Social Media Marketing – A Look Into The Future Of Marketing

Social media advertising is the second-largest market in the digital advertisement arena. Moreover, it is envisioned to grow to USD 252.6 billion in 2026 from USD 153.7 billion in 2021.

Do you promote your business on social media?

If you do not, then consider this: 57.60 million people are using social media in the UK. Now, imagine the number of shoppers you can reach through it.

So, hire a social media marketing agency and take your business on social media now!

What are the advantages of social media marketing?

• It lets you connect with followers and customers directly
• Generates backlinks and leads
• It aids in increasing brand awareness
• Reach new followers through insightful content
• Know what your prospects want through direct communication
• Build brand reputation
• Learn more about your brand through social listening
• Create targeted advertisements to attract the right customers
• Monitor your marketing campaigns and adjust your strategies
• It boosts website traffic and also enhances SEO services in London

The current state of social media marketing

What are the most used social media platforms?

According to Statista, in the third quarter of 2021,

• WhatsApp was the most used platform (74.8% users), followed closely by Facebook (73.5% users) in the UK.
• Then came Instagram (56.3% users), Twitter (45.1% users), and TikTok (31.8% users).
• In addition, more than 75% of people watch YouTube.

Why do people use social media platforms?

As per the study report by Hootsuite,

• 31.6% of people use social media to find new content.
• 26.3% of people use social media to find products to purchase.
• 23.1% of people use it to see content from their favourite brand.

How many people trust social media influencers?

The YouGov report says that,

• 36% of people said that the best way to get people to try new products is through influencer marketing.
• 38.9% of users of age 18 to 29 years consider influencer posts as the top choice among other ads.
• 62% of social media users trust influencers more than celebrities.

Future of social media marketing

• The social landscape will become more complex

With the expansion, the social media landscape is becoming more and more complex.

Businesses should revisit channel strategies in order to assess the success of sponsored social and organic efforts. Brands will also need to take stock of their content production, considering the best content frequency and formats to guarantee success on new channels.

While certain platforms will become more popular, others will not.

For example, Instagram has become the social media platform that social marketers love the most.

It was the one expanding the fastest, had the best ROI, and was a great place to be. But that is now altering.

However, TikTok saw a 45% increase in its users within 9 months in 2021, substantially more than Instagram.

• Long-form videos will become outdated

When Instagram launched IGTV and Facebook launched the Facebook watch, most people thought that long-form video was the future of marketing.

However, the introduction of TikTok and the launch of Instagram reels altered everything. Later, YouTube, the protector of long-form content, also came to compete in the race. Yes, you guessed it right – YouTube Shorts.

Nevertheless, just any short-form video content will also not succeed. Think about Twitter Fleets or LinkedIn stories.

Your posts should be engaging and entertaining enough for people to watch them. So, hire a graphic design agency in London to create catchy and compelling content.

• Personalisation is becoming a thing!

Traditionally, social media platforms were utilised to broadcast information to a larger audience. On the contrary, the present and future of social media will be all about personalisation.

• 80% of customers will probably purchase from a brand that offers a tailored experience.

Personalisation can make customers feel they have some command over what they want to see and also save them from overburdening information.

• Advanced algorithm

Have you ever noticed how you search for some product on Amazon and suddenly see related ads on each social media platform?

Social media platforms can understand what type of content you are interested in through their Artificial Intelligence. Their algorithms track your every activity and offer you related content to keep you engaged.

Moreover, they aim to increase your engagement on social media as much as possible and hence, keep updating their algorithms.

Paid advertising will see even more investment

Though paid advertising has been around for quite some time, businesses will invest more in it. This is because organic reach has declined across all social media platforms.

Moreover, businesses not investing in social media ads in 2022 will have great difficulty in increasing reach and boosting engagement.

According to a 2021 HubSpot Blog survey of 1,000+ international marketing experts, 79% of marketers said they purchased paid social media advertising.

Influencer marketing is on the rise

The emergence of a brand-new type of celebrity, the social media influencer, is one trend that doesn’t appear to decelerate anytime soon. They are here to stay.

However, many businesses are afraid to collaborate with them. But, it’s undeniable that influencers are very successful at reaching new audiences, marketing goods or services, and creating social content that is appropriate for the social platforms.

Influencers will keep playing a significant role in social media marketing services. They will help brands reach their target markets and produce educational, entertaining, and inspirational content.

Final thoughts!

The social media ecosystem will always shift and evolve. New platforms will appear, old ones will try to rebrand themselves, and others will come and go.

But, a competent social media marketing agency can help to stay flexible and keep making adjustments. They will also test out several platforms to determine the most effective for their customers and company.