5 Social Media Trends for 2020
Navigating what’s hot in social media can be exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be. Here are 5 social media trends to weave into your digital marketing plans for 2020.
- Real person. Real voice.
- Storytelling
- Quality over quantity
- Content not algorithms
- Be authentic
1. Real person. Real voice.
No one relates to corporate or sales speak. No one! Stop writing like a stuffed shirt and be real. Yes, this can be easier for personal brands versus corporations, but it doesn’t have to be.
Figure out your brand voice (which should be in your brand guide). If you don’t know your brand voice – create one (ideally with input from others). Is your brand voice humorous, educational, serious, cheeky, compassionate, quirky? Make sure you, and everyone who creates social media content, is using this brand voice consistently.
Not sure what I mean? Check out this infographic Virgin uses to help staff get clear on their brand voice.
2. Storytelling
As technology continues to evolve, storytelling becomes even more important. We use stories in our everyday lives to share information, make a personal connection or help people see the world through our eyes. They are the basis for most of our communications.
Social media offers so many ways to share stories – videos, photos, Facebook Live, short profiles (check out Humans of New York) and more. But to share impactful stories, it goes beyond talking about your program, product or service – boring! It is about figuring out how what you offer can impact, inspire or transform others – on an individual level.
This means getting personal. Being clear on who you are talking to, what interests them (not what you want to tell them) and sharing stories that are relevant to your audience (no one size fits all).
3. Quality over quantity
There was once a time where we were told to post a minimum of 2-3 times per day, per social media channel. The result? A lot of crappy content and spam like posts which caused people to tune out, not in.
Organizations lost followers, staff became frustrated (but I’m posting 3x/day why aren’t people listening) and social media lost its social connection.
For 2020, focus on the quality of your posts. Before you post, think of your target audience and ask – why should they care and will they read this? If you are posting for the sake of posting – don’t bother. Wait until you have quality content to share, even if it’s only a few times a week.
4. Content not algorithms
This brings us to point #4. Stop worrying about algorithms. Who sees what posts, how often, where they rank on newsfeeds and the basics of social media algorithms is always changing. Don’t try to chase this rabbit as it can’t be caught.
Rather, focus on your content. Determine what content your audience likes (videos, photos, blog posts, pictures of cats) and make sure they are a regular part of your content creation. Don’t focus on one type of content (as then it too will get old) but mix it up. Test what works, what doesn’t work and let the social media channels continue tinkering with algorithms.
5. Be authentic
At the end of the day, it comes down to being authentic. How you act, speak and engage in social media should be the same as how you are in person. This is true for both organizations and individuals.
Don’t try to be someone you are not. While you might think it’s a good idea to be funny when you or your brand is serious, it can cause an identity problem. People will see through it and you will lose their trust.
I encourage you as we head into 2020 to look at your current social media content. Are you following these trends or do you need to make some changes so you can connect versus disconnect with your audience online?
It’s through the small tweaks that you can make big changes.
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