With over 2 billion Facebook users and over 100,000 people active on Instagram, it’s clear that social media continues to dominate the way we reach out and connect with consumers.
Social media engagement shows zero signs of slowing down, as it continues to challenge and change the way we think about companies and their business models.
Seeking some inspiration for your 2018 social marketing campaigns? Here are some of the freshest social media marketing campaigns that made waves in 2017.
Even though influencer marketing has been around for many years, we saw it launch as one of the most popular social marketing campaigns of 2017.
Influencers sponsor posts advertising everything from subscription meal delivery services to pregnancy tests to jewelry brands. It also turned out to be incredibly effective. People like what they see their influencers posting.
The idea behind it is both simple and powerful. Influencers engage with brands to target a specific audience. It’s just like hiring a famous celebrity to advertise a product for a TV commercial or magazine ad, except it can be entirely customizable.
Influencer marketing was seen everywhere, from sponsored Instagram ads to funny Youtube videos. We expect it to become even more integrated and seamless as time unfolds.
Did you buy a treasured item through Facebook Marketplace last year? If so, we’re not surprised.
2017 saw a tremendous surge in e-commerce integration through social media applications. We expect to see this “sharing” platform continue to rise throughout the next few years.
It’s a win-win for both businesses and consumers. Businesses can lead successful social marketing campaigns. Consumers enjoy an adaptive, exciting way to shop for new products.
Best of all? There’s limited overhead for anyone involved. It’s also an economical environmental option for those who are looking to reduce clutter, and, who doesn’t want that?
Take a moment and scroll through your Facebook or Instagram feed. What’s the ratio of videos to text? The gap continues to close, as more people are gravitating towards live videos and streaming options for viewing both professional and personal content.
The idea of “video-first” is all the rage right now. Anyone who’s a fan of Snapchat already knows the power of using the camera (instead of words) to tell a story.
Now, we’re seeing this trend everywhere all social media platforms. While we don’t expect text-based content to disappear, it’s clear that videos are here to stay.
Most people naively think of social media as a young person’s stream of communication. They think of teenagers or young adults playing around on their phones and sending silly pictures to their friends.
While this may have been the trend in the past, it’s certainly not anymore. Everybody’s on the Internet. The number will only continue to grow in 2018 and beyond.
Today, the most popular social media platform, Facebook, is gravitating towards older folks, with over half of its U.S users over age 35. Twitter is seeing similar age trends as well.
As the world becomes increasingly more interconnected and mobile, we expect to see this trend continue. After all, why should young kids get all the fun, right?
What does this mean in terms of social marketing campaigns? It means that businesses will need to create content that appeals to different generations and age groups. Businesses will need to build better relationships with their consumers to understand their specific needs and wants.
Initially, the concept may have seemed incredibly strange. After all, who would be intrigued by a picture that’s set to disappear in 24 hours or so?
As it turns out, quite a few people are intrigued. Like, seriously intrigued. More and more people are loving the trend of short-lived, instantaneous content. Snapchat perfected these social marketing campaigns, and other social networks have followed in its footsteps.
People like the disappearing messages and video features. It creates a sense of unmistakable hype and excitement. It also promotes a sense of user engagement on a routine basis.
With so many of us taking photos and videos every day, there’s something to be said about prioritizing certain content to “show up only to disappear” for marketing your products or services.
Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard all the chaos and clamor surrounding the fake news phenomenon.
Here’s the truth: many Americans turn to the Internet to access the daily news. Of course, we’ve seen a surge in “fake news” from websites to drive traffic.
Social media networks are aware of this trend, and many of them have pledged to fight back and crack down.
With that said, there will be defined, stricter rules about what businesses can and cannot post on these platforms. This will undoubtedly continue to impact how companies utilize social marketing campaigns.
Open up Facebook on your smartphone. How many mobile ads can you find within the next minute? Chances are, it’s a staggering number.
More and more social networks are depending on mobile marketing methods for increased revenue. That’s because these ads tend to be effective!
Scrolling through your phone and stumbling across an ad doesn’t feel as intrusive. On the business side of things, they offer numerous advantages including instantaneous customer connection, lower overhead costs, and unmatchable shareability.
With mobile ads, you can send specific, tailored messages to your target demographic.
With the right designing and intent, these ads can even be engaging and informative. And, that’s what consumers want to see.
It’s a trend we expect will only continue to dominate in 2018 and beyond.
