Social media is enjoying something of a golden age. Over 45 percent of the world’s population uses networks like Facebook and Instagram, or almost 3.5 billion people. What’s ironic is that this enormous popularity represents both social media’s greatest advantage and biggest challenge to retail marketing.
On one hand, it offers access to larger numbers of potential customers than ever imaginable. However, advertisers have to face off against an increasing number of posts from friends and family members, reducing the effectiveness of organic posts significantly. The solution is paid social media advertising.
With paid media management in places like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, you can reach the people you want, with the message you want, whenever you want. The key is to approach social media like any other digital marketing campaign — with smart, clear goals.
Here are 11 awesome 2020 trends that can boost immediate and long-term conversion rates.
- Widening Your Marketing Focus
Traditional e-commerce advertisers are discovering that it makes sense to look beyond immediate purchase intent when measuring marketing success. It’s true that attracting bottom-of-the-funnel consumers who are likely to buy is important, and paid social media excels at reaching these potential customers and motivating purchases. However, if you only prioritize the ideal customer, you could be losing out on a lot of potential sales. Why?
Many users of social media view company interactions as a unified experience. They may prefer to check out new products and learn about pricing and deals online, but don’t buy online. Instead, they like to go to retail locations in person to complete purchases. Was there a conversion? Absolutely, but not one that shows up easily in analytics.
Put simply, there’s room for investment in both immediate conversions – especially on sites such as Snapchat and Instagram — and long-term customer retention and brand loyalty. The ability to do this using data-driven content is a key factor to look for when choosing a social media marketing agency in 2020.
- Grabbing Attention With Creative Content
Gimmicks aren’t working anymore. That viral catchphrase was funny the first five hundred times, but those days are gone. The information overload bombarding users is starting to desensitize people of every age group to run-of-the-mill content. SEO is still important, and social media is still hugely popular and effective, but advertisers are realizing that posts have to go beyond bland if you want to grab the attention of your target audience.
What’s the solution? Merge old school and high-tech. Be creative. Use stunning images, memorable quotes, and words that draw irresistible pictures in the minds of readers. Keep it short, but make sure those 30 seconds are the highlight of someone’s day.
This means investing in attractive content with real substance. People want to feel like you’re speaking directly to them, addressing their needs exactly and honestly. Building a campaign using high-quality content may mean spending more on advertising in the short term, but it’s money well spent. There aren’t many other options if you want to attract online consumers in 2020.
- Maximizing Marketing Dollars by Coordinating PPC and Organic Content
Paid media works best when paired with branded content marketing. First of all, you attract more followers that way. Working moms and dads, busy college students, and first-time homeowners secretly want to find companies they can trust. So while a quick snippet from paid social media marketing may be the first step in getting your foot in the door, what really builds a productive, long-term relationship is the wealth of high-value content available from on feed or website:
- How-to videos
- Helpful tips for your target audience
- Ways your brand makes life easier
- Awesome travel/décor/lifestyle ideas
- Trending products
- Customer reviews
The second benefit of a coordinated approach is that you use your advertising budget wisely. With PPC or other types of paid social media content, you only pay for the initial conversion. The rest of the time people spend checking out blog content is on-the-house in a manner of speaking. A single paid advertisement can lead to multiple views of your hosted videos.
- Building Brand Awareness
2019 is the year of going the distance. People are looking for commitment and honesty from every company. Build a solid relationship with new clients and loyal customers by using paid social media to help them see what your brand stands for. This type of marketing is an ideal backdrop to showcase your business’s attractive qualities through regular interaction with consumers. Depending on your audience, here are a few possibilities:
- Taking a stand on social issues
- Featuring branding prominently in all content
- Focusing on emotions more than cut-and-dry product features
- Telling stories instead of selling directly
- Highlighting customer experiences and practical solutions
- Following up with remarketing
What should people take away from every one of your posts? That your organization is friendly, trustworthy and caring. It doesn’t hurt to be fun and exciting too.
- Using Word-of-Mouth Advertising Intelligently
More than ever before, people are turning to peers to decide whether or not to purchase. Social media users trust friends, and even total strangers that they identify with, more than prominent experts when it comes to selecting everything from health care services to appliances.
You may not be able to buy paid reviews for your products, but you can do the next best thing: let friendly faces do your marketing for you. When preparing social media content, don’t underestimate the effect of featuring real customers, company employees, and behind-the-scenes points of view. Even mirroring the creative to fit the target audience is effective.
- Seizing the Moment
Modern social media marketing needs to be flexible. It has to stay up-to-date with today, not last month. A good content release schedule is vital, and so is capitalizing on current events. This doesn’t mean being sloppy or thoughtless, but instead being spontaneous.
How can advertising teams stick to your brand values while also keeping up with day-to-day trends? The secret lies in great planning and a clear social marketing strategy. Whether happy or sad, tragic or hilarious, major events are on everyone’s minds, and places like Twitter can turn these moments into an opportunity to connect with your followers on a deeper, lasting level.
- Expanding in Unexplored Directions
Facebook may be massive, but it’s not the end-all-be-all of social media marketing. Actually, determining the best use of your advertising budget should depend on results, not what everyone else does. In 2019, many marketing teams are discovering that reaching your target audience may mean investing more in rising stars like Pinterest and Snapchat.
- Thinking Mobile
Over three billion people access social networks using a mobile device, 10 percent more than last year. How can you prepare for this trend? Focus on vertical video wherever possible, and go tall in all your posts. If you tend to post pictures and infographics that are overly wide, you may lose a valuable part of your potential audience. No one wants to scroll right to see the rest of an image.
- Bringing Your Brand’s Story to Life
Stories are a huge trend on Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat and WhatsApp. This is true for users and businesses alike. Instagram Stories provide an opportunity to show your brand in a relaxed, approachable and human light. They can be a cool photo of an employee at work with a statement reflecting your brand values, or a brief interview explaining the reason behind a company decision. More than anything, the goal is to build a personal relationship with your audience.
Are you rebranding your company? Use short daily stories to explain why, as well as your history or goals for the future. Are you building a new headquarters? Don’t keep it a secret. Get viewers involved by sharing humorous moments in the process, first looks, and regular updates. Travel companies may use Instagram Stories — either breathtaking photos or first-person video — to highlight a destination and then invite customers to swipe to learn more.
- Encouraging Customer Interaction From the Start
Another feature of Instagram Stories that marketers are taking advantage of is its polls. After presenting a simple picture with two options, polls let viewers submit a vote for which they prefer. This innovative idea is powerful because it handles dual roles: engaging with customers in a friendly way and advertising upcoming products without anyone realizing it.
- Taking Instant Messaging to the Next Level
Reaching out to customers one-on-one can be a tricky proposition, but it pays off significantly when done right. Platforms such as Facebook Messenger can tell loyal customers about online or in-store deals tailored specifically to their interests. It can also remarket to past visitors with cool new products. The key is to come off as helpful and friendly, not pushy.
Work With Paid and Social Media Experts
Because you’re vying for the limited attention span of customers in an increasingly digital marketplace, your content needs to stand out from the crowd. At V Digital Services, our extensive experience with proven strategies and new trends makes the difference. We can help you capitalize on purchase intent with increased conversions, and assist in building a unified brand image that connects with your target audience.
At V Digital Services, we provide paid social media advertising services, planning and creation of various types of content, reputation management, and social media marketing solutions to reach your marketing goals effectively. To get started creating mind-blowing paid social media marketing, contact our expert team members right away. Let us bring your brand vision to life with high-quality and personalized content.
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