Designing Strategies eNewsletter
Volume 15 Issue 81
Social Media Trends Changed Many Times Over 20 Years
Social media trends are constantly changing. It is hard to believe, but back in 1997, social media was born. Twenty years ago. Two decades of digital socialization. Can you even remember not having a social media presence? In its earliest versions, it was meant to provide platforms for people to connect and ‘be social’. Today, a lot 
has changed through innovation and changes in technology. Vast numbers of changes have occurred. There are now several thousand social media platforms, new audiences, and billions of users around the globe.
Who would have thought social media trends could develop so quickly and change so much – and so often? Facebook started out as a social connection platform open only to Harvard students. In the blink of an eye, it was opened to the world.
In their earliest stages, social media sites let millions, and then billions of people join for ‘free’. Why free? It was a quick and easy way to build up their corporate databases of potential customers, of course. Every new member was a new listing in their databases. As each member encouraged their family, friends and colleagues to join and ‘socialize’ with them, the various sites’ databases grew and grew and grew. Potential paying customers for anything and everything they might want to sell to make money. Millions, no billions, of dollars could flow into their coffers.
Social Media Trends Went From ‘Personal’ to ‘Business’
It didn’t take long for businesses of all sizes to recognize the opportunities for marketing through social media platforms. Nor did it take the various platforms long to realize they could capitalize in a big way by charging for advertising. In the early stages, it was all free! Small businesses with limited budgets thought they had died and gone to Heaven. The playing field had become somewhat more level. Limited marketing budgets could cast a much wider net and reach large numbers of potential customers.
Magically, established users who had built up large networks quickly found they were no longer able to reach their following. Without joining the new social media pay-to-play advertising environment, a business could no longer reach their extensive networks.
Control of messaging and reach was being controlled by the platform developers. If you had acquired hundreds or thousands of followers, you were able to reach out to them with marketing messages. Then, overnight, changes were made and you were only able to reach a very small percentage of your contact.
Changes to the ‘secret algorithms’ of search engines like Google and social media platforms like Facebook keep small businesses on their toes. Every year or two, the algorithms get changed. New rules and limitations go into effect. The strategy you developed to get the most for your social media marketing efforts becomes obsolete – again. So, off we go, trying to find new ways to work around the new rules and reach as many of our connections and followers as we can.
How to get our target audience to find and visit our websites? That has been the top challenge of those using social media and content marketing to build their businesses. First we learned to use SEO (search engine optimization). That’s the process that includes laser-focused keywords, tags and titles to get our web sites pulled up on the first one or two pages of potential customer searches. That has kind of lived its life and is becoming less important in being found by Google and other search engines.
2018 Presents Changes in Social Media Trends
The filmora video editing software division of Wondershare Technology has prepared a list of hot social media trends that will take 2018 by storm. Click on the image below to link to the Infographic they created showing social media trends for 2018. Noted below are a few of the social media trends that will affect nearly every small business.
Video Becomes Extremely Important
Google has placed more importance on video. If your website does not have a video on its landing/home page, your page ranking will drop. Here are some eye-opening statistics about the growth of video for social media:
- 80% of global internet traffic will be attributed to video by 2020
- 90% of social media network content is in video format
- 95% of video marketing messages will be retained by viewers vs. on 10% of text messages
Live Streaming Video is growing rapidly
All of the big social media networks have added or plan to add a live streaming video tool to their sites. Snapchat has an integrated live streaming tool. Twitter has Periscope, Facebook has Facebook Live. YouTube has live streaming video to reach viewers via their mobile phones.
- 80 % of customers would rather watch live video than read text messages
- Facebook Live videos are watched 3X longer than other videos
Augmented Reality is on the move
AR (augmented reality) is a technology that superimposes a computer-generated image on a user’s view of the real world, providing a composite view. Remember all of the crazy people playing Pokemon Go a couple of years ago? They were trespassing on private property, making their way across busy parking lots and all kinds of other craziness to ‘catch’ Pokemon. Companies hoping to draw customers to their location could sign up to have Pokemon show up. And, while the avid searchers were in their parking lot, why not pick up some donuts or designer coffee? To learn more, check this article from WhatIs.com. Start thinking about ways you might incorporate this new technology to provide a better customer experience for your small business.
AI (Artificial intelligence) and Chat Bots Being Used More on Websites
You’ve probably visited more than a few websites that have added Chat Bot technology over the past year or so. As soon as you get to their landing/home page, a little box pops up from the bottom or along the side of your screen. In hopes of improving the customer experience, ‘Someone’ is greeting you and asking how they can help you. The uses vary, some of them are actually links to a live person, ready to answer your question. Others are links to Q&A pages or searches of your site for additional information on the topic you type in the box. Other examples of how Chat Bot technology is being used: order a pizza from your phone, order a ride from Lyft, order coffee from your nearest Starbucks location, or make a payment. Uses for this technology are just beginning to be explored.
How can this help you as a small business owner? First, it provides a means to answer your most asked questions 24/7/365. If you have customer service staff manning the ‘bot’, more personalized and in depth responses can be provided. Rather than have someone leave your site for a competitors’ because they didn’t find what they needed, offer this type of artificial intelligence to fill the gap.
Time Spent on Social Media Sites via Mobile Phones Is HUGE!
Here in the United States, Snapchat has 100% of its users connecting via mobile phone. Every one of them visits the Snapchat social media sites on their phone. Instagram runs a close second at 98%, and Pinterest ranks third with 92% of views from smart phones.
If your target audience is present on these social media sites, you need to be sure your website is responsive to working on mobile devices like phones and tablets.
Next Steps
Don’t be left in the dust of those who embrace video, live streaming and other growing social media trends in 2018. In case you haven’t noticed, technology waits for no one. It grows and changes in a heartbeat. Pay close attention and think about how these new trends can help you grow your small business. How can they help you stand out from your competitors? If you don’t join the ranks of early adopters, you will definitely find yourself at the side of the road, watching your competitors fly by.
Plan for adding some of these new trends to your marketing plan and toolbox. Call or send a text to 330.283.3999. Or, send me a direct e-mail . We can set up a time to talk about how to implement some of these new social media trends to move your small business forward in 2018.