You’ve heard the notorious phenomenon. One day, you start talking with a friend about buying a new showerhead. Hours later, you suddenly see all these ads for showerheads on your Facebook and Instagram feeds.
Is it Big Brother watching in a creepy, intrusive way? Or, is it just about creating highly-effective, personalized offers for consumers?
Even if it’s a little bit of both, the future is here. It’s in the form of personalized offers that are highly tailored to target audiences.
In 2018, we will continue to see more businesses invest in analytic tools to track their followers. We will also see businesses spend more on retargeting ads.
We know that Instagram debuted its Stories features, which is eerily similar to Snapchat. We also know that Facebook is examining how to integrate disappearing messaging into its Messenger app.
What does all this “copycat” information mean?
Well, it’s not just one CEO borrowing information from another. It just means that different social media networking sites are taking features from one another to create a standardized and similar experience.
Artificial intelligence continues to dominate technology. We’re not just talking social media enhancement here. We’re talking everything you do online.
Experts predict that artificial intelligence will only continue to gain traction in the next few years. This is especially true as media conglomerates, Facebook, IBM, and Google continue to invest in AI strategies.
One thing is for sure: it’s becoming essential for social marketing campaigns. It’s likely here to stay, and you’ll be seeing a lot more of it from different companies around the world.
When an employee promotes a product or brand, it’s not just simple advertising. It’s consumer connection, and it’s becoming more engaging and effective than ever before.
Many popular businesses actually utilize formal employee advocacy programs as part of their marketing effects. It’s estimated that this will only increase over the next few years. That’s because employees can be the best asset a company can have!
The concept here is simple but powerful: the employee exposes the product or service in a genuine manner.
When was the last time you saw a CEO post on Facebook or Twitter? Maybe never.
Times are changing though, and more and more “higher-ups” are looking to social media as another way to interact with consumers.
More management and CEOs will likely be joining social networks and posting important content about their brand. After all, they’re already a built-in influencer, and they are starting to recognize that there is real status in them sharing their thoughts and feelings.
This will enhance social influencer marketing in a way that’s both genuine and highly effective.
The beloved home-sharing website, Airbnb, made waves this year with their emphasis on acceptance and cultural sensitivity.
Today, the lines between a company’s products and services and their ethics are more connected than ever before.
People want to feel connected with the brands they love; they want to know the morals and values in order to make socially conscious choices. Even if we kept politics out of it in the past, this is no longer the case in today’s digital age.
In 2017, companies stopped focusing on playing it so safe. Who can forget the infamous Wendy’s and their fast food Twitter rants?
Banter (and not necessarily the friendly kind) is starting to break headway in today’s social media campaigns. It’s witty and clever. It also makes it very easy for users to engage in the dynamic content.
Picking a side has never been more fun- especially when nobody gets hurt.
Remember the #Metoo campaign? Chances are, you saw it all on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. Everyone had an opinion. It was vocal, and it was emotionally charged.
We all felt connected with the trend, whether we agreed with the platform or not. This kind of campaigning will continue as the future of digital marketing and connection unfolds.
We will likely continue to see more simplistic hashtags that everyone, from A-list celebrities to your best friend’s grandmother, starts sharing.
For every successful brand that gets their reputation from Instagram, there are ten other companies that utilize the virtues of multiple marketing mediums.
Today, it’s not enough to just have a presence on one social media platform. In fact, this decision may be limiting and damaging to your brand. You may risk out on missing thousands of potential consumers and infinite, potential revenue.
When a brand uses multiple marketing mediums, they use everything from email lists to Facebook ads to SMS marketing to browser notifications. They think large and global- rather than just small and specific.
If your company is only active on 1-2 platforms, it’s time to reconsider that choice in 2018.
Marketing bots are here, and they’re here to stay. Today, these bots can perform both simple and complicated tasks, and they do so at a much more efficient rate than your ordinary human.
Bots are great for marketers. They help to automate your advertising by streamlining how, when, and where you post content.
In a nutshell, these bots create “human contact” without needing a human. It creates a smooth experience and can actually help consumers feel more connected to the brand and to each other.
For what it’s worth, experts suspect that the rise in bots is just getting started. From writing blog posts to creating beautiful graphics, the future holds limitless possibilities for this technology trend.
There’s no doubt that technology is constantly changing and evolving. As a business owner, it’s critical to stay on top of these trends. It’s also important to learn how to implement them into your personal campaign strategies.
Interested in reviewing your digital marketing strategies? Contact the professionals today! We’re excited to be part of your growth!
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