Five Social Media Trends To Look Out For in 2019

It has been a long and productive year and we’re still not finished with 2018! But crystal ball gazers are already starting to predict big things for the year ahead in social media.

It has been a year of ‘fake news’ and Facebook fines, followed by ‘active transparency’, we have seen a growth in artificial intelligence and live streaming by business’, the fall and rise of the euro, and all that’s in between.

So, what does 2019 have in store for us and how can we stay up to date? Here’s five trends to expect in the coming year:

Influencer Marketing Transparency

Instagram and Facebook have already started to crack down on promoted content that isn’t transparent to the end user. It is now easier than ever to show co-promoted content in a clear and honest way. This ‘best practice’ will continue to be seen in 2019, and will start to flow through to video content on YouTube especially, which has been less easy to regulate in the past. If you’re a company with WordPress hosting for your blog, or if you work with influencers, you’ll want to be mindful of the way you share sponsored content with readers.

Augmented Reality

From airlines that let you virtually walk around cabins before you board, to shops that offer you virtual furniture to place in your house before buying – augmented reality is starting to seep in to ecommerce. This is a huge market for growth, with its worth estimated at $298 billion by 2023. From Snapchat filters to business apps, digital marketers should be investing in these features to reach out to customers in relevant and innovative ways.

Live Video

Live video has come into its own over the past two years, with a staggering growth of people watching more live video than ever before. In just one study in the live entertainment market, research has shown that the majority (67%) of live viewers are more likely to purchase a ticket to see a band if they’ve seen a live stream somewhere else. Don’t be left behind with this trend, make sure your website hosting is capable of streaming and be part of the conversation!

Chatbots

We already covered the growing importance of Chatbots in business. This is something companies can no longer shy away from, and are relatively easy to develop. In a world that demands instant responses and 24/7 customer service, chatbots are an important way to service your customer needs, and can increase engagement too. It’s predicted that by 2020, more than 85% of customer interactions will be dealt with by chatbots.

IGTV

Ad Week recently highlighted IGTV as the next big thing to look out for in social media marketing. The standalone video application owned by Instagram is made for viewing content on smartphones in vertical format. The publication said: “the new IGTV channel allows users and marketers to opt for long form content, which, in the long run, may prove more beneficial to their strategies.”

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