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While it is almost impossible to get accurate predictions, you can’t deny predicting is fun.
Social media has been an ever-changing landscape with a steady emergence of new platforms, new patents, new tactics, and sudden demographic shifts. What’s more interesting is the shift from social media platforms trying to offer something new and different to the platforms itself keeping up with the various demands of its users.
As a business owner, it is extremely vital to be aware of the latest news and trends as these represent opportunities and insights that you can possibly benefit from. 2020 sees the start of a new year which means a lot of new trends. We’ve shared some predictions and how you can integrate these in your strategies and campaigns.
Removing “Likes” on Instagram
This has been tested in several countries, and it has often been broadcasted as a move to help improve mental health especially among the youth. But what seems like a move to win over the clamors of the public, can look to be more beneficial for Instagram itself.
Taking away the likes will take away the metrics influencers have. This makes Instagram ads (their ad platform) the safer bet between the two as it has metrics and analytics. This is a way for Instagram to earn more money on ads.
Incorporating social into search
When Google+, the search engine’s answer to social networking, has shut down and failed to penetrate the social scene, what was their next move?
Instead of trying to trump other existing social media sites, Google started to incorporate existing social networks into their search algorithm. Google was granted patent 9632972 which tackles the process of how an influencer score will be determined which affects its reach in the search engine pages. This can be the start of Google finally marrying social with search and personalize our search result pages even more.
Chatbots
You will find chatbots the most useful online tool if you have a business online. They can be handy in doing almost everything from entertaining customer queries to displaying products to placing orders. People nowadays do not want to talk to everybody and a chatbot can bridge that inconvenience of manually reaching out for someone to talk to about a small query.
The more integrated your website or social media page is with chatbots, the more seamless the experience will be for your potential customers.
More visuals, video, and audio
For the digital native, visual content in social media is a familiar territory.
The rise of Instagram and Snapchat, visual-based social media platforms, saw the huge demand for visual-based content which increased in usage since most users have smartphones with cameras. Websites have also begun to be optimized based on visuals to give the best user experience for the site visitors. 56% of users use platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter monthly to watch and engage with various videos of different brands. These numbers cannot be ignored especially with the rise of the new live videos which also capture instantaneous moments.
Andrew Ng, the chief scientist at Baidu, claims that 50% of searches by 2020 will be done through either graphics or through voice recognition systems. This is also considering the use of voice recognition devices such as Google Home.
Personal Conversations
Related to the aforementioned point, people do not visit social media to see a long-detailed post about your product or service. The best way to get attention is often, through indirect means. Coupled with the fact that visual-based contents are easier to digest, whether through a graphic or video, lays down the foundation for what works now. In social media, people are also less inclined to share personal information and instead share funny memes or cute videos and tag their friends with it. Through maybe seeming more informal, these types of content are more personal.
Expect more types of content like this in 2020. Long gone are the days that a brand must maintain an untouchable image. Making the brand very transparent in having a conversation and connecting with its audience and making their experience more personalized is the way to go. Creating a community in social media is achieved through the balance of product information and broadcast content.
Be A Social Media CEO
Competing in the digital landscape entails being familiar with the trends and the works. You must walk the walk and talk the talk, after all. Not being able to understand and make the most out of your brand’s social media and online presence can spell the difference when it comes to making the sale and getting new customers.
Running Facebook ads and knowing how to get better brand engagement are just some of the vital skills in getting your social media page across.
Enter the Future
Whether these predictions will come true or not, it never hurts to check out where the future of social media will go. These changes don’t happen in a vacuum and happen because of factors that may be of interest to you as a business owner: changing preferences and trends. These always present new opportunities to reach out to your customers.
Always be on top of the game by having an experienced and trusted partner agency by your side. iRepublic offers you digital marketing solutions for your business at an affordable price. For inquiries, visit our Contact Us page or get in touch with our team at (02) 636 8050 or (63) 917 847 6005.