Facebook advertising, and social media in general, are ever-evolving technologies. If one cares to look at its humble beginnings almost nine years ago, then one can see that from introducing a “small world” effect it has become a tech giant.
The social network continues to improve its features for personal users and businesses. In a way, Facebook has established its brand of marketing to the point they now have a global responsibility to safeguard data immensely. This coming year, these six new trends will continue to push the boundaries of the social network’s advertising potential.
Six Trends To Watch Out For
‘Stories’ Will Get More Traction
There is a perceivable increased number of Facebook “Stories” users in the coming years. The Instagram and Snapchat-adopted feature has turned the social network into an all-in-one network when it comes to features. If businesses wish to use this feature properly, then here are the best practices they need to adopt.
First, Stories focus on sharing everyday content. In this light, one can compare it to an online video journal that lasts 30 seconds and has a lifespan of a single day. Second, businesses must ensure the stories they share are value adding and coherent despite the short video time. It can be a day-in-the-life of a company employee. Another example