The first #SMTLive Twitter chat of 2020 (and the new decade) was one to remember.
Our topic of conversation was “Discussing Social Media Marketing Goals for 2020″. We had a lively chat about personal growth, professional goals, current trends in social media and helpful marketing strategies. As promised, I’m here to share some highlights from our conversation.
We covered a lot, but there were two conversation topics, in particular, that stood out to me as noteworthy.
I asked:
What popular social media marketing trends do you expect will impact your business in 2020?
What are best practices for improving engagement and brand awareness in 2020?
Everyone responded by sharing current and popular social media strategies that they care about and are using to increase their social engagement. Among this list of 2020 trends and strategies, you most likely will find at least one that applies to your business. Continue reading to see what methods marketers are using to shape their social media marketing plans and reach their goals this year.
Social Media Trends & Smart Strategies for 2020
Video > Still Image
When something works, keep doing it. Video content is no new trend, but it continues to be highly relevant and helpful in boosting audience engagement.
A3: These aren’t new trends but we want to incorporate a lot more video and Instagram stories to our social media strategies in 2020.????#SMTLive
— Big Orange Media (@BigOrange_UK)
[email protected] A3: Video video video! People want to see people + show NOT tell #smtlive
— Excelerate America (@ExcelerateBiz)
Both long and short-form video content are being heavily consumed on social right now. If you are able to make engaging videos, now’s a great time to focus on building that content.
We’re going to be trying out IGTV for a client and we’re super excited about it! ???? #SMTLive
— Big Orange Media (@BigOrange_UK)
Leveraging LinkedIn’s New Capabilities
LinkedIn really is stepping up their game. A few recent updates include new features in groups (such as recommended posts), made hashtags relevant on the platform, created tools for marketers to better utilize the platform, and most recently they merged with Elevate to bring employee advocacy tools to company pages.
& I’m most excited by what’s to gain by embracing LinkedIn even more.
— Erin M. Kelly (@erinmkelly)
There are plenty of new options for us to explore on LinkedIn.
Micro-Influencers
Again, not a new trend but micro-influencers continue to become more sought after as the macro-influencers become less idolized. The challenge will be to find and scout out your micro-influencers, but your marketing budget will thank you.
Yes. We are exploring #microinfluencers ourselves. Big buzzword in #2020 too. #SMTLive
— Excelerate America (@ExcelerateBiz)
Being Active, Engaging and Social
I’m sure you’ve never been advised to be passive on social, but many brands think that all they need to do is post pretty pictures and they will gain a loyal following. Ignoring your audience is never the way to go.
Making a plan to be more engaged is the first step. You just need to do the research to figure out where your audience likes to spend time on social. Make a list of where, when and how you will engage with them and add those “engagements” to your calendar.
Joinative shares a great example of a brand with a plan to engage.
A3: We’ve seen that the following practices work best:
– Participating in Twitter chats
– Sharing other brands’ posts and interacting with these brands on their accounts
– Sharing blog posts consistently
– Creating polls and tagging niche experts to get more visibility#smtlive
— Joinative (@joinative)
Another important element to engaging with your following is to be an active listener. If you need to invest in social listening software, do it. You’ll understand your audience better and will gain more control of how your brand is viewed and spoken about online when you are there to participate.
Engagement, as brands we forget how important social listening is and engaging with those even just mentioning us and those engaging with other like brands or industries.
— Carty Media (@CartyMedia_)
Other Trends
As marketers, we need to be creative and constantly thinking of ways to wow an audience. These are a few examples of popular trends and strategies to take advantage of this year, but there are so many more to choose from. Look at what’s trending on social right now among your audience while you continue to plan to experiments and social campaigns in 2020.
A4: Think critically about your strategy, but for social media and content as a whole. Where are the gaps? Where are people engaging? Use data to adjust your focus and drive your actions. #SMTLive
— Jessica Anne Dobson (@SheSpeaksSocial)
Hope this was helpful.
If you want to be part of the next conversation, check out our #SMTLive Twitter chat calendar to see what we have planned for you.
