B2B Social Media Trends for 2020
Social media changes every day. While we do our best to stay on our toes with the latest trends, we often see platforms adding new features overnight that become the next hottest craze. It’s crucial to integrate these new tools into our marketing strategies as quickly and appropriately as possible. But, when we can, we prefer to think one step ahead of the platforms and predict what people will respond best to tomorrow and beyond.
Looking ahead into the remainder of 2020 and into 2021, here’s what we see as essential parts of marketing strategies:
1. GIFs and videos will outperform. We already see videos surpass images when it comes to engagements, and we don’t expect that to change. According to Impact, 72% of customers would rather learn about a product or service through video.
We also see this trend translate into the rapid rise in TikTok. As of last November, TikTok had 1.5 billion downloads and was outperforming Instagram. While at this time its audience was predominantly Gen Z, the platform has seen massive growth in its Millennial audience in the first quarter of 2020.
2. Private communities and groups will grow. In 2019, Facebook updated its platform so that Groups took center stage. And as you’re scrolling through your feed, you probably notice this, as well, when you see a little bar show up in between posts recommending Groups that you may like. Likewise, they also implemented this strategy on their sister platform, Instagram, with its new “Close Friends List” for the story feature.
Marketers have watched organic reach dwindle over the past year since this update, and now Facebook is rewarding businesses that utilize its Groups feature. We anticipate that more marketers will find unique ways to use this to their advantage and reach more people.
B2B organizations can use groups to connect with customers and provide value by answering questions sharing upcoming events, product releases, and sales. Invite existing customers to join via email and include the link to your Group on your sales page for new customers. Groups will make your customers feel special and exclusive.
3. Stories will dominate. According to Facebook, 62% of people become more interested in an organization after seeing it in a story. And, 38% of people said that after seeing a product or service in a story they talked to someone about it.
Since regular Instagram posts do not have linking capabilities, stories allow marketers to share links with their audience. Furthermore, stories are an opportunity to share content with their followers that may not align with the aesthetic of their page.
Stories are also popular on Facebook and are slowly being rolled out on LinkedIn. Provide value to your customers by sharing quick images in your story, such as “5 ways our product will increase your organization’s productivity” or “3 ways our tools will decrease costs.”
Interested in what types of content you should integrate into your markteing strategy?
Check out our blog on 3 types of content you need in your social strategy.
4. Influencer marketing will continue to be on the rise. Influencer Marketing Hub says 84% of companies plan on working with a social media star (influencer) in the next year.
Consumers are more trusting of people and becoming increasingly wary of brands. In response, marketers are turning more to influencers that their audience trusts.
Connect with industry influencers and publications to expand your reach by collaborating on content such as blogs, eBooks, and case studies.
5. Social commerce is going to increase. Social media has developed into a profitable avenue for organizations, and that isn’t going to slow down anytime soon. Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest already support users clicking an image and going straight to the landing page of the product they want.
Smart Insights currently reports:
- 1 in 4 businesses owners are selling through Facebook
- 40% of merchants use social media to generate sales
Even if your customers can’t “buy” your product or service directly from social media, it’s crucial to remember that potential clients are “shopping” on social media. Use social commerce tactics to stay alongside your audience throughout every step of the purchasing process.
6. Likes will become less relevant. As part of its mental health initiatives, Instagram will soon hide likes from posts. Users will be able to see how many likes their pictures receive, but they will be private to the public. We anticipate a change in how marketers will evaluate if their influencer campaigns are successful.
7. Marketers will find unique ways to get personal. Personalization isn’t a new trend, but as more and more content consumes user profiles, custom targeting is going to reach new levels.
This personalization translates into businesses creating customized ads for specific customer segments. For example, a healthcare organization would advertise messages for different services to a new mom than it would for an elderly gentleman. We expect to see less posting for niche products and services and more sponsored posts.
While some trends have hung around for quite some time, there are plenty of new ones entering the social space to make sure we stay on our toes.
Subscribe to our newsletter to stay on top of all of our social media news.
Contact Us
Your content goes here.
