There’s no denying that we are living in the age of social media, and the use of social media within businesses, especially as marketing strategy, will become more valuable than ever in this upcoming year.
A July 2022 study shows that 59% of the global population uses social media so it is more important than ever that businesses use social media to engage with their customers online.
Businesses can select which methods of social media they wish to use depending on what they think are the best platforms to reach their target audience.
Understanding Social Media trends will help you to stay ahead of the competition as you remain relevant in your industry. By utilising platforms to their full advantage, your business will achieve more exposure and as a result, will be found more frequently by your target market.
TIKTOK-
TikTok is a massively emerging social media platform that has grown in popularity over the last 5 years but has especially grown from 2020 onwards. Until the introduction of Instagram reels in 2020, it was the only social media platform of its kind. Of all the social media platforms, this one is up-and-coming for businesses.
With its unique and accurate algorithm, attention to users, and ever-growing popularity, TikTok is a catalyst for business growth. It particularly focuses on the use of short videos of up to 3 minutes long but users can also now upload 10-minute videos as of last year.
Unlike other social media platforms, TikTok is a more light-hearted and fun method of creating marketing campaigns. The use of video introduces a whole new type of connection with your target audience as they can see the personality behind the business. Additionally, with TikTok influencers growing in popularity, businesses can also collaborate on projects which will then reach a wider audience and maximise their exposure.
A massive reason that TikTok is a must-have for your business is the exposure that it brings which builds brand awareness, will help in retaining customers, and attracts new customers.
TikTok is different from other social media platforms in the fact that you do not need to be following someone to see their content. Based on your interests and the content you engage with, the TikTok algorithm will then create an aptly named ‘For You Page’ which displays content that is similar to your interests. This makes it perfect for businesses. For example, if a user is interested in food recipe videos, a restaurant business showing how they cook their dishes will likely come up on their For You Page, and the user will then engage with the business.
TikTok also offers TikTok live; a live video tool where users can start a live stream video from their device to engage with watchers in real-time. Just like posts, these live videos are shown on the For You Page based off the algorithm. This is an excellent tool for businesses to show their business authentically.
Tips for TikTok:
· Keep up with the latest trends. There are always new trending videos and sounds on TikTok and these trends are most likely to come up on the For You Page. The easiest way to keep up with trends is to use the app yourself and whatever is popular will appear on your own For You Page. Alternatively, sites such as Slaying Social offer regular updates on what are the current trends are on the platform.
· Keep it short and sweet. You can create videos that are 15 seconds, 60 seconds, and 3 minutes in length but the algorithm tends to prefer shorter videos so they will be more likely to appear on someone’s For You Page. 3-minute videos could also make users switch off if they are not engaging enough.
· Be consistent. The algorithm will favour accounts with regular uploads. At first, you may feel as though you are not getting to the audience that you want but keep going with it as you will need to establish a strong page before your views will go up.
· Start your videos with a hook. If the start of your video does not intrigue the viewer, they are likely to skip past it. Ensure that you have something to catch the attention of people scrolling.
· Encourage commenting and answer as many comments as you can. The more comments you get on a video, the more the TikTok algorithm will favour it. You can encourage commenting by asking people a question to answer in the comments.
· Make TikTok videos from comments. This is a good way to increase engagement as you are communicating with your viewers but it also encourages comments as viewers are in the hopes of a reply.
· Find your niche. The narrower your niche, the more specific your audience will be.
· Don’t take it too seriously. TikTok is meant to be a fun and relaxed marketing strategy and viewers will enjoy the content more if it is less ‘professional’.
· Announce a live video before you do it. This ensures that people do not miss it and it will therefore have more viewers.
Instagram is a well-established photo and video-sharing platform with almost 2 billion worldwide users. It allows users to create and edit photo and video posts, post Instagram ‘Stories’ that are live on your account for 24 hours, do live stream videos, create Instagram reels and shop directly from the app through e-commerce brands.
Instagram is arguably one of the most popular social media platforms so it is ideal for businesses to have a page to reach a large number of people.
