SMM-trends in 2020

In the new year, video will make up about 80% of all content. Being present on all video platforms, brands will be able to increase the activity of their existing audience and attract new users.

Here’s what Neal Schaffer, CEO and chief consultant for SMM strategy at Maximize Your Social, says about the format:

Brands need to move from text to more visual formats. With the advent of social networks, companies have to turn into glossy magazines, if not entire TV channels. Only in this way will they be able to reach the audience.

Preference is given to vertical video, convenient for viewing on a mobile screen. Particular attention should be paid to online broadcasts, their popularity will only grow. The interactivity of the format (for example, the ability to ask questions on Instagram) turns these videos into a powerful tool to engage the audience and strengthen the relationship between the brand and its subscribers.

smm trends 2020is not just video, but interactive broadcasts in which users can participate: ask a question, write an opinion, like.

During the live broadcast, users see opinion leaders and representatives of brands with all their shortcomings. Even technical problems give authors the opportunity to be “closer to the people”: at such moments, viewers sincerely sympathize with bloggers, because everyone has problems with the Internet.

Instead of just talking about their product in a video, experts advise creating a separate video for each question asked by users. Also, do not forget about the timely processing of objections. Brands need to be told who the product is not suitable for and what difficulties consumers may have, rather than wait for angry comments and feedback.

Temporary content
Gone are the days when it was possible to post several articles at once and not release anything new for several years, and new users came and read the same materials. Now the audience wants to be involved 24/7: watch, read, interact, respond and participate in the creation of products and content.

Brands that constantly interact with users are more likely to build a trusting relationship with the audience and thereby increase conversion.

With the advent of «stories» on Instagram and Facebook, temporary (disappearing) content went to a new level and entrenched. The format pushes the news feed to the background, so marketers should focus on creating “stories”. Communication in this case is short, but effective.

The popularity of short-term content in 2019 will grow along with the mobile audience as a whole. Special attention should be paid to communication with generations of millennials (young people born in the mid-80s – early 90s) and Z (late 90s – early 2000s): it’s important for them to “be friends” with brands so that trust them.

Think about how to use video, “stories” and images to connect your audience with the “human”, vulnerable part of your business. For example, a service company may show an office or team at work. The most important thing is not to be afraid to experiment. “Stories” disappear from the profile after 24 hours, this provides a lot of ways to try something new, without fear that photos or videos will remain in the profile forever, ”says Buffer chief editor Ash Reed.

Social Confidentiality and Social Media Transparency
Data privacy and security on social networks were widely discussed in 2018. In March, Facebook leaked data from 87 million profiles. After that, Facebook participated in several more scandals and was criticized by users and even its own employees.

Now it’s important for social networks and brands to take care of privacy. Marketers need to abandon one-way marketing, revolving around user data collection. A more successful strategy will be a dialogue with users and direct questions about what they will be more interested in learning, seeing and trying.

This year, honesty and transparency will help brands gain user confidence. People realized that the “cover” lifestyle that celebrities are leading is unattainable and unrealistic. Preference is given to those brands and bloggers who are honest in communicating with their subscribers. Users want to hear real stories that inspire them to buy, ”says Veronika Baranowska, marketing manager at Sendible.

Personalization
Paradoxically, while worrying about their own data, users still want to receive personalized content. Thus, brands will have to balance between personalization and privacy.