As we wrap up 2017 we as marketers and entrepreneurs can’t help but begin looking to the future and what the new year will bring. We here at Twenty Four Media pride ourselves in staying current on the industry, help you understand what that information means, and how that information can help you build your brand. To help you stay informed as we ring in the new year we have compiled a list of marketing trends to look out for in 2018.
Facebook Changes
Facebook is a staple of nearly every brand on the planet. It is a place where you can actively engage with your customers, fans, and prospects and it allows the potential for open two-way communication (which customers love, by the way). Facebook is constantly changing the way their algorithm works and 2018 will be no different. There is no doubt in my mind that we will see a whole slew of changes in the way Facebook distributes information and new ways of bringing your content to potential customers over the course of the next year.
One HUGE change that is already being implemented, but will certainly affect the first quarter of your 2018 strategy, is the way that posts specifically asking people for likes, comments, and shares are treated. I’m sure that you have seen, or even participated in, this form of posting. This is when people, brands, and companies attempt to “hack” the Facebook algorithm to increase user engagement by asking viewers to like, comment, or share. Subsequently many have created a system of rewards for these actions (like entering to win a sweepstakes). Based on the way Facebook utilizes engagement to boost the life of a post, it would make sense that people would try to artificially increase the life of their post.
As we move into the new year we will see Facebook begin demoting – or de prioritizing – organic posts that ask for users to like, comment, and share. This is an effort that aligns with Facebook’s efforts to make the timeline more relevant and keep clickbaity ‘fake news’ away. So, what does this mean for your brand? Well, that depends.
If you’re brand uses this posting method to artificially boost engagement you will begin to see a steep drop in that engagement. When planning posts keep in mind that this “hack” will do more harm than help and focus on creating content that people want to like, comment on, and share.
For a full explanation about the changes from Facebook, click here.
Snapchat Advertising
Whether you want to admit it or not, Snapchat has become a full fledged social network. With 178 million daily active users, it is a force to be reckoned with. Snapchat has opened up advertising to all businesses and if your market uses Snapchat, it is something that you should definitely be looking into. Daily Snapchatters open the app over 25 times and spend an average of 30+ minutes on the app each day. This means that you have a ton of opportunities each day to reach your target audience on a platform that they already love engaging on. Which actually bring us to our next point: video.
Video
The age of video is here. Every social media company is investing heavily in video now – or will be in the near future. What that means for marketing is that there are a ton of opportunities for creative advertising that can not only promote your products and services, but can also provide a value that your competitors are not providing. Facebook has been pushing for video for the past year, but we are seeing even bigger pushes in the vein of live video and with the addition of Facebook Watch.
Twitter and LinkedIn are also working on pushing video. Snapchat of course, has a heavy reliance on video – especially if you want to advertise there, and Instagram is also testing some interesting video/story advertising methods. Getting into video and creative advertising is going to continue to gain prominence and rule social media for the next few years. Start developing strategies now so you don’t fall behind the curve.
Content Marketing
We spoke about it earlier this year, and we are going to talk about it again. Because of the push to video that many social networks are making and because of the tightening of the rules on engagement bait from Facebook, content marketing is going to continue to be a marketing force that gains more strength as the landscape changes. Check out our full blog post on content marketing “Content is King – Making Waves with Content Marketing”.
Customer Experience Marketing
I founded Twenty Four Media in early 2017. I started it on the belief that the key to marketing in a digital age is through the power of customer experience marketing. We focus on helping you build your brand and create a 360° marketing experience. Whether you are in eCommerce, digital services, online services, entertainment, the influence market, or brick and mortar stores; we believe that the key to success is to create a marketing experience that sets your brand apart from the competition.
In 2018 we will continue to see the trend of customer experience marketing. You can no longer simply have an ad that leads to a mediocre webpage and expect customers to interact with your brand. You must strive for, and plan to build, a well rounded customer experience. Good advertising, great content (blog, video, white paper, eBook), well designed landing pages, websites, logos, and creative copy all combine to form a customer experience. Use 2018 to propel your brand ahead of the competition and set the goal to focus on customer experience marketing.
We live in a fast-paced ever connected world and that means marketing has never been more difficult. Most of your potential customers have a range of choices that was unheard of 20 years ago – through customer experience marketing we help you build your brand from first impression to lifelong customer. Click here to find out how we can help you!