There are many ways that Instagram can be used to make the business more relatable. For example, by utilising Instagram Stories and Live Videos. You can provide behind-the-scenes content, ‘day in the life’ posts, Polls on your Instagram story, videos that show how products are made, carousels that show step-by-step processes, or Live Question and Answer sessions. All these methods allow a business to create a rapport with its audience.
Instagram can also now be used by businesses to make money directly through the app. It recently became a platform for e-commerce sales which means that consumers can shop directly through an Instagram profile, post or story. They can also shop through shoppable posts where businesses can tag links of products in their photos to take them directly to the online shop. These e-commerce methods make it easier for the consumer to buy products.
In 2020, Instagram introduced reels. These are very similar to TikTok videos and allow creators to produce short videos of whatever content they want. Whilst there aren’t as many tools as on TikTok, reels are proving to currently be more popular than regular image posts due to the Instagram algorithm favouring them.
Instagram is also a huge platform for influencer culture. Influencers are a more popular way of marketing than ever due to their proven success in encouraging purchases and leading trends. Due to their huge following, these influencers can reach demographics that your business may not be able to. In fact, some can reach millions of consumers with one post.
Tips for Instagram:
· Post consistently. It is recommended that you post between one and three times per week to keep your posts relevant.
· Understand your content type. The style of your posts should have a level of consistency so that your overall grid is more aesthetic. This creates a strong sense of branding.
· Utilise Instagram reels. Reels are massively growing in popularity and tend to do better with the algorithm.
· Use Instagram Stories. Instagram stories are a very effective way to interact with your consumers by using things such as polls to conduct market research or just make consumers feel as though there is a face behind the brand.
· Interact with other accounts. Interacting with other accounts will make your account more noticeable.
· Use Instagram Metric. Tracking your growth on the platform will allow you to see how your brand is doing. This means you can determine which posts are the most successful with your audience.
· Don’t underestimate Influencer Marketing. Influencer marketing is an ever-growing marketing method and is proven to be one of the most successful.
· Use hashtags but not too much. Using hashtags can make it easier for people to find your content but too many of them can be off-putting. Try to keep just a few relevant ones that show good engagement levels.
· Utilise your Instagram bio. You can use your bio to link specific products, websites, etc. Previously, accounts could only post links if their account had a following over 10K, but now anyone can post a link in their Instagram Stories.
87% of consumers are on Facebook and Business Pages on this platform are a way of creating a second website of sorts. With its sophisticated ad platform, variety of post types and the ability to shop on the app, it is an ideal social media platform for businesses.
In terms of Search Engine Optimisation, Facebook contributes to increasing your brand’s visibility on the web which builds brand awareness. As business pages are public, any links that you post can be picked up by search engines which will boost your Google rankings.
Facebook provides reach to a wide demographic. This ensures that your business is accessing a larger audience. Facebook Insights will then allow you to access information about how your page is doing. It also allows you to see what your audience prefers to see on your page and what is the most effective time to post by looking at your engagement levels. This makes it easier to be intelligent with your posts to make sure you are getting your consumers’ attention.
Another thing that is useful about Facebook is that it has advertising tools that allow you to target people with adverts based on their age, interests, gender and location. This prevents wastage in your ad spending.
Finally, Facebook allows reviews that can be really positive for your business. Reviews create a reputation for your business and granted they are good reviews, can show an audience whether your business is what it is all made out to be. Whilst this can come with negative reviews, it is important that you take control of any complaints quickly and professionally to show good customer service.
Tips for Facebook:
· Know your audience. Understanding the audience you are trying to reach will determine how you choose to market your business. This will help you know what types of content you are wanting to create.
· Publish a mix of content to your feed to keep it fresh. Facebook offers many different types of posts which will prevent your page from becoming boring.
· Post when your followers are most active. Using Facebook Insights will help you to see when your audience is most likely to interact with your content so you can make sure you get the most out of your post.
· Schedule your content. This is a very handy feature where you can schedule to post your content without having to do it in real time. This will also allow you to see where the gaps are in your posts so that you can fill them for more consistency.
· Make sure to engage with your audience. Respond to comments and reviews to make sure you build a rapport with your consumers. You can also do this by engaging with them over Messenger and Whatsapp.
If you want more professional help on how you can incorporate social media into your business, don’t hesitate to contact us! We’re here to help build your brand.