Content Marketing Strategy

Social media allows brands to tell stories and connect with customers on a deeper and more intimate level. In addition, brands can use social media to regularly engage users and drive them to their content hubs, or toward higher-value actions, like visiting a product page, downloading a gated asset, or purchasing an item. We thought it would be helpful to review social media trends for 2018.

When leveraging new social features, content marketers must not lose sight of the ultimate goal of content marketing: to tell exceptional stories that drive people toward positive business results. Here are three major social media trends to watch out for in 2018 and what content marketers can do to stay ahead of the game.

Social Media Trends in 2018

We think web professionals should review this article where 29 experts express their thoughts about social media trends in 2018.

Here are some of the highlights:

• Creativity is the new productivity.
• AR/VR (Augmented Reality/Virtual Reality) is the new social media.
• Instagram is the new Facebook.
• Facebook is the new TV.
• Snapchat is the new MySpace.
• LinkedIn blue is the new black.
• Medium is the new blog.
• Twitter is the new social movement.
• Emojis are the new universal language.
• AI is the new customer service
• Talkwalker is the new Google Alert.
• Podcasts are the new radio.

Social Media Use in 2018

A Pew Research Center survey of U.S. adults finds that the social media landscape in early 2018 is defined by a mix of long-standing trends and newly emerging narratives. Facebook and YouTube dominate this landscape, as notable majorities of U.S. adults use each of these sites. Younger Americans between age group 18 to 24 uses Facebook and YouTube, 78% of younger individuals use Snapchat, 71% Instagram and 45% Twitter.

Facebook and Privacy

Facebook’s recent crisis is just one of many privacy issues that company has had to deal with in its relatively short existence. Those privacy issues are now front and center. Facebook’s loose handling of how its data was acquired by app developers has plunged the company into the biggest crisis of its 14-year existence. Facebook has caused all sorts of headaches for social media marketers in the first months of 2018 by announcing that they’re looking to shift the focus of their News Feed onto meaningful interactions as a result, will see reductions in Page organic reach. According to the research Facebook usage is declining among American users. It is either down or flat in every demographic age group, gender, and ethnicity. This is a good summary of the many issues facing this company.

In 2019, it is estimated that there will be around 2.77 billion social media users around the globe, up from 2.46 billion in 2017. Social network penetration worldwide is ever-increasing. At 90%, young Americans still are most likely to use social networks, but growth in use among those 65 and older is surging. These trends will keep continuing till we all use cell, internet and social media.

We hope you find these resources and overviews useful. We always look forward to your comments and feedback (whether you are a member or not).

We encourage members (and non-members) check out our social media channels. We have recently been using Pinterest for our collection of curated infographics related to many topics of interest to Web Professionals. For example, we included this infographic of 21 Digital Marketing Trends for 2018

If you aspire to be a web professional and don’t know where to start, we offer a number of beginning classes to our members via our School Of Web learning management system. As a member, your first class is free.