What’s the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the term “social media”? Something which is an integral part of our living & daily routine. Isn't it?
More than a habit, it has become an integral part of our enjoyment & distractions. Keeping this into concern we can understand the impact social media can create. The world is going digital, social media emerges as a strong platform for marketers, businesses, and brands.
Social media in itself has the power to create, build a strong customer and community. This changing trend welcomes a bright future of social media. Social media trends have changed very fast in the last few years and these trends play an important role in boosting social media as a strong platform.
Let us look at various new trends which bring out a different, and bright future for social media.
The future of social media because of the changing trends is as follows -
The short-video content will rock –
As per the recent trend seen the short video content is most liked, and viewed by the audience. Nowadays audiences like to enjoy quick, fast, and engaging content. The short video can elaborate all, with fun, and engagement. Example – Like Reels on Instagram, Short stories on YouTube, and much more.
Customer targeted content –
Social media is no more just a place for chatting, sharing photos, and videos. Rather it outshines as a place for reaching the right customers,acknowledging them, understanding their requirements, and much more. Social media serves as a platform to increase your product engagement, generate more traffic and hence social media is shifting towards customer-targeted content.
Shopping and social media –
Social media is adding features for shopping and hence it shows up as a platform for shopping, and customer engagement. For example – Instagram adds a shop feature from where you can look for stores, YouTube also provides a space for shopping and others. It all provides a clear view that shopping and social media will walk hand in hand in the future.
Emphasizes more on security and privacy –
With social media becoming deep-rooted within our lives, it raises an important question for security and privacy. Today, social media can be misused to snatch personal information, and other necessary details, and use it against us. Social media platforms are considering this and working towards enhancing privacy, and security.
Rise in social media communities –
Social media communities are the platform for like-minded people, where they can talk, share their stories, and have a healthy environment. Brands, business create their community on social media for people to get to talk, share their stories, and use it as a marketing platform.
They utilize it to have customer feedback, their suggestions, and much more. And also, for customers, it is an enriching platform to get to know other people, about brands, and much more.
For example
– A Facebook community ‘Women Who Travel’ is a popular and customer-oriented community.
Rise in influencer marketing –
The rise in social media influencers directly leads to a rise in influencer marketing. Today, many people are choosing it as their profession and helping brands, businesses to promote through social media.
Influencer marketers provide a base for the customers, and their goodwill, and popularity helps marketers to gain this for their brand, product. Influencer marketing is the future of social media.
Live-streaming continues to shine –
In pandemic times live streaming has become an important part of social media platforms as well as for the audience. Real-time conversation, product selling, discounts, and much more are on the verge of catching customer’s attention. The future is showing a stronghold on live-streaming and an important element for influencers, marketers, businesses, and brands.
The rise in Augmented Reality (AR) –
Augmented reality means the use of digital elements to add on to our realities. It is created to make visual content more exciting, and fun for the audience. Many social media platforms are using it and gaining high popularity.
For example –
The digital elements like adding makeup, bunny, goggles in Snapchat is an example of this. Augmented reality is boosting day by day and many brands are using it to engage more with their customers, and increase their branding. Social media platforms will be filled with Augmented reality because of their gaining popularity.
Social media will play a major role in customer services –
Earlier, the idea of social media was to connect with different people, share interests, and get to know like-minded people. But the scenario has changed very fast as in when marketers notice the audience, customers reach the brand through social media platforms.
This creates a space for social media to use as customer service, product discovery platform, gathering valuable feedback, and much more. In the recent future, social media will be filled with all possible customer service.
Conclusion
Social media is no longer a collection of profiles of people and communities. It has already become much more than information intermediaries & gave birth to new brands, products, meanings and ideas. Therefore, the future of social media is quite bright and it is crucial for every marketer to include it while working on digital strategy.