Trends in business have uniquely grown throughout the years. Whether it's about how products and services are advertised, or how they are distributed, or even how they are manufactured, businesses all over the world have needed to keep up with the new social trends. It is necessary for them to be informed about current social trends to not lose customers and eventually, a position in the market. And if you are a business owner, then this article will help you understand the different social media trends that you should know and that you should use to grow your business.
Business and Trends in Social Media
Social media trends have been used, sometimes even started, by businesses all over the world. These current social trends allow them to spread the word about their business and get their brand name out there. But much like everything in our highly technological and highly competitive markets, new trends in social media evolve almost every day. That is why you must always be on the lookout for social media trends so that you can keep up with them and use them in your business.
10 Trends in Social Media You Can Use in Your Business
Here are 10 social media trends that can help you grow your audience and your business.
1. Live Videos
This latest social media trend has been gaining popularity in much more recent years and it is not going away soon. While it is usually a tool used by celebrities and artists, businesses have found a good way to use this. As a business owner, you have to incorporate social media trends like this into your marketing plan. You can go live and answer some of your audience questions in real-time. You can ask influencers to go live on your page or account in promotion of your business. It might also be a good idea to go live and take your customers on a tour of your business place, allow them to see how your products are made or how you go about your business daily. You can even go live during special events - the launch of new products or promotional events. This can entice your viewers to attend your events or lead them to become interested in what your business offers. Current social trends, like live videos, allow your business to seem more accessible and accommodating to your customers.
2. Corporate Activism
Activism doesn't always have a nice ring to it, especially with businesses. Business owners often think that they are above and separate from different social issues. Do not be one of those who are mistaken to think that. Trends in social media have been more geared towards tackling and speaking up about different social issues. As one of the many online businesses in existence, you must stand firm and speak up about what your business stands for. Your website and your social media accounts should be uniform in each stance you make. It is important for your customers and your followers to know where you stand. Different social media trends, especially on platforms like Tiktok, Twitter, and Instagram, have pushed business owners like you to take part in the conversation. Thus, you must educate yourself and take a stand. Supporting the right causes is a moral thing to do and in addition, it will also encourage more people to really support you.
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3. Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is one of the most popular social media trends that is used by businesses of today. Especially for startup businesses or small businesses, like yours, this latest social media trend is very effective yet efficient. Since influencers have a huge follower base, partnering with them to promote your business would give you access to their followers. And few of the influencers charge as much as celebrities and yet they are almost as popular. However, don’t make the mistake of diminishing their value as that can really leave a dent between any relationship you can have with any influencers and their followers. Influencers have earned a special place in the marketing world, and it is important to acknowledge this. Negotiate for the right price and reap the benefits. Trust us when we say that if influencers like you, you are bound to garner more followers and, eventually, more customers. Take note that influencers of today really value the philosophy and values of your business, besides the quality of your products and services. They have a brand image to uphold just as much as you do.
4. Video Content
Video content has become a more effective advertising tool. Current social trends have more or less come and become popular if they are in a video form. Social media trends that started in platforms such as Instagram and Tiktok have been purely short videos that people replicate and make their own. Thus, by keeping up and joining these social media trends, you can reach more people and connect with more customers. Video content has become more encouraging because people prefer to watch than to read. If you want to give information to your audience and your customers, it is best to do it with videos. Include much more in your content since YouTube, Facebook, and other similar platforms don’t really have a limit on the length of videos you produce and post. These videos may be embedded into your website so that more of your customers can watch them while they browse through your product displays. You just need to be careful when you post. You don’t want to leave your customers hanging, but you also don’t want to bore them.
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5. Instagram Stories
Instagram stories have become more and more popular in recent years. It has surpassed the popularity of Snapchat in the short video clips field. Businesses are enticed by the idea of frequent yet temporary posting. Because IG stories can only be viewed for 24 hours, businesses are much more at ease whenever they post. Its impermanence allows them to post more freely and more frequently, which increases their interaction with their customers and followers. Instagram stories have also allowed them to create short but sweet content - that is, they can easily take a snap or a short clip featuring their product and add it to their story and that’s a marketing step already. They can also use Instagram stories to easily promote new products and lead them directly to their business website.
6. Virtual and Augmented Reality
Virtual and augmented reality has become one of the most used tools and latest social media trends of today. Virtual reality requires some tools that you have to use besides your smartphones and other devices, while augmented reality only requires smartphones. Their technological applications both involve bringing your customers a much more advanced experience. Virtual reality has allowed people to connect and interact with other people in the virtual world and with the pandemic that hit the world and got people stuck inside their homes. It became even more useful and popular. However, businesses have focused more on augmented reality because it is much more accessible to all. As a business owner, you can take advantage of this latest social media trend by creating filters of your own. These filters can feature special effects or designs that will promote your business and advertise your products. There are many social media platforms today that cater to these filters. These new trends in social media will help you encourage audience engagement while also promoting your business.
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7. Behind-the-Scenes Content
One of the many current social trends is featuring behind-the-scenes content. Customers are becoming more and more interested in how businesses work on the inside. Gone are the days when businesses can just focus on creating advertising content that solely focuses on the end products. Now, it has become more and more prevalent that customers like and respond to knowing how things are done behind closed doors. One of the new trends in social media is doing vlogs to tour your customers in your workplace and showing them how your products are made. You can also feature interviews with some of your executives and ask them questions about further information about your business. Behind-the-scenes content allows your customers a way in. You can post this content on your social media accounts and even add them to your business website. Understanding how you work will help your customers to be more enticed because they feel more included and connected to you.
8. Inclusivity
Being inclusive is one of the social media trends that should have always been a norm and has now finally taken the center stage in recent times. This latest social media trend has gained momentum because of unfortunate circumstances. It awakened the world to be more careful in how they do their own businesses. It has empowered customers to now more justly look critically at every business out there. And so it is your job as one of the millions of business owners to propagate a good and inclusive environment for them. It is important that you acknowledge the differences of your customers and continue to be accommodating to each and everyone of them and their differences. It is vital that you recognize the importance of including everyone in the design of your products and services. The design of your website, as well as your social media feed, should also be considered of being inclusive. Customers won't want to support you if they can sense that you are not genuine, so be truthful and transparent.
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9. Encourage Audience Participation
Never forget that social media's primary purpose was to connect people no matter where they are. It only makes sense that one of the social media trends that you should use in your business is to encourage audience participation. If you can apply this technique in all the current social trends you take part in, then you can really boost your brand and your customer count. See, engaging with your audience allows you to connect with them on a stronger level and helps you earn their trust more. It also enables you to get a more personal viewpoint of what you can do to improve your customers' experience. You can reply to their comments on different posts or stories you post or you can even add a live chat feature to your website so you can engage with them. Your posts should also be geared toward encouraging them to answer and getting their opinion. Talking with them and encouraging them to speak up is a good way to build an image of transparency and competency.
10. Take Part in Social Media Groups and Forums
Trends in social media have not just stayed on the much more public side of things. Forums and social media groups have also evolved as current social trends. It has earned a spot in the social media marketing industry as a place for people to gather and talk about common interests. It gave them an avenue to share in the delight of the products and services they receive or to address their concerns and find refuge whenever they have been wronged. Social media trends like these are much more personal and sometimes more effective. Taking part in them allows you access to the thoughts and insights that your customers might have. It also can be a place for you to get a feel of what your target market wants. It can help you benchmark and come up with plans to make your business stand out. You can even create a community through your website by adding links to social media forums and groups that your business is a part of or is leading.
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We have been seeing social media continuously rise in popularity in the last decade. Social media has ceased to be just sites where people socialize, it has become a way to do business. Not only is it just used to advertise products and services of businesses like yours, it also has become a primary way to reach potential customers and convert them into loyal, paying customers. You must know the fact that social media integration is now a vital part of any business plan for success. Strikingly can help you build a website for your business where you can take advantage of all these social media trends. Sign up now and take the online business world by storm!
