You’ve seen teens and young adults scanning their social media feeds as they sit at a restaurant, ignoring their food and each other.  You’ve seen them do it in airports and the finest museums in the world.  You’ve seen coworkers checking their social media pages throughout the day, like addicts going back to the coffee pot in the break room for their hourly fix.  You’ve seen your spouse hit the alarm and blearily grab a phone or tablet before even getting out of bed.

Hey, we live in a digital world where being connected 24/7 is both a blessing and a curse.  More and more people spend more and more time engaging with social media, and it’s one of those instances where we simply can’t put the cat back in the bag.  The question for social media marketers then becomes how to connect with people in new ways and beat the overwhelming competition on social media platforms.

A big part of the answer lies in following social media trends and finding ways to jump on them quickly to remain relevant and attractive.  Here are a few trends you should be aware of in the coming year.

Platform-Specific Content Creation

You already know that social media platforms require different forms of content, from short-form copy to photos, to video.  However, it’s not just that you have to work in different mediums when using different platforms – you also need to focus on marketing strategies specific to each platform.

What does this mean?  While you can plan cohesive campaigns across Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube, for example, the truth is that these platforms attract different audiences, with different tastes and expectations.  To throw the same content at all of them may save you some money, but this blanket approach doesn’t allow you to make the most of each medium, and it’s sure to fall short with some audiences.

If you don’t have the resources to create unique content that caters to users on each platform, the best solution is to huddle with your Asheville social media services partner and narrow your focus.  Decide which platforms are most important and focus on doing the best you can on your favorites instead of spreading yourself too thin and getting nowhere.

Developing Authenticity

Hard-sell marketing hasn’t been effective for at least a couple of generations of consumers, but with so many bad actors operating online, people crave authenticity more than ever.  What does this mean for you and your partner in social media management in Asheville?  It means putting a personal face on your brand by highlighting your employees and causes you to support, just for example, so people can find compelling reasons to connect with the human side of your company.

Stories

There are a few great reasons you and your partner in digital marketing in Asheville, NC should jump on stories if you haven’t already.  First, short-format content speaks to the short-attention-span theater that is the virtual world, and the fact that it has minimal shelf-life adds an element of FOMO that compels engagement.  Plus, it’s growing ad space and shopping opportunity that you definitely want to take advantage of.

User-Generated Content

In this Insta-famous world, everyone wants to be a celebrity, and this means you have an opportunity to elevate customers to brand ambassador status.  Finding ways to get consumers involved in developing content for you not only saves you money but increases your credibility as an authentic and trusted brand.  You and your Asheville digital marketing team can create polished content all day that won’t come close to the impact of compelling user-generated fare.

Social Listening

These days, it’s easier than ever to pay attention to what consumers are saying online and use it to formulate winning social marketing strategies.  If you’re not yet utilizing social listening tools to gain valuable information and insights, it’s time to discuss it with your Asheville social media services partner.

Personalizing the Customer Experience

You and your partner in social media management in Asheville have no doubt worked hard on targeted marketing and remarketing efforts.  In 2020, take your efforts to the next level with further personalization that includes tactics like engaging video emails and chatting directly with customers in order to streamline their experience.

Communities

Creating an online community that centers on your brand and your ideology takes time, so you might want to get started in 2020 if you haven’t already.  We all want to connect and feel like we’re part of something bigger, and brands like GoPro, PlayStation, Nike, REI, and Red Bull have shown how well that can work when a company takes the time to court consumers, speak their language, and engage them in relevant and meaningful ways.

Understanding What Customers Want

Obviously, every company is trying to figure out what their customers want so they can create effective marketing that results in conversions, particularly sales.  That said, 2020 is the year you and your partner in digital marketing in Asheville, NC need to dig a little deeper into metrics that get to the heart of how your customers navigate social media and wind up making a purchase or supporting a brand as a result.

You not only need to understand what they want from a product and how to prove that yours is better than competitors, but you have to start looking at the content your customers consume and where they go to find it, as well as the psychology of how they get from point A (your content) to point B (conversion).  This knowledge can help to drive your social media messaging and marketing spend in 2020, resulting in improved marketing and successful outcomes.

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