In the recent past, social media has had a huge impact on significant stories. For example, social media has been used to promote and build up interest or euphoria about, and by a personality like US President Donald Trump. Love him or hate him, his Tweets are something everyone is talking about! Social media platforms in all their forms, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, Instagram are a force to reckon with as it continues to bring more disruption in the social and political scene.
There are many ways that Social Media has proven itself to be king in 2018. You are going to be surprised by just how impactful social media has been even in the decisions you make to purchase a brand or service. The following are the most significant ways this has proven true; though these do not even begin to scratch the surface.
- Influencer marketing
Now more than ever, most companies are using influencer marketing to push their brands. More than 90% of companies that use Influencer marketing swear by its success as compared to brands that tried to connect with their audiences using traditional marketing strategies.
- Increased usage of Instagram Stories
Instagram recently launched Instagram Stories, which looked like a direct attack at Snapchat! It is a feature that mirrors Snapchat pretty closely. Instagram Stories is barely a year old, yet its users surpass the 200 million mark! This is about 50 million more users than Snapchat has. This means that in 2018, there will be an increased use of Instagram Stories by brands that use Instagram to connect with their audiences.
- VR on Facebook Spaces
Facebook is set to launch a product called Facebook Spaces which will allow users to connect with friends using VR or virtual reality. Once Facebook scale Spaces, it is bound to be the first of its kind in the market, and will definitely take it by storm. Watch that space!
- Brand participation on messaging platforms
Messaging platforms like WhatsApp, Messenger and Kik are bound to experience increased brand participation in 2018. This is a platform that has largely been ignored yet over 2.5 million people use these platforms daily. There is bound to be an increase of brand participation to connect with consumers on these messaging platforms in 2018.
- Use of filters to advertise
One of the most common face filters we all know are the Instagram dog ears. Snapchat went ahead and also customized a dog ears filter for its platform. In 2018, these customized face filters have a price range of thousands of dollars on Snapchat. More brands such as iPhoneX are now diving into the trend which is growing more popular by the day.
Conclusion
In 2018, there is likely to be more disruption witnessed by different brands competing for space on social media. This growth and acceleration is bound to impact users and brands alike. In addition, some social media platforms that have not been used widely, may now take center stage in 2018. There is an increase in the use of Virtual Reality, introduction of instant video features with messaging as well as chat in 2018. With the President of the US using Twitter largely to communicate, and personalities like Rihanna ultimately causing Snapchat stocks to plummet with one Instagram post, 2018 is a year full of wins for social media.