Not too long ago, social media was sometimes an afterthought for brands – a responsibility given to junior level employees to run because upper-level management didn’t quite understand it yet.
Fast forward 10 years or so, and suddenly the world is immersed in social media (thanks in part to the booming smart phone industry). With nearly half of the world’s population using social media platforms, it’s no longer an afterthought, but instead, an extremely important part of every brand’s marketing strategy.
Here are a few predictions about the trends we think will change the way brands utilize social advertising as we enter the new decade.
1. VIDEO, VIDEO, VIDEO!
I cannot stress this enough! Although videos are already important for brands, it will be crucial that brands start utilizing these moving forward to advertise on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn. I’m not talking about live videos – those get stale, fast – I’m talking about quick 15- to 30-second video ads to show off your product or service.
These videos need to grab the viewer’s attention within the first few seconds, or you might as well head back to the drawing board.
Video Tip #1
If you’re not ready to create a full video yet, try using “giphy” type videos, just to add some movement into the frame. This is an easy way to create a short video clip that will stand out among static images. Additionally, this is much easier and less time consuming for your creative team to create than a full video. Here’s an example of an Adidas running shoe post on Instagram using this type of video.
Video Tip #2
For longer videos, try creating a video that isn’t linear. Start the video by showing a 5-second clip of the most eye-catching or surprising part of the video at the beginning to capture their attention. Then, build on that by showing the full video afterward, showcasing your product or service. In this example with Poo-Pourri, the first 5 seconds are the most surprising showing a woman in a bathroom stall. The video then goes on to tell you about the benefits of using their product and connects those benefits to avoiding those embarrassing situations like the one the woman was in at the beginning of the video.
2. The Rise of TikTok Advertising
No, this is not a joke. TikTok is becoming more and more popular for the Gen Z audience, which is where most of the latest trends and movements are stemming from. We’re seeing a ton of new dances, songs, and products blow up from this platform. There’s even a Spotify playlist comprised entirely of songs that have gone viral on TikTok! If your brand’s target audience includes this age group, you need to be on TikTok if you want to stay relevant.
Ray-Ban, for example, posted this ad (shown in the GIF above) of users trying on different sunglasses. Since this doesn’t look like a professionally filmed video, it does well on the platform.
However, keep in mind that this platform may only be popular for a short time before these users move on to the next “hip” social media platform, so get in while it’s hot!
3. Facebook Advertising Will be More Expensive
Due to Facebook’s recent algorithm changes to make the platform more community oriented, brands will be fighting to get in front of their audiences more than ever. Now, users will see more content from groups they join and events in their community and will see less content from companies. Because of these changes, Facebook advertising will be much more expensive in 2020.
Facebook will still be vital for some brands, but this will definitely push advertisers to seek out other advertising platforms. Additionally, since this platform will become more expensive, it will be crucial to make sure each ad that is placed has an eye-catching video or image. Spending time developing a strong ad strategy will be the key. Continuously refresh the ad creative, ad copy, objective, and offer to ensure the ads don’t get stale.
4. Native-Looking Content Will Be King
In 2020, we’ll start to see more brand post content that looks like it was posted from a friend instead of a brand. Feature people in your ads that users can relate to, and don’t be afraid to shoot it on your iPhone! If the content looks too polished, users may skip over it. Kraft Macaroni & Cheese does this perfectly, using a “meme” type of post from an Instagram user and sponsoring it.
5. Influencers “Influencing” Platforms
In 2019, Instagram took away likes in hopes of promoting better mental health for their users, but in 2020, we might see a rise in influencer optimized changes on social media platforms. For example, both Instagram and Facebook are trying to grab onto the whole “influencer marketing” concept by showing their support for influencers who are turning their passions into a livelihood, rolling out a tool called Brand Collabs Manager.
The Brand Collabs Manager makes it easy for companies to discover talent for paid partnerships. A user can create a portfolio detailing the type of content they make, and brands can find them through the platform and connect. This is just the beginning of what we think will be a series of changes on social media platforms to put influencers front and center.
New year, new challenges.
The exciting part about social media advertising is that it’s always changing, but staying on top of the changes and being agile with your strategy is vital to its success. We believe 2020 will be a big year for social advertising. Are you prepared?
Contact Liquid today for help creating a successful social media advertising strategy.