5 social media marketing commandments to swear by in 2018

Working in the digital space, it is safe to say that the transitional nature of the Internet has kept us on our toes. Social media marketing trends that broke the Internet a few years back have been replaced by faster, better and more advanced concepts that have changed the way users engage with brands online. So, as we usher in the New Year and look back at what’s trending and what’s deteriorating on the internet, let’s promise ourselves to stick to the following five social media marketing commandments to optimally reach out to your target group and convert them to loyal customers.

Thou shall engage and not just advertise

Gone are the days when social media was used as a mere platform to showcase your products or services. Brands are leveraging the power of social media to reach out and engage with India’s next billion Internet users. As per latest statistics, 89% of messages posted to brands on social media platforms go disregarded. This only means that brands are seeing social media platforms as a one-way street in which they feature their products and services but do not work on the feedback attained from the users. Apart from product reviews and feedback, 41% of online users tag their favourite brands on various social media handles while posting on the platform. According to a recent poll, a whopping 80% of users also religiously follow their brands for regular updates and notifications. With such a high rate of acknowledgement coming from the consumer side, companies are now focusing on customer engagement as the go-to solution for higher conversions. 2018 is going to witness a stupendous increase in engagement rates which is only going to lead to happy and content customers.

Thou shall believe in the power of bots

Chat bots have taken the digital world by storm. Apart from addressing queries and triggering customer engagement, they also play a vital role in increasing the overall productivity of the organisation and generating leads. Facebook messenger chat bots are the banner men in the bot revolution with over a mind-boggling 100,000 bots being used online today. This number is only subjective to increase by the minute. There is no doubt that bots are the future of the digital industry as they are much quicker in clarifying customer complaints. They are also extremely useful in providing insights on the products and services offered by the organisations. Though chat bots are already a trend to catch up to in India, this futuristic concept is being replaced by an improvised version – the customizable chat bot. Brands are now focusing on making their bots as customised as possible with emphasis given to making the interaction personal and humanlike.

Thou shall be active on Instagram Stories

Instagram Stories is the biggest social media trend of 2017 and is certainly going to continue its reign in 2018. Instagram introduced this “Snapchat-like” feature and slowed down the growth rate of Snapchat by 82% in a short span of time. Meanwhile, they even acquired a daily user base of 800 million, which is a phenomenal increase from the 600 million users registered a year ago. This trend only proves how impactful Instagram Stories are and how effective they can be when added to your social media marketing strategy. Brands are leveraging the reach of Instagram Stories to showcase their products. The ephemeral nature of this platform provides companies with the opportunity to get creative and feature their services in a trendy and youthful manner. Additionally, as per recent statistics, consumers reply with a direct message to at least 1 in 5 Instagram Stories put up by brands, hence providing profound customer engagement and bringing viewers one step closer to conversion.

Thou shall go live

There is no doubt that videos are the most consumed type of content by internet users worldwide. From funny snippets to helpful tutorials, videos are changing the face of content marketing. However, according to a recent survey, 82% of consumers preferred watching their favourite brands in action rather than reading up about them, hence triggering the ground-breaking revolution of live streaming videos. The concept materialised in 2017 with exploding statistics paving the way for higher engagement in 2018, since both the parties – the brands and their followers – are comfortable with the phenomenon. Engaging with your customers by making them a part of your day-to-day brand-related activities is the main objective of live videos, so much that it is now a basic expectation from all companies active in the digital space. You can check out our guide to using Facebook Live effectively for more insights.

Thou shall explore augmented reality

We were all introduced to the concept of augmented reality through face filters brought to us by Snapchat. Social Media users worldwide went bonkers with those adorable puppy dog ear filters which were later introduced by Instagram along with their revolutionary Instagram Stories. This concept of augmented reality is going to take off in 2018 as more brands leverage the witty and youthful idea to market their brand. In 2017 alone, Instagram released more than 20 new features in the form of augmented reality. These features include contemporary filters, trendy stickers, season’s wishes and many more. These statistics are guaranteed to increase in 2018 proving the fact that brands can easily leverage this concept to produce more relatable social media content. These are few of the most effective social media trends to look out for in 2018 till they get replaced by their upgraded versions in 2019. Till then, it is time you add these innovative methods to your social media marketing strategy and take your business to towering heights. You can also check out our blogs on WhatsApp for Business and digital marketing for FMCG, real estate and Finance industry for a better understanding of the online space.