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2019 Social Media Marketing Predictions by #SMTLive | Social Media Today

Just as new year’s resolutions can bring about changes in your lifestyle, 2019 will once again see major changes in the way you use social platforms to promote your business.

In our #SMTLive Twitter chat on December 11th, we asked our community what their predictions were for the new year, and how that might affect digital marketing strategies. Hot topics included Instagram (especially stories), quality content, and brand authenticity. Here’s a summary of the key conversation points.

Personalization for the Win

Users in our chat agreed that social media marketing will become more personalized to each individual consumer in 2019.

From FOMO-driven Instagram stories to micro-influencers, social media users have displayed an increased desire to curate their feeds exactly the way they want them – even when it comes to the ads they consume.

A1: I believe more CEOs will become active across their social media platforms. This is a great tool that allows them to share information about their businesses, themselves, and to be transparent and authentic with their audience. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/hQeoaQfNsV

— Deborah Sweeney (@deborahsweeney)

A1: Stories will continue to dominate over in-feed content. @Instagram has stated that Stories already account for 60% of its traffic. Expect this trend to continue. #SMTLive

— Douglas Bohrer Jr. (@DigitalDouglas)

So what can you do to cater to user demand for more authentic marketing? You guessed it – make your social media accounts more personal to shift with the tide. High-quality content (yes, even long-form content) seems like it will contribute to this shift.

A2 – Authenticity, easily. Showing your consumer base that you are a company that looks out for the greater good of people is important. Showing them that your brand is “human” too is so crucial.

— Allan Jeff Mendoza (@AllanJMendoza)

A2: The return of long-form content! I have always erred on the side of writing longer articles I contribute or post on my company blog. Content needs to be meaty. Longer, researched, thoughtful, smart. Beneficial to everyone. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/OKCrJef8j7

— Deborah Sweeney (@deborahsweeney)

So, What’s up With Instagram?

In our Social Spending Survey report, a clear trend is that marketers are planning to increase their spend – both in terms of dollars and time – on Instagram in 2019. 

Instagram is arguably social media’s most intimate platform, so it makes sense that with an increase in ad space and business options, the user/consumer experience will go through some huge changes in 2019. However, those who chimed in on our #SMTLive conversation still felt somewhat cynical about the platform’s future.

I think the users will end up getting annoyed and at some point, Instagram will do the same thing that Facebook did… change their algorithms. We just have to figure out a way for our companies to stand out. We cannot treat social media as a place to put ads anymore. #SMTLive

— Allan Jeff Mendoza (@AllanJMendoza)

That said, brands with an increased focus on keeping Instagram marketing innovative (and, again, making your business’s content fit with your audience’s feed as a whole) might provide a solution.

I completely agree! That’s what happened with Facebook – everyone got annoyed with too many advertisements. People will only follow the brands they feel like they relate to and the only way to show that is through telling stories. #SMTLive

— Allan Jeff Mendoza (@AllanJMendoza)

Users Love Stories

Instagram stories create the same FOMO aspect of a good headline, and the results of our quick #SMTLive poll would suggest that more marketers will be looking to Stories in the new year.

POLL: Which types of Instagram ads do you predict will perform best in 2019? #SMTLive

— Social Media Today (@socialmedia2day)

What’s more personal than a one-on-one chat?

In some ways, the advent of social media made us all feel a little less alone. In 2019, your business might need to do the same – many contributors to our #SMTLive conversation emphasized the importance of chatbots in the new year.

Q6: Messenger Chatbots. They’re great for providing customer service and support for when we can’t be online. It’s all about providing the best customer experience possible. #SMTLive

— Erika Castorena (@ErikaYaneth)

A6: Chatbots. I know that Reuters Institute Digital News Report for 2018 found that more than one-half of teens are spending three hours or more per day on messaging apps. So, yeah… businesses should start using chatbots.

— Socialinsider (@socialinsiderio)

Hopefully, these insights will help you get your business off to a better start in 2019 – and if your employees start to think you’re psychic for predicting these trends for the new year, feel free to refer them to future #SMTLive chats, which run every second Tuesday at 12pm EST – we’ve got bigger plans for special guests, expert insights and more in 2019.

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