Social Media is the best outlet a brand has for building a direct relationship with their audience. As technology continues to grow and move faster, brands are forced to shift tactics to stay current with social media trends and keep their heads above water in the ever-changing sea of social media. But in social media – you can’t just swim, you’re going to need a boat.

So, how do you get a boat? Well, you have to build it with audience data and experience-centric content. By now you should know your audience – what they’re interested in, their age range, their goals, what type of jobs they hold, etc. So, now you need to give them the content they want, share your brand’s voice and create actionable experiences. Your social media presence tells your audience a lot about your brand’s values, customer service and more. So, in 2018 what will your social media presence say about you?

Audit Your Current Social Media

First thing you should look to do when updating your strategy for the new year is figure out what you’re already doing, how it’s performing and why. Start by understanding your goals for social media, how you intend on measuring success, what is helping you and not helping you accomplish just that and examine the why. Without a clear understanding of what you’ve been doing right and what you’ve been doing wrong, you cannot really look to improve anything and will most likely clutter up your strategy.

2018 Content Trends

There is an insane amount of content out there so how do you increase the likelihood someone will look at your content? Well, here are a few content trends to consider for 2018 if you’re not already including these in your strategy:

• Video – Video is still king and the numbers are staggering. Whether you are working in B2B or B2C, your audience wants to watch a video instead of reading text. According to RendrFX, 59% of executives would rather watch a video than read text. So, if you’re working in B2B marketing, you should have video just as much as the consumer marketers.
• Expiring content – Why is this so valuable to people? It not only allows you to send pictures and videos that won’t eat up your phone’s battery but it also creates a stronger need to watch, knowing the content has a limited shelf life. Expiring content on Snapchat, Instagram stories and Facebook stories allow brands to create a special, unique and limited experience for their audience.
• Interesting vs Promotional Content – Brands that turn every social post into an advertisement are setting themselves up for low impressions and lower engagement rates. Facebook’s algorithm attempts to give users the best possible experience, and in doing so, they limit the number of promotional and sales-driven content posts people see. Unless you’re paying Facebook, they’re not showing all your posts that feature a coupon code or talk about a new sale. The best way to go about your content is to take an 80-20 approach. Post 80% brand voice, culture, lifestyle, experience posts and only 20% direct promotional material. Get your audience excited about the experience of your brand, not the sales.

Content is just the tip of the iceberg. Be sure not to forget about shopping on social media channels, user-generated content, messaging platforms and more. In other words, you’re going to need a bigger boat.

To learn more about all the emerging trends of 2018 to include in your social strategy, check out our webinar from last month on our YouTube channel.

For help refining your social media strategy or anything else digital marketing, contact Anvil!