A year in social media terms is more like a year in dog years!

So much happens in this digital world of sharing and connecting it’s hard to believe it’s all crammed into just 12 months, not seven years!

It’s the 16th day of 2018 and we have seen a major shift in social media already.

  1. Facebook algorithm update. This update has been designed to get back to the core of what Facebook is all about: connecting with family and friends. Comments on your posts are more important than ever and will make Likes close to irrelevant. The more comments you have on each post and the longer they are will outweigh Likes and bring your post up to the top of the newsfeed. To put it simply, here are a few pros and cons:
  • Personal pros – Most of you are thinking Hallelujah! Goodbye annoying ads and hello to what Facebook was aiming for in the first place. Hopefully, this change will see a decrease in ‘wasted’ time on social media, with more personal posts appearing and pictures of your Aunty Gloria’s cat, Sniffles! (Insert eye roll). You might enjoy an increase in your savings account due to the decrease of impulse purchases from Facebook-sponsored posts!
  • Personal cons – The lack of new deliveries arriving due to the decrease in impulse purchasing!
  • Pros for business – Let’s get back to basics! It’s time to really hone in on your personal relationships and encourage the people you know and your followers to comment and share your posts. Use the LIVE feature as much as possible and vertical videos when able. These will really draw in your audience’s attention.
  • Cons for business – Facebook ads costs will increase in the long run thanks to Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg prioritising personal posts over business posts. According to CBS, Facebook’s stock price dropped almost 6% last week before regaining some ground. Read Zuckerberg’s announcement here.
  1. Snapchat. Originally, we were unsure why Snapchat had unveiled their new update. At first, the new update which was released late December 2017, looked cluttered and left users frustrated. Let’s rewind to where we were discussing Facebook’s new algorithm which focus’ on friends and family more than sponsored posts. Snapchat has simply done the same. When you open the app you will find a list of your friends where you can access their stories to the left. To the right of the camera you can find paid ads and news posts. On a positive note, if you don’t like looking at news and celebrity videos, then stay to the left and middle screens. Putting the controversy aside, it’s actually a great idea! It may just take some getting used to!

But if you severely dislike the new update, feel free to join 4.7k protestors who are showing their disgust at Fed Square this Saturday.

  1. Follow #hashtags on Instagram! You are now able to follow hashtags rather than just searching them as if they were their own profile!

 

In 2017, we saw a decline in Snapchat – especially in Snapchat stories all thanks to Instagram stories and the filter functions.

Twitter extended its character limit in a bid to make the platform relevant again and keep up with its social media cousins. Twitter also improved its analytics, however it remains a few lengths behind in this race!

We said hello to Chatbots! Literally! It’s the start of the end of personal communication and interaction from an online retail perspective. How do we feel about Chatbots? The launch of robots receiving our messages and interacting with us has created mixed emotions. Some people are excited about the potential and the convenience. Some are scared of what comes with the concept – what could go wrong? Where does technology end? More so, what affect will this have on the retail world? Soon, you will be able to ask a clothes shop’s Facebook account for a “red flannelette shirt” and it will return options that include your desired size. Basically, Chatbots will mean there is no need for a person to continuously monitor messaging apps! If you’re somebody who appreciates the ‘personal touch’ that comes with going into retail stores then you’re not going to be a fan of Chatbots.

The words “fake news”, “lit” and “#igers” rocketed to prominence during 2017 and their prevalence continues into 2018!

The hashtag #love has 1 billion posts associated with it as I write this.

We have seen the “taking over” of social accounts become a trend. Statistics reveal when a well-known person – whether it be an A, B or even D-grade celebrity – takes over your business social media account by posting, going live and recording stories, it increases your brand awareness and engagement three-fold!

What could possibly be left for social media for 2018? Our predictions are:

  1. There will be an increase in external social media management. The level of creativeness needed for successful social media is becoming harder to achieve, therefore small businesses will be more inclined to seek assistance to boost and maintain their social status. Time is the enemy in the social media game!
  2. You can say see you later to still images and a big HELLO to videos – especially live videos. The trick with videos is to make sure they are suitable with and without sound! There is nothing worse than scrolling through social media while you wait for an Uber in a public place and then – BOOM! -music starts pounding from your phone as you scroll past. Subtitles are a great idea!
  3. The person on the other end of your messages is probably not a person! Yes, Chatbots began in 2017 but watch as they soar in 2018.
  4. Brand sharing. It’s the new way to gain brand awareness and loyalty from competitors and customers. Running competitions with one or more of your competitors or a brand similar to yours is a great way to broaden your brand awareness and increase your followers.

In summary for 2018 social media accounts need:

  • Authenticity, focusing on LIVE streaming and less on perfectly designed posts.
  • Vertical video.
  • Engagement – comments, not likes.

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