Future Of Social Media Marketing
Social media marketing has come a long way since its inception. Today, it has become an integral part of any digital marketing strategy. But what does the future hold for social media marketing? With over 1 trillion hours logged in social media apps, exploring emerging trends and technologies that are set to shape the future of social media marketing is vital. From the rise of influencer marketing to the evolution of AI, we will discuss how social media impacts businesses and can stay ahead of the curve while leveraging these developments to drive growth and engagement.
The Future of Meta Algorithm Content Distribution Changes
Currently, Facebook, with its 2 billion daily users, is still the most preferred platform by marketers. If your business’s goals are lead generation or sales, Facebook remains the leader of all of the social media platforms in those two areas due to the ease of utilization of lead forms and shops. In contrast, if you're a business seeking exposure, Instagram is the platform to turn to, followed closely by Youtube and Tiktok however, the big changes in trends, algorithms, and technology will soon change the name of the game.
As a useful tool to help businesses and marketers remain informed on social media best practices, Meta releases a quarterly report on what is most widely seen regarding trends and how it will shape the apps in the future. Here are a few important and surprising findings:
In all of the most popular and engaged posts studied in the last quarter, 92% contained no links. The data and algorithm displayed that the likelihood of any posts with links being seen is below average.
Only 4% of what’s shown to Facebook profiles and engaged with were Pages (even if the Page had a large following). Most of what is now shown, shared, and engaged with on Facebook are personal friend pages, and friend reshares.
Text-based posts with no video or images are being prioritized and viewed more often, focusing on text posts that utilize the Facebook-colored background options.
Studies show that organic Facebook reach alone has declined for years. In 2022, the average organic reach for a Facebook page post is only 5.2%, down from 7.7% in 2018. The average engagement rate for Facebook pages now is only 0.13%
Although these key points may be surprising and disappointing, one category has dramatically increased reach and engagement quarter after quarter. It could be the key to revamping your content and increasing reach in the future: Unconnected Distribution. Social media started as a way to connect exclusively with your friends and family, which is considered connected distribution. Now, algorithms focus on reaching a much wider audience to grow beyond the sphere that users know directly, with over ⅓ of all content seen and engaged with on social media falling in the unconnected distribution category. Optimizing your content should be the focus to take advantage of the shift to unconnected distribution. Here are a few tips:
Avoid reposting the same content to your page month after month without making changes. If Meta determines your page only posts content with little originality, the platform will automatically reduce distribution for your page.
According to Social Media Examiner (SMMW) only adding new graphics or creative elements to existing content doesn’t qualify as creating original content. Instead, Facebook considers adding voiceovers, overlays, and other new information to be what the platform terms meaningful enhancement.
What’s relevant is what the Ai system thinks is relevant, so focusing on original content that is inspiring, thought-provoking, entertaining, or educational is what platforms and users favor. This does not necessarily mean video, but if that is the content focus, it is best to post the videos natively inside each app so the AI can push to a broader audience. Most social media platforms have triggers for posts coming from a third-party system, including schedulers, leading to distribution video suppression.
Optimize for shares. Reels are shared via message 1 billion times a month, and on Tiktok even more, so make content that other users want to share. This kind of content attracts more likes and reactions, which tells social algorithms to push the content to bigger audiences. This could be an educational video, a funny and relatable text-based post, or a distinctive, engaging photo, but try to avoid including links unless necessary.
Avoid “engagement bait.” Meta officially discourages engagement bait, which it describes as encouraging followers to react, comment, or share. It has begun suppressing posts that use these tactics and will continue to do so in the future.
The Future Beyond Meta and Tiktok
While most eyes are focused on what the future of social media platforms like Meta, Youtube, and Tiktok holds, there are many emerging tools and changes coming to digital marketing that businesses and marketing professionals need to keep in mind to remain current and relevant in the space. Here is what to keep an eye on:
Web 3 is the future, so learn it now! This system will eventually disintermediate other platforms by changing how people interact, shop, and connect. Web3 encourages decentralized applications (DApps), which let consumers connect to protocols and applications directly without needing intermediaries such as large technology companies, and will completely change how we market.
Chatgpt is booming and could revolutionize how content is written and created. Gaining over one million users in the first 5 days, it is the fastest adoption of technology in the world's history, and it is only becoming more popular and more broadly utilized. It is estimated that in the near future, 90% of what you read online will be crafted or proofed by AI. However, this should not be seen as negative in marketing. Chat GPT can be utilized to free up more time to explore more creative work and analytics that will keep progress moving forward for brands and businesses.
The main takeaway is although the face of social media and marketing is changing rapidly, the ability to change along with these tides will ensure your services and branding remains relevant. If you need a hand in planning or implementing these changes, we can help!