Social media trends to watch

At the moment, organizations should be aware of the need for social media platforms to grow trust, increased investment in storytelling, the need for a human face and inspired content, and so much more. Knowing the trend is the first step towards staying ahead of it. Background Social media as it exists today can be traced back to the email companies which emerged with before the tech bubble burst. Yahoo and others tried to create rudimentary communities, but the move did not go anywhere. MySpace was the first really successful platform, and it even allowed one to share his or her music tastes (Campbell, Martin, and Fabos, 2018). One can go to a social media site and draw almost any feeling he or she wants.

He or she can get validation through likes and reactions, gain attention by writing a cryptic status, laugh by looking at memes, or cry when participating in harrowing discussions (Schlagwein & Hu, 2017). The new social media also allows one to only congregate with people with whom one shares opinions. It is a safe space, a sounding board, and a source of gratification. Trends in Social Media Commitment to Trust One of the most critical aspects to watch is the extent to which social media companies take their commitment to trust seriously. Giving Brands a Human Face The greatest advertisers on earth learned something very early: a brand must have a human face. It is especially the case on social media where one goes to interact with other humans.

When one is on social media, he or she wants to interact with friends. The result is the development of ad blindness where users learn to ignore corporate content (Love, 2016). Companies need to understand how to break through this barrier. They want to learn about heroes and villains. They want to understand the characters and stay hooked to the story. Social media companies have listened, and they are struggling to make it easier for users to tell their stories (Felix, Rauschnabel, & Hinsch, 2017). Companies should be aware of the firms with the best features as they will usually attract the most users. Anyone in a marketing position will understand the power of a story. People like PewdiPie have millions of followers on YouTube and other platforms without needing to be popular in any other segment of social life (Campbell, Martin, & Fabos, 2018).

These individuals have found niches on social media and have exploited them ruthlessly. For companies, the main focus should be on whether or not they can use these influencers to push their brand. The reality is that the influencer-brand relationship is completely different from the traditional relationship between a brand and its ambassadors. Influencing on social media is an all-consuming endeavor. What this means is that planning and strategy will win every time. Brands cannot sit back and wait for something to happen. Smart brands know that sitting around waiting for something to go viral is a fool’s errand. They know that growing and maintaining a brand means making things happen. They know that it means creating a buzz where possible.

Smart brands will realize that segmentation on social media is just as important as it is in the real world. In fact, one can comfortably assert that it is more important in this case. As mentioned, social media users have developed ad blindness. That means that they only see what is interesting to them. Therefore, it makes zero sense to expect the same material that appeals to a 16-year-old to appeal to a 35-year old (Felix, Rauschnabel, & Hinsch, 2017). For instance, a client will not understand why he is getting ads on female products when he is a man. More specifically, users will want the companies to understand their tastes. Thankfully, companies have data analytics tools which make management relatively easy. They can mine data constantly and analyze it quickly and accurately enough to cater to individualized tastes (Newman, Peck, & Wilhide, 2017)).

The key is to get enough information to make the informed decision needed to truly customize one’s service. When one understands that, he or she will only use the platform for images and nothing else. The appreciation prevents wastage of resources and makes the marketing much more effective. As a basic point, brands need to know everything about the platforms they use. Assertion The above trends have not taken into account technology that is being developed today but which might be in use in a few years. For example, companies including Google and Facebook are developing virtual hangouts. References Campbell, R. , Martin, C. and Fabos, B. (2018) Media essentials: A brief introduction. Bedford/St. Journal of Business Research 70. Lin, X. , Li, Y.