If there’s one thing you should know about social media marketing, it’s the rapid pace in which trends come about within the industry. Marketer Mike Baglietto told MarTech that things are changing fast on social media platforms and getting much more complex. He noted that “finding these unmet needs and shifts in customer behavior is becoming important for our businesses to succeed.” Businesses and content creators have to keep up because social media features and users are constantly evolving due to the emergence of new technologies.
You can stay in the loop by remaining up-to-date with the innovations in social media. Here’s an insider look at the next social media marketing innovations you should look forward to:
AI-generated Post Recommendations
If you want to make branded content for Gen Z, social media guru Sara Lesneski recommends that you stay up-to-date with TikTok. The popular content creator focuses on creating TikTok and Reel videos, and there’s a good reason why you should follow in her footsteps.
TikTok is one of the first social media platforms that leverage AI to study the videos of influencers and recommend these to users with relevant interests, locations, or profiles. Other platforms are being inspired by this innovation, which is why Facebook and Instagram are both leveraging AI to show users the most relevant videos. Once this innovation is fully integrated, you’ll need to maximize your captions, hashtags, sound bites, and even your account settings to make sure that you’ll win over the AI recommendation system.
The Rise of Social Media Communities
Influencers and brands had to be independent to establish their own names in social media before. But now, the best way to establish fame is either to enter or build a social media community.
Due to this innovative shift, Maryville University notes that digital marketing strategies should include the monitoring of conversations about certain organizations, topics, or movements. Plenty of people go on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to simply feel engaged with a community they are interested in, thus giving influencers and marketers a chance to understand their interests, tone, and even their online habits. By getting into the core of social media users, it became easier for influencers like Shontay Lundy to become a part of the black beauty community, or for Katie Gu in the acne positivity community.
New Interactive Features on Social Media
Social media marketing is about to get much more immersive, thanks to the rise of interactive features. Platforms like Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Snapchat have already rolled out interactive social media features that are transforming the platforms.
However, it seems that Twitter is taking the lead in this innovation. Twitter announced that their interactive feature allows brands to highlight up to three words in their ad copies on the platform. These highlighted words will appear with a larger typeface and will lead consumers to landing pages once clicked. Speaking of cool, brands like New Balance and Oreo are also testing the platform’s Product Explorer feature, which presents media in an interactive, 3D display. Who knows, you might also be able to present your photos and videos in 3D soon!
Augmented Reality Experiences
Social media platforms are about to get even more interactive, now that apps are rolling out augmented reality experiences.
Researchers from Swansea University and other multinational universities highlight how the future of social media marketing can involve the use of wearable sensor devices for augmented reality (AR) features. These wearable sensor devices can be coupled with location-based ad targeting so that brands and influencers can make real-time interactions with their audience. Meta is already in the middle of creating Augmented Reality glasses, so you should follow AR influencers like Keith Curtin and Sanem Avcil to get an insider scoop about AR in social media.
Are you excited about these social media marketing innovations? Now’s the perfect time to prepare for these features, so that you can ensure that you can maintain and gain more followers in the future.