The very nature of social media is that it’s fast. Social networks are where people go for quick snippets of everything going on with the people, brands, and places they care about. Social networks themselves have fostered a fast-paced environment, changing how things look and feel, adding new features and updating algorithms at a rapid-fire pace. Keeping up with the rapid change of trends is necessary and allows you to figure out how to best direct your marketing efforts. Take a look below at six of the latest social media trends:

  1. Content Planning
    Planning content ahead of time is the new norm. Carefully crafting and laying out how your brand’s story will unfold over time is key to ensuring quality and frequency. A content calendar provides a big-picture approach to social media content planning and can be used to schedule posts, manage campaigns, and track deadlines. Whether it’s printed paper, spreadsheets, or software services, content calendars help maintain a consistent publishing schedule of high-quality content on each of your platforms.
  2. Brand Storytelling
    When creating your marketing strategy, don’t forget about the bigger story: what makes you human? Brand storytelling is using a narrative to connect your brand to customers by linking what you stand for and the values you share with your customers. Your story should be reflected in any content you create – whether its social media posts, blogs, or website copy – everything should funnel back to the vision and core values. Treat each piece of content as a piece of a puzzle: when everything is put together, the overall big picture should be apparent.
  3. Rich Media
    There’s no doubt that photos will remain the foundation of online communication, but the use of more advanced media continues to rise. Rich media includes advanced features such as video, audio, or other elements that encourage viewers to interact and engage with the content. This type of media offers ways to involve the audience in a more active role. If your objective is to generate more click-throughs or create brand awareness, rich media is the format to go with.
  4. Emojis
    One simple yet continually growing trend is the use of emojis. As companies continue to share content in more consumer-friendly ways, even in more formal business-to-business environments, emojis used alongside social content capture greater interest and stronger results. In fact, the use of emojis increases engagement by a whopping 48% on Instagram. And emojis in a Facebook post lead to 57% more likes, 33% more comments, and 33% more shares. Adding emojis to your content is fun, eye-catching, and effective.
  5. Ephemeral Content
    Whether you’re familiar with the term or not, we consume ephemeral content daily. Ephemeral content is rich media, mainly images and videos, that are only accessible for a brief period (usually 24 hours). It can take many forms including photos, live-stream videos, product demos, narrative stories, and more. This type of content can be published to platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat and there’s a reason its gaining traction. An ephemeral content strategy has many advantages such as creating a sense of urgency, higher engagement, increasing overall reach, and building trust with consumers.
  6. Customer experience
    Social media platforms have made it easier than ever to interact with your customers and hear what they have to say. Beyond marketing, social media is also a great way to optimize your customer experience by listening, responding to customer queries, and managing customer relationships. Highlighting your brand’s personality, delivering useful and shareable content, and building customer-company relationships are sure-fire social media marketing methods to enhance your customer experience delivery.