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Top Marketing Trends of 2018
DIY Sprocket Solutions
There has been a lot of buzz in the marketing world about what we can expect to see in the coming year. With the speed and direction of online marketing constantly increasing and changing, there are plenty of opportunities for online marketers to be on the lookout for. Now is when you should be knee deep in strategic planning for the next year. The end of the year is a great time to take inventory of what went right, be aware of areas that can be improved, and to predict the new trends for the upcoming year.
Here are the top 3 social media marketing trends that we encourage marketers to watch in 2018:
Influencer Marketing
More specifically here, we are watching for micro-influencer marketing to explode a bit in 2018. Why will they dominate 2018 over macro-influencers? Well, micro to midsized influencers hold a much better ROI for marketers. They are more affordable and boast a more engaged audience. They are still at a level where they have steady and trusted interaction with their audience. Macro-influencers are often celebrities or a division apart from their followers. It’s prediction that micro-influencers will have expanded reach through their own channels as well as paid promotions. How can brands maximize on this trend? Find micro-influencers who have strong connections with their own audience, who are a great fit to represent your brand, and who you can align and contract with to work as spokespeople for your business. This will set you apart from the competition.
Video Marketing
Video marketing is promised to be a main focus in 2018. Our prediction is that a lot of paid advertising focus will go to backing video marketing campaigns across different types of brands. What will be the most popular types of video content in 2018? Short form video and live video. Both types of video marketing are easily consumable. They are quick, shareable, and attention grabbing. The short informative videos are to the point. Live videos are getting great feedback and are bringing followers into the story of the brand. Both are very effective types of marketing that will translate into a big push in the upcoming year.
More Expensive Social Advertising
If you haven’t already, you may want to consider increasing your social advertising budget in 2018. Unfortunately, the precious time of free organic reach is going and nearly gone. The way that businesses are showing up socially to their followers is continually changing and becoming scarcer. Want to show up and be front and center to your audience? You’ll need an advertising budget –one that is now increasing. The cost of ads is going up. Social media marketing is a very cost effective way to reach your target group of customers, but you have to pay to play the game. As in recent years, we expect even more of a rise in the cost of social advertising. The brands who want to be contenders will have to get very creative or pay a bit more to keep up.
What marketing trends are you in the lookout for in 2018? Any that you think will surprise the social world? What are your thoughts? Comment below!
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Breanne Bannon
Breanne is a Content Writer, Social Media Marketeer, and Sales Associate for Sprocket Websites.
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