Hootsuite, a social media management tool that allows users to schedule and post updates to any page or profile for Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, WordPress, and other platforms from one place, recently came out with a 36-page report on social media trends in 2019.
The Vancouver-based company surveyed 3,225 Hootsuite business customers and industry analysts to identify emerging trends in social media. Here is what caught my eye:
We need to rebuild trust
The report cited increasing public distrust of Facebook and Twitter due to problems they had in 2018 with privacy, accuracy and ethical issues. In fact, 60 percent of people no longer trust social media. One-size-fits-all messaging is dated.
So how can we build trust? Among the six recommendations in the report, Hootsuite suggests using employees as your advocates rather than celebrities; running Facebook Live Q-&-A sessions on commonly-asked questions; and participating in, or running, Twitter chats.
We need to be less glitzy
Hootsuite reports that less polished and more realistic stories perform better than ones that are heavily edited and obvious call to actions. Intimacy and spontaneity convey a personal touch. Stories should feel raw, be unedited and use live action. We should be shooting videos vertically because that’s how people are watching them. Experiment with augmented reality features and GIF stickers to grab attention.
We need to use target marketing
Social ad budgets were up 32 percent in 2018 and one in four Facebook pages use paid media. It’s clear that social media advertising is increasing, and as you are probably aware, it’s difficult getting noticed.
- Facebook click-through rate costs have increased 61 percent
- Cost per thousand impressions jumped 112 percent.
Hootsuite recommends using target focused groups based on interests, jobs, competitor, and previous interaction. Goals and metrics should be established to identify the ROI. It’s important to use high quality content that resonates with our audiences. With that said, all brands don’t need a professional videographer. Simply learn how to shoot and edit video. Don’t forget to re-purpose your high-performing organic content.
Live video builds business
Creating a series of live videos showing off your new technology, locations and physicians builds engagement and trust – and business. In fact, a study by BrightCove shows that 74 percent of viewers drew a connection between watching a social video and making a purchase.
Messaging apps are hot, hot, hot!
Hootsuite reports that messaging apps have eclipsed social media in terms of users, so the 1:1 experience is growing. Nine out of 10 consumers prefer to use these apps to communicate with businesses and it makes them feel more confident in the brand. Yet one-on-one communication tools are difficult to scale. Some tips? Set up Facebook Messenger and setup instant replies, such as typical response times and include links to an FAQ page. Or set up a branded bot like ManyChat or Chatfuel to answer typical questions.
The report is an interesting read. It’s available for download, free, at https://hootsuite.com/resources/social-media-trends-report-2019.Mike Wiltse is associate director of marketing and communications at Journey Mental Health Center. Questions or comments can be directed to him at michael.wiltse@journeymhc.org.
