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The top social media marketing trends for 2019

Want to know how to make your business stand out in 2019? Here are four of the social media marketing tools we’re predicting will make a big splash.

1. Influencer Marketing

For the last few years adventurous businesses have delved into the world of influencer marketing. And they’re cleared the way for everyone else: what used to be a vague and confusing process has become much more regulated, clear, and easy to access.

Influencer marketing is the process of finding influencers, or content creators, on social media to share or promote your products. Finding the right people has never been easier: simply googling ‘find influencers’ brings up a whole host of websites and services which can help connect you with the right person to represent your brand.

Customers tend to trust the people they follow online, so an endorsement from someone they recognize can be much more valuable than one that is simply promoted onto their feed from your website. Keep in mind that bigger isn’t necessarily better when it comes to influencers: if you have a niche target demographic, for instance, it might be better to target smaller influencers within that demographic than larger (those with more followers) influencers which don’t quite fit within in.

2. Video

Instagram has reported that over 400 million of its users use the video Stories feature every day. Stories allows users to film short moments of their day and share them instantaneously from their phones – and they’re a huge hit.

But video isn’t just for individuals: it’s brilliant for businesses too. One of the quickest ways to share a message, promotion, or new product, using the video tools inbuilt into various social media platforms can help drive engagement and trust.

In 2019, it’ll be all about showing your customers what’s going on behind the scenes, showing them product trailers, and communicating whenever something exciting is happening.

3. Transparency

Speaking of behind the scenes, businesses are going to find it harder than ever to hide from bad reviews in the future. More and more review websites are cropping up, and customers have learnt that all 5-star reviews could mean something suspicious is going on.

Instead of deleting negative reviews, it’s essential to simply address them and move on – leaving them exactly where they are. If possible, you should always move the conversation to a private space, such as email, but you can’t delete all traces.

Instead, be open and honest over social media. Acknowledge mistakes, solve issues instead of sugar-coating them, and work your best to build positive relationships with your customers.

4. Disappearing content

It might seem counterintuitive to put energy into content that will disappear after 24 hours, but disappearing content has become a huge success. Snapchat and Instagram stories have demonstrated that temporary posts only emphasize the urgency of a sale or update: customers are far more likely to tune in for fear of missing out.

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By using these trends in the new year and keeping your social media accounts active, you’ll no doubt see a rise in engagement! What are your business plans for 2019?

Lena Klein

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