Take a look at what we believe are the key social media marketing trends for 2020 that marketers need to be aware of in order to ensure their marketing strategy is up-to-date and as effective as possible.

Social media has now become synonymous with digital marketing, going hand-in-hand with most – if not all – digital campaigns. However, social media is far from static and what worked a few months ago may not get you the same good results now. Habits change, platforms evolve, and new platforms come into existence. All of this influences how people use and react to social media marketing, as well as how marketers are able to reach their audience.

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It is more important than ever before for marketers to understand and stay ahead of the curve when it comes to social media. Doing so ensures you have the right tools at your disposal, an up-to-date strategy,…

Storytelling helps form connections and captivate your audience, making them an effective part of your social media strategy

Who doesn’t love a good story? Whether it’s as toddlers, captivated by Maurice Sendak’s Wild Things book, or as adults watching our favorite movie, we love to get to know the characters, see how the story plays out and maybe experience an unexpected 'plot twist.' If you love stories so much in your personal life, why not craft and share some in your digital marketing work? Doing so will not only turn more of your passive visitors into engaged followers - and eventually paying customers - but your team will have some fun in the process. [si_blog_banner_cta] This post shares how best to do this via your social media channels. But first I’ll explain what a story is, which types of stories to tell at each stage in your buyer’s journey and how to measure the…

Systems and processes to ensure you’re running a successful campaign

When you're running paid social media ads, there may be a hundred different aspects that you're tweaking and testing to get things just right. You can change everything from your ad copy, images, videos, to your post time and target audience, but one thing you shouldn't change is how you manage your campaigns. An effective management structure is the most important aspect of any paid media campaign, whether you're dipping your toe into paid social for the first time or you're trying to optimize your current ads. To get your next campaign started on the right foot, here are the four key aspects of effectively managing your ad campaigns. [si_quick_block id="147064" title="How to optimize your Facebook and Instagram ads" description="Use our Quick Win to learn actionable advice for optimizing your ads on Facebook and Instagram."]

Documenting the performance of your ads

Facebook makes it easy for…

Twitter VP reveals new features for 2020, Pinterest posts positive Q3 results, Facebook reveals Groups data breach, YouTube launches new desktop look

This week's marketing news mostly revolves around social media platform updates. To start with, Twitter's VP of Design and Research has revealed five new features that could be added to the platform in the new year. Pinterest has posted its Q3 results, which show massive growth in active users and revenue, showing that the platform is going from strength to strength. Facebook reveals an issue with data from its Groups, which is likely to lower trust in the platform even more. Finally, YouTube is launching a new look for its homepage for desktop and tablet users, which should improve usability. We've explored all of these stories in detail with this week's roundup.

Twitter VP announces new features for 2020

Usually, we don’t get a…

Digital detox strategies are being employed by individuals to step away from the screen and focus on improving their mental and real-life social wellbeing

The social landscape is currently in flux. Platforms are seeing immense shifts in the way people engage with their services. For example, while Facebook sees rapid decreases in users, Instagram is experiencing a seemingly unstoppable upward trend. Volatility in the social media market is nothing new. You only have to look at past case studies such as the demise of platforms like MySpace and Bebo to see how constantly changing user needs and expectations are sculpting the digital environment. [si_guide_block id="143548" title="Access our Quick Win – How to increase your Instagram followers" description="Learn how you can use Instagram's unique content options to grow your following and become a leading voice in your industry."/] This constant change means that — as in past…

Social signals may not be a confirmed ranking factor for Google yet, but there are plenty of reasons to use social media to support your SEO strategy

While Google has yet to confirm that social media signals (Facebook likes, Twitter tweets, Pinterest pins, etc.) are a ranking factor for its search engine algorithm, there are still ample reasons to use social platforms to support and diversify your SEO strategies. Why? Well, when you look at the most influential ranking factors behind Google Search, many of them are human-centered variables that go well beyond content and keywords. A recent study from SEMrush shares compelling insights behind some of those ranking factors, such as the importance of direct website traffic and user engagement, and how those variables influence search rankings. [si_guide_block id="36509" title="Download our Individual Member Resource – Managing social media plan example template" description="This template is designed to be a…

People are moving away from Facebook and Twitter. Instead, they’re sharing content via private messaging apps. These private channels are referred to as dark social.

It’s no secret that the number of shares you see on social media has started to decline. So, does this mean people have stopped sharing the content they find interesting? No. The only thing that has changed is the way users share content. Conversations are moving from public feeds and timelines to private messaging apps. In fact, 63% of users use messaging apps to share content or information. [caption id="attachment_143623" align="alignnone" width="640"] [Image source: Global Web Index][/caption]In a nutshell, people are moving away from Facebook and Twitter. Instead, they’re sharing content on WhatsApp, FB Messenger, emails, and other private messaging apps. These private channels are referred to as “dark social.”

Understanding dark social

At some point, all of us…

Social media users want access to relevant information immediately, which QR codes can help provide

QR codes, short for Quick Response, have really taken off in the last few years, with many social media giants jumping onto the bandwagon as well. In today’s fast-paced world, social media users want instant gratification. They want access to relevant information immediately. QR codes can make that happen! The amount of QR codes redeemed is set to grow from 1.3 billion in 2017 to 5.3 billion by 2022. You’re probably used to seeing QR codes all around you: on receipts, restaurant menus, discount coupons, mobile apps and pretty much everywhere you go. It’s no secret that they’ve taken the digital world by storm. [si_guide_block id="5768" title="Download our Individual Member Resource – Social media marketing strategy guide" description="Our social media strategy guide will help you create an integrated social media marketing strategy that shows you…

To get your message across to your audience and achieve your goals, you first need a social media plan

With social media becoming more important every day, there's a case for every business to exploit this platform for marketing. When you consider that 73% of marketers have found social media effective for their business, you’ll see that this is an ideal platform for boosting your revenue. But to get your message across to your audience and achieve your goals, you first need a social media plan. Now, the big question is: what do you need to know to develop an effective social media plan? [si_guide_block id="36509" title="Download our Individual Member Resource – Managing social media plan example template" description="This template is designed to be a practical model you can quickly apply to your business or your clients' business."/] In this blog…

Professional services marketing: Build a business case for social success

Social media adoption has been rapid within organisations serving consumer markets. The same however can't be said for professional services, where social media generally speaking remains a struggle. Many professional service firms are at a loss as to how best to harness the power of social to achieve their overall vision and goals, and often harbour a number of concerns stifling any progress: Perceived risk of reputational harm through social media interaction. Uncertainty as to which internal department(s) should 'own' social media. Confusion and lack of expertise around selecting the 'right' social media technology, and integrating this with existing systems such as CRM. Lack of clarity around proving the business value of social media. Belief that moving away from 'traditional' modes of business development and marketing to interact online may result in wasted time and effort (and money!). [si_guide_block id="142372" title="Low-budget PR for…