Social media is constantly evolving and it’s a challenge for businesses to follow trends and all the latest updates. However, being the first person to know them can give you a competitive advantage and an opportunity to get more profit and attract new audiences. The new year starts soon and maybe it’s time to change your social media strategy, explore new features, and see what works better for your business.

Time goes by and old methods start to lose their effectiveness. Have you noticed that your posts on Facebook gain less reach and Instagram stories are becoming more popular than the images you post? It’s a result of a changing environment and brands that adapt to them quickly gain more profit.

YouTube has recently launched stories, LinkedIn provides new ways to reach people with dynamic ads, Instagram rolls out nametags which everyone can scan with their smartphone. How to make the best of all the new updates? Take a look at our tips and get ready for the new year with us.

Personalization is the key

Every day your potential clients receive tons of information. One of the best ways to stand out and to be noticed is to provide content that is relevant and useful for the people you want to reach. Each person is unique – we have different tastes, habits, and reasons to choose your brand. So it’s time to move from “one-size-fits-all” marketing strategy to a more personalized approach. This is one of the key visual trends of 2019, and food for thought if you’d like to appeal to clients with personalized content. 

LinkedIn is launching dynamic ads to capture the attention of their users. Now people can automatically create individualized campaigns and customize them to their audience. Amazon, offers products, related to the ones that people purchase. Brands bring value to people with personalization and it’s going to be the future of marketing.

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We’re moving to a new society where there will be no need to look for information – the information will find us even before we realize we need it. Machine learning and data science are evolving very fast – now we are able to gather information about our customers and provide content which is useful for each individual. Get information about the products the person purchases, offer something valuable and useful based on what you know about an individual client, and create personalized designs and offers.

Select social media that works best for your business

Not all social media platforms are the same. Valuable resources can be allocated more efficiently if you understand what channel works best for you. Otherwise, you will be spending time and money on social accounts that garner no consumer engagement or other relevant benefits.

When you create an account on a social media network, think of a goal and a plan on how to achieve it. Create a content calendar, post different types of content and track your results. There is no need to be present on all of the networks – you’ll spend a lot of time which could be allocated more efficiently. If you still can’t choose the best social media platform – analyze your competitors and see what works best for them.

Be authentic

Authenticity has been one of the major trends for the previous several years and it still remains important. Brands have to be perceived as real, reliable, and honest in order to get clients and build trust. Competition in all industries is very high and traditional marketing techniques are not very effective anymore. That’s why businesses now have to change the ways they communicate with their customers.

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Being authentic in social media means being true to your customers, showing real people behind the brand, going against generally accepted standards. You have to discover what your company stands for and ensure that your actions align with your message.

One more way is to engage people to produce content related to your company and to share it. It will help your followers to feel a connection and to grow your audience in the process. Share real people reviews, don’t be afraid to deal with negative – this will help you build real relationships with your customers.

Post stories and live video

Stories are becoming a new way to communicate. They are more natural and personal than classic posts, that’s why they are becoming more and more popular. You never know what they are about before you open them and they are valuable as people share important real-time events.

Stories work for businesses. Facebook, Instagram, YouTube now have stories and it means that top companies understand how this feature is important. Stories is a chance for business to post informal content and to be more authentic.

The same goes for live video. Posting live video allows people to be a part of the event and life of the company. According to Cisco, by 2021 live video will account for 82% of all internet traffic. People watch these videos, like, comment and share and they remain on social media even after the end of the broadcast.

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Create an SEO strategy for voice search

The technology of a voice search has recently significantly improved and soon there will be no need to use the keyboard on your smartphone. Almost the third part of searches on Google now are voice searches and it means that companies have to quickly adapt to these changes.

Voice search differs from the search on your PC. When you ask something your virtual assistants, they give you one or only several results. You need to optimize your pages for a voice search, find proper keywords and try to get to the top results. It will help you get more clients and to be one step ahead of your competitors.

The world is changing and businesses have to adapt to it quickly. Following trends can give you new opportunities, bring value to your customers and attract new clients.

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