Social Media Trends You Can Count on in 2018
As one of the top digital marketing agencies in Las Vegas, K2 Analytics has been on top of social media trends since the ever-so-famous Myspace launch in 2003. Social media has erupted an empire of platforms that keeps evolving into something more advanced every day. Giving us more timelines to scroll through and more content that keeps us entertained and informed, social media has become an outlet that has developed its own advantages and disadvantages for social engagement. Social media trends similar to last year in 2018 have the potential to be quite beneficial for business owners who realize them and take advantage. Whether you believe social media is getting outrageously out of control or getting better for the better, get ready for these anticipated new breakthroughs.
1. Advantages for brands and businesses
The boom of influencers and brand ambassadors is just getting started. Youtube went from funny cat videos to now the number one marketplace for brands and businesses to pick out their next target to skyrocket their company. I’m sure we have all seen girls pose with sugar bear gummies between their teeth and the widely recognized Fit Tea posts because businesses are taking advantage of the famed Instagrammers and Youtubers with millions of followers to drive in more revenue.
It didn’t take long for “stories” (derived from Snapchat) to make their way to other platforms. Although the transition seemed a bit superficial at first, it suddenly became a norm to see what our friends, families, and celebrities are up to in real-time. The upgrade of stories has allowed users to instantly add links and pages for easier views and purchases thus benefiting brand attention.
Have you ever shopped online, added things to your cart, and forget about checking out? Instant messaging like Facebook Messenger has allowed businesses to push more sales and engage with their audiences. Or even just guide them to their website where they can shop or read about your company.
2. More than one Siri
In the beginning, there was Siri. Now there’s Alexa, Google Home, and Cortana. Digital assistants like these keep getting more advanced and even more realistic. Starting off as a single feature on our mobile devices, voice searches are but now becoming the next household appliance next to our TVs and radios. What will tech companies like Apple and Amazon do to take this voice interaction to the next level this year?
3. Chat Rooms and live streaming
Since the term ‘webcam’ is long gone and has now become just another form of contact easily available on our smartphones, the rise of chat rooms and live streaming has progressed to our next form of broadcast, entertainment, and communication. Video streaming to our timelines has brought small issues, brands, and our own interests to light when having a real human being behind the camera. Don’t have cable to watch the Olympics? One huge social media trend to expect is live streaming, which is most likely how many watched the most recent Olympics. Or are you in a place somewhere in the world you want to show everyone? Go live. Not only do you get to chat with multiple people tuning in but they are experiencing another reality simply through a mobile screen.
4. Culture unity and education
Because most people are glued to their phones these days, it might be a good thing in expanding their knowledge about issues going on in the world. Social media has become a popular channel across all platforms to shed light on important matters and topics to not only raise awareness but to make a difference in the world. Using Facebook or Twitter as one of the few platforms to give us new perspectives, allows us to unite and talk about what truly matters. This has become popular among our biggest role models, celebrities, and politicians.
5. What about Twitter?
Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat have made constant major changes multiple times in a year. But what’s the deal with Twitter? Twitter has been a strong platform of a very active community of users that has pretty much stayed the same throughout the years. It has been a different kind of social media culture that may be hard to grasp as a new user coming into the game but still has a strong presence in news and entertainment. Will Twitter be making a big move in 2018? Guess we’ll all have to wait and see.