MAKING SOCIAL MEDIA WORK IN 2019

The rules are changing. The world of social media as we know is changing at an exponential rate year on year, bringing a bunch of new trends and unspoken rules as each year passes. In most cases, changes aren’t sudden or unexpected, but rather gradual accumulations of smaller changes in the greater social space. Some changes are already here, while others are happening in real time, yes at this very moment, just maybe at a slower rate. Here are some of our expected drivers for 2019, and how to make them work for your brand.

Set out with a winning plan

We know, it sounds simple, but like anything in life, having some sort of plan is better than having no plans at all. And with #socialmedia this is no different. If you are a business owner, manager, employee, start things right! And this ties into almost every aspect of life. We know and understand that planning takes time, especially when it comes to social media planning, but it's a sacrifice that will make things a lot easier as the weeks and months go by. There are a number of free tools that can help you plan your social media strategy even better, Mosterpost for example recommend 40+ social media tools you should probably already be using.

Engagement is more important than ever before When creating your posts you can:

2018 saw Facebook announce an algorithm update which focused on meaningful interactions. The algorithm’s calculations enabled it to favour content that sparks a genuine conversation, which inspired many Page Managers to create more engaging content.

As organic reach becomes harder, the only way to survive is to aim for content that is:

· Interesting

· Appealing

· Engaging

Algorithms are becoming smarter so there’s no short route to genuine engagement. It’s not enough anymore to encourage people to like, comment, share on your post. Social platforms are trying to cut down on engagement bait techniques so you may risk losing your existing reach in the longer term with such techniques. Thus, it’s time to stop ‘cheating’ to win engagement and start thinking of an improved engagement strategy for every channel to continue reaching your followers. And reaching out to Nano influencer might be the perfect starting point.

Reach out to nano/ micro influencers

#Nanoinfluencers look like a sure bet in 2019! Their popularity on the rise; often influencers with less than 10,000k followers on any social media platform. Examining the market space we find brands have started realizing that an influencer with a large follower base does not necessarily equate to high levels of engagement, gosh…..who would have thought. On the plus side Nano-influencers are often considered to have a more engaged audience and cost less than the influencer with 100,000+ followers. Before considering this as an option, consider your business goals and objectives to identify if it’ll work for you, and once that's done and you’ve decided to go ahead or not with this as an option, conduct research to see which potential influencer best suits what you are looking for. We strongly recommend taking time and not rushing this process as often you are trying to build a strong relationship with this influencer, who will probably be involved in a number of campaigns, and getting it wrong from the get go doesn't make things easy.

Ephemeral Content

What is Ephemeral content? Ephemeral content is nothing new. It is content that is accessible for only a short period of time whether it is an image or video. What makes ephemeral content so alluring is the fact that it triggers the fear of missing out (FOMO) from the viewer.

The immediate aim of this ephemerality pushes the user to make a quick purchasing decision or a quick signup. It urges the viewer to engage with the content or risk losing out. It also appears to be more authentic than traditionally shot and edited videos. Using this form of content as a marketing strategy also encourages user-generated content (UGC), ephemeral marketing strategies invite the user to act on a brand’s behalf. The benefits of ephemeral content are:

Reach Wider Audiences: On Instagram alone, there is an engagement of more than 200 million people who use its stories platform each month. This indicates the potential for a much wider audience for your business.

Boost Loyalty; Your client’s target market expect transparency. In order for your client to maintain its brand likeability and visibility, it needs to build a solid reputation. One of the ways you can boost brand loyalty with ephemeral content is by inviting in your target audience, through audio and video, to the inner workings of your business (a.k.a Behind the scenes Live stream).

EnGAGE THROUGH STORIES

Whether you are in B2B or B2C who doesn’t love a good story? Stories remain a good way to drive engagement as they are often driven by the genuine interest of the audience, and given that most social media platform has an integrated stories option. Mark Zuckerberg is even on board, stating as of 2018 Facebook expects its News Feed usage to decline and stories to have a major part in the business to consumer engagement.

What makes Stories successful?

Stories are:

• easy to create them

• fun and engaging

• spontaneous or they don’t necessarily require much editing before uploading them

• authentic

• are temporary and do not always last more than 24 hours

Instagram remains the main platform for Stories, with more than 400 million consuming Stories on this popular platform daily. We recommend considering Stories ads on Instagram in 2019 as they can be very effective when implemented with the right content. Need help with your social media strategy check our service out

LIVE STREAMING

Personalized customer experiences matter, before going live, remember to be authentic and be prepared for the unexpected and you’ll connect with your audience. Live streaming gives customers a behind the scenes look at the team, building the viewers understanding of their personalities and creating an important relationship and familiarity between the viewer and the viewed. While also showing how the product or service process takes place, along with the added bonus of something unexpected occuring . Live streaming also makes it simpler to update your customers on promotions and deals that are going on since shooting and editing a video isn’t necessary.

VIDEO CONTENT DOMINATION

It is now said 80% of what we consume online will be video content, like wow, that's a serious millage, which is said to keep rising. That said, competition for better content is at a new record high as a result, but luckily it only takes one engaged user to spread your brand's message to a million others across the globe. Another interesting fact that you might not have known is that 80% of consumers say a video showing how a product or service works is important when learning about a company. Video is important and its importance in helping you boosting conversions and sales can’t be undermined. Video can help you generate serious money. Studies show that 74% of users who watched an explainer- video about a product subsequently bought it. So, there’s no better time to start crafting that perfect video. Check out our #videoservices tailored to your very needs when it comes to #videocontent in #Ireland .

SOCIAL DATA - TRUST & TRANSPARENCY

In 2018, it was revealed that a data-mining firm called Cambridge Analytica, gleaned personal data from around 87 million Facebook programs without the user’s consent. They built a system that would use micro-targeting and psychological profiling to target US voters with personalized political advertisements to influence the past election results. As a result Mark Zukerburg the CEO of Facebook and his colleagues encountered a lot of backlash.

This controversy shows that brands and other social media networks need to focus on establishing transparent and honest communication with their audiences. The majority of social media users know that the lifestyle of internet influencers are not always fully attainable or realistic. So they look to more honest personalities who communicate with their followers. Before signing up for anything or purchasing a product they look for a story behind it, often choosing a business or brand that instills reliability and quality through its advertising and media content. To overcome this issue it would be a great idea to implement user generated content (with their consent) by posting something like a photo of a review, which would build trust between you and your customer as well as strengthen the image of your brand. Thankfully we here at Provision Visuals will guide you step by step to ensure you get the most from your social media. Click here for more

USER GENERATED CONTENT

Getting your followers involved in creating content that your business can use to promote your product or service is a great way for you to get your customers involved as well as increase customer experience. Storytelling will also play an important part in marketing since most people no longer fall for the simple marketing tactics, (which just so happens to be our specialty click here for more). People want a a story behind the product, they want to feel some sort of emotional attachment, which is why using content created by your followers with their personalized flare, will provide you with the emotion you need to get your customers to see you as more relatable. If your followers notice that you use user generated content that will inspire them to create content of their own, which is free unpaid promotion work that you can use while the person that created the content (Nano/Micro Influencers ) gets the benefit of getting free exposure.

Engage your audience with more stories!

Tags (#socialmedia #nanoinfluencer #videocontent #videoservice #ireland #irishvideoservice)