Social media is going to become more powerful than ever in the upcoming year: that is because as of now, more than 2 billion people worldwide use social networks, while about 243 million users in the United States alone are subscribed to at least one of the following platforms: YouTube, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat. By 2023, researchers are expecting to see a rise in social networkers users in the United States, with the numbers expected to increase to 257.4 million users.

No surprise that users enjoy these platforms since social media is the land of opportunities for everybody! Not only can customers use the newest filters and tools available on these networking apps, but they can also design their online styles by adding personal input to every single pattern available. Above that personalized style UX (user experience), social media platforms are great ways to meet new, interesting people and make long-lasting connections. You can join groups that speak to your interests and become part of your favorite communities by doing so. It is also a great place to search for a job and connect with your prospective employers! Besides that, most of these platforms are free to use, so why not do it as a customer when you have everything you need at hand?

Now that we’ve talked about the importance of social media and its future expansion, let’s see what 2020 has in plan for users and, of course, suppliers. Check these tips out and leave us constructive comments if you’d like to add anything!

Ephemeral Content Seems to Gain Popularity

If you haven’t heard by now, ephemeral content is that type of content that disappears a short time after it’s being released online. For example, Snapchat or Instagram stories are part of that category. Nowadays, people’s attention span is smaller than ever; thus, clients want and need to be focused on one thing at a time to give out the best results. Same goes for social media – if these platforms want people 24/7, they must come up with captivating strategies for consumers, and ephemeral content is the perfect example. Customers will come back for more every time the content that they were interested in stopped showing up; and what better way to make them come back than by erasing what was already there and making them wait for more?

No More Likes on Instagram

Instagram is talking about removing likes after performing one of their Beta-analysis. The results showed that the number of likes a person gets influences their mental health (by active comparison), determining their value in the community. This would be an outstanding reason for this website to remove likes, but critics believe that this might not be the platform’s only interest. Since Instagram branding has become the new trend (and mind you, companies must pay nothing to Instagram for driving traffic and customers to their websites), the platform might want to gain something out of this scheme. By eliminating likes, more people will be determined to invest in Instagram Ads, upping Instagram business.

Social Commerce: Still En Vogue

Social media platforms have turned into real online marketing webpages and stores. They have become important retail platforms in the shopping business that many entrepreneurs sell their products on. This trend will stay the same – social media platforms will continue to gain popularity as storefronts and are expected to sell even more than in the previous year.

Video Content: More Important than Ever

As you might very well know, video content will become more important than ever in 2020. According to a study conducted by Cisco, by 2022, more than 80% of all online content will be video-based. This shows how important video content is in the social media world and how you should start right on that if your platform does not utilize this useful tool. You could start by redesigning your content strategy and adding video content into it – by doing so, you’ll have enough time to work yourself out a relevant plan for improvement in the upcoming video era. One great place to start is turning your images into brief videos and see how that goes for you.

AR & VR Will Take Over

Augmented and Virtual Reality are two new concepts that change the ways in which things actually look. For instance, have you seen the Snapchat filters where you can swipe faces with your best friend, grow a small, adorable puppy on your face, or turn your college papers into burning flames? This is exactly what I am referring to. Augmented Reality is already implemented within various platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, or even Facebook, and will become a thing of the future, as these new tools will also enhance users’ purchasing experiences.

Influencers Will Stay on Top of The List

Did you know that investing in influencers to promote your products is cheaper than running paid advertisement campaigns? And did you know that the results are similar if not even better if using influencers? These new marketing goals that companies are setting will be taken over by millennials in an attempt to generate leads and thus, get paid to do a relatively easy job on social media. Nowadays, marketers are collaborating with more than one influencer (around 2 or 3 per product), bringing their game to a new level and thus, reaching higher levels of customer engagement. In return, clients also develop better UX.

Increasing Security

The problem with social media is that it can collect confidential information on almost anyone in a hot second. That’s why 2020 comes with a new promise to improve data privacy and user security for customers. There will be more regulations and policies applied in this new year, giving people a better sense of security. With all these new rules, more restrictions can be expected to be seen, so do not freak out if you see this happening.

Social Media and Customer Service: What a Partnership!

Since social media will start acting more and more like a storefront for product selling, there will be an increased engagement between social media and customer services; users will become more prone to messaging the big platforms because of a lack of response on other channels, turning Facebook, Instagram, etc. into the main interaction fronts for customers.  

Conclusion

The new 2020 trends for social media are not exactly what we have always wanted but pretty much what we have expected looking at previous years. Turning your best game into your best leverage is super important in this year. Make sure you stay on top of these new tricks and use them accordingly and properly to help your business (or customers!) flourish in ways unimagined before!