice-powered assistants have already made a substantial impact on search engine optimization since the growing number of users relies on Siri or Cortana to conduct online queries.

   Social networks are responding to the new challenge – Facebook's development of a voice-powered virtual assistant is a necessary step for the social media company to keep pace with rivals that are working to transform how consumers interact with cutting-edge technology. Other platforms are expected to do the same in the years to come.

7. 7. Live streaming

   

   Video marketing is known to be users' favorite content format, but now it is time to take it a step further through live streaming. It's a more interactive and engaging format that allows viewers to ask questions on the go and wait for your answers. This doesn't only skyrocket engagement but also increases watch times and turns social fans into loyal followers.

8. 8. Micro-influencer marketing

   

   If you know that authenticity is becoming a major social media trend, you will understand why micro-influencers are getting increasingly popular among users and online businesses. Unlike macro-influencers, their micro peers look much more natural and convincing.

   Marketers who want more than plain visibility cooperate with micro-influencers to grow impressions and skyrocket engagement while preventing a serious budget-waste that usually comes with macro-influencer campaigns.

9. 9. Employee advocacy

   

   The days of dehumanized social media channels are long gone. Today, you have to act as a team and show social media followers that there is a group of real people working for the company.

   This makes employee advocacy a big trend that adds a much-needed dose of style and personality to the strategy. Besides that, employee advocacy will make you look like a desirable employer and probably help you attract young talents to your team.

10. 10. Advanced data analytics

    

    There is an old business proverb stating that you cannot improve what you do not measure. This couldn't be truer in 2020, which means you ought to exploit advanced data analytics to enhance your social media marketing. The goal is to gain deeper insights into users' behavior and take advantage of these facts to run more productive social media campaigns.