Guy Galboiz reveals 15 social media trends to follow in 2020 and beyond

Social platforms are also adding more AR functionalities and businesses should do their best to take advantage of these.

• Personalization will become critical

A global consumer trend that has gained a lot of momentum in the past few years is personalization. However, when it comes to social media, its adoption is still quite recent. Some people may argue that it is not possible for brands to personalize their social media content for every consumer. But, it is possible for a business to customize their social media ads for as many consumer segments as they like. As per Guy Galboiz, social media ads are the key aspect that can be leveraged by businesses for leveraging this trend of personalization.

These days, social media platforms are providing advanced customization and targeting options, which allow businesses to show the right ads to the right people. As a matter of fact, personalization has expanded to such a level that now these social platforms can now understand the kind of products you like. Thus, they also show people ads of similar products from various brands.

• Technology adoption is on the rise

The adoption of different technologies like Augmented Reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) is on the rise on social media platforms. As these platforms are growing, users are demanding more engaging and better experiences and this is only possible through these technologies. Facebook has already taken major steps in this direction through the introduction of their social reality world called Horizon. It is like a virtual world where people can explore, play games and connect. It is another level of social connection and could end up becoming the future of social media.

• Local targeting is becoming more prevalent

Local targeting plays the same role for social media platforms that SEO plays for local businesses that are looking to attract more organic traffic. A plethora of businesses are using location-based targeting for reaching out to and attracting people from a particular geographic location. A common strategy used by businesses for attracting local audience is through geo-tagging stories and posts. Drawing in a local audience becomes easier when you add a location to the content you post on social media.

Social media networks like Instagram give consumers the option of searching for posts from specific locations or nearby posts. A business’s post will show up in these search results if they have geo-tagged their content, which helps local people in finding you. Geo-targeting can be especially effective for tweets and promoted posts because these platforms are great for targeting the right audience. Businesses can also use geo-tagging for getting more people to come to their local events and conferences. Likewise, location filters can be used in social media ads for advertising to a local and relevant audience.

Location-based targeting on social platforms can be extremely beneficial for businesses and they just need to know how to leverage it.

• Popularity of user-generated content

Again, businesses leveraging user-generated content is not really a new trend, but according to marketing experts like Guy Galboiz, it is one that is going strong and will continue to do so in the future as well. The rate of adoption is the only thing that has changed as more and more businesses have jumped on the bandwagon. Some businesses are encouraging their customers to create content and tag the business’s name for an opportunity to get featured on their page. Some businesses have also organized relevant marketing campaigns to motivate people to submit entries for becoming a part of the campaign.

As a matter of fact, there are businesses that are completely dependent on user-generated content for their social media platforms. User-generated content should be part of your content mix, no matter how you plan on using it. This kind of content is free and is deemed as a lot more authentic than any other kind of business content. Your brand will appear more trustworthy and can work wonders for your image as well. It is time for businesses to start leveraging user-generated content, especially if they are not doing so already.

• Using social media for customer service

Traditionally, social media has been a place for people to connect with their social circle and share videos and photos. But, those days are long gone and social media has become much bigger than that. Social media is now a product discovery platform, a retail platform and has now even become a customer service channel. A lot of businesses have now begun to recognize and accept social media networks as platforms that can be used for delivering customer service. This transition was gradual and businesses have begun to notice that tons of customers are trying to reach out to them via social media.

This could be due to a lack of response via other channels or simply because it is a more direct way of connecting with businesses. Businesses are now responding to these messages as well and directing their customers to the correct channels. These interactions are expected to grow multi-fold in the upcoming years. This is not just a one-off situation where customers post their complaints or questions on social media and businesses respond. Now, businesses are recognizing it as a customer service channel in itself due to its significance.

Plus, it is regarded as one of the most important customer service channels because there could be massive repercussions for businesses if they don’t handle the customer well in front of other potential or existing customers. Hence, it is even more important for businesses to handle customers properly. Guy Galboiz suggests that businesses should use social media platforms for solving their customers’ queries and problems in a professional manner.

• Increasing significance of social media communities

Even though it is not exactly a new concept, the significance of social media communities is increasing. Put simply, these communities are social groups that are created by businesses for providing their customers a networking platform. These are private groups that can be joined by like-minded people for talking about their shared interests. An excellent example of such social communities are Facebook Groups. Such groups are utilized by a number of businesses for bringing all their prospective and existing customers together and using a meaningful way of engaging them. Different topics can be discussed by group members and they can share the experiences they have had.

In fact, these groups can also be used by them for finding a solution to their challenges. Businesses can also use these social media communities for seeking customer feedback, launching new products and gaining valuable customer insights.

• Increased regulatory control and legal scrutiny

The benefits of social media cannot be denied, but in recent years, some negatives of these platforms have also come to light. Data security and privacy are two such important issues that have made headlines in regard to various social platforms like Facebook. It is extremely easy for people to use social media for gathering information about anyone and then misusing it. In fact, allegations have also been made against different social networks for selling their user data to third parties and companies.

Keeping this in mind, regulatory bodies and social networks will tighten their rules and will introduce more policies for combating these issues. A lot of people regard social media as unsafe and changing that would work in everyone’s best interest. Thus, businesses should be ready for more restrictions and regulations on all platforms.

• Social listening to become a priority

Social media is considered a goldmine for insights and data that can be used by businesses for refining their strategies. Accessing these insights has become easier than ever with the introduction of numerous social listening tools. Considering the ease through which businesses can tap into social conversations for drawing meaningful insights, social listening has become a part of every business’s marketing strategy.

It is being used for different cases like trying to understand how people are perceiving a brand or figuring out the impact of a social media campaign. Suffice it to say, social listening can provide a great deal of information due to which it has become one of the most vital social media marketing strategies for every business. There are a multitude of social listening tools that businesses can use and Guy Galboiz recommends that you start experimenting so you can find one that works best for you.

Social media landscape will be dominated by these 15 trends in 2020 and beyond. Guy Galboiz suggests that all businesses should leverage these trends to their advantage because this will play an important role in helping them stay ahead of their competition. Social media is a competitive and dynamic space and a business can use these trends for acing their social media game. Hence, their priority should be to stay abreast of these social media trends and use them for their strategies and initiatives.