7 SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDS FOR BRANDS FOR ENHANCED BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN 2024
Get ready to embrace the latest waves of new social media trends as we enter 2024! This blog isn’t about what goes down on the “trending” page or what we know as short-lived trends. Rather, we will discuss social media trends that empower brands and agencies to breakthrough to new metrics, reach wider audiences, improve engagement, and rake in higher revenue. These are the trends that stay long-term, are backed and driven by tech companies to improve user experience, introduce new features, and keep their platforms relevant and exciting.
AR Shopping Activation
Online shopping as a market gets saturated with time, and this saturation can negatively affect the customer experience provided by brands. Today, social media is the preferred medium for brands to bring this experience to broader markets.
In 2024, a relatively new trend of providing an immersive experience in the form of AI shopping is expected to catch up, wherein marketers are using various AR tools such as 3D representations, filters, effects, etc. Augmented Reality (AR) enables deeper customer engagement and promotes a personalized buying experience. While still at a nascent stage, users are gradually catching up to the idea.
AR Shopping Activation is slated to be the go-to social media strategy for E-commerce and retail stores for their online segment. IKEA, Target, Sephora, and Houzz have entered this space already, with dedicated segments for the AR shopping experience. These companies are making a way for shoppers to reach the store without even stepping out! With Meta’s ambitious AR and VR products to be launched in the next 4 years – this space is only going to get more exciting!
More Creator Tools
AI is the buzzword in all spheres of business; it has made its way even into medical diagnostics and content creation! The supreme creative capabilities of Dall-E and Midjourney have raised the bar for visuals mediums. Fast, efficient, and promising – AI tool integration will be on the rise, even for content creators on social media. Here are some top tools for marketing firms and individuals to make your social media journey more impactful:
- Synthesia – AI Video Generation Platform to create video content with human avatars by simply feeding in the script.
- Wavve – AI Voice Tool to produce solid voiceovers in more than 20 languages.
- Outranking – Write, research, and optimize search results with this AI Content Strategy Platform.
- Podcastle – AI Audio Production Platform for all your podcasting needs in one place.
- RiteTag – Achieve wider reach with this AI Hashtag Generator to tag your posts with precise hashtags.
Reeling Under Pressure
Instagram keeps pushing reels, creators keep making them, and users keep swiping them away into oblivion. That’s why Instagram’s parent company Meta has big plans for the short video format. Instagram is experimenting with longer format reels – from the current time limit of 90 seconds with as long as even 10 minutes!
Broadcast Channels, a community building feature introduced in 2023, has received a great response from content creators. Brands are jumping on this bandwagon, and the number will only grow in the year to come. It allows content creators to amplify reach and get the desired engagement boost.
Seeing a massive migration of users from Meta (formerly Facebook), Instagram will be the new marketplace in 2024. Get ready to see a higher number of Shoppable Posts which allow users to purchase products directly from the post! A seamless shopping experience, anyone?
Take The Lead with UGC
When it comes to content – Authenticity is the key. Showing everyday experiences, funny skits, impersonations, makeup, fashion, or gaming is why influencers rake in a huge following. They create relatable content that directly speaks to their audiences. Brands have a tough time doing this with the constraints of brand image and the limitations of a moral compass on business entities. Brands try to be human and fail spectacularly so.
The best way then, is it to have Users Generated Content on every social media platform that has your brand presence and use it best to lend a touch of realism to your marketing efforts. Creating engagements through contests and giveaways will never get old. Always remember – your audience has an audience, and when curated thoughtfully your reach can go beyond the skies.
Beyond Jobs and Professions
Tired tropes of being overly professional and clichéd anecdotes of motivation on LinkedIn are finally being seen for the pretense it is. LinkedIn is now veering the content way with people are creating short articles, micro blogs, and even videos to engage with their network more meaningfully. People are sharing lessons through everyday instances and personal triumphs rather than stories about personal issues.
Video content is also picking up in big ways on the professional platform. It has more engagement, higher likes, and better recall. To leverage this, the Cover Story feature will showcase short videos which will feature on the top of the profile and be available for a limited timeframe in 2024.
AI Powered Data Analysis
There’s an abundance of social media management apps on the internet, which help brands produce content, schedule it, and analyze how it is all performed. But with the current pace of consumption and the amount of competition this isn’t enough. Here too, AI has stepped in to change the game. The features of AI powered data analysis empower brands to precisely plan media spending, increase share of engagement and create enhanced workflows. Additionally, data analytical features such as AI-powered Sentiment Analysis, Topic Modeling, and Predictive Analytics, are also expected to be leveraged to enhance content strategy in 2024.
The X Factor
Even if Twitter (now X) has long been a sinking ship from a corporate viewpoint, Elon Musk’s hostile takeover and the changes that followed only made things worse for the microblogging platform. The company continues to float in losses while also facing the brunt of Musk’s erratic outbursts in the media. Many of the new changes are driving away advertisers, causing a further erosion in Ad revenue.
The “paid verification” made no significant impact as expected. Moreover, the number of active users is dwindling, the app is witnessing its lowest download rate. Introducing digital payments pulls in more users is on the cards. Though there are some loyalists who continue to use it, will X survive another year amidst its growing troubles?
Twitter was a huge international sensation earlier, and it would be worth following developments related to this platform, thus in itself being a key trend for 2024. However, there are a few competitors blooming up, chiefly Instagram Threads, which serves as a strong competitor for X, considering a similar style of posting short texts with limited characters.
From an overall perspective, 2024 looks lit in terms of exciting new trends that will make it easier, faster, and cheaper for brands to up their social media game. And moreover, these trends will also enhance regular entertainment-based consumption, which is quite useful for companies whose product and service relies heavily on how creatively they are marketed through digital mediums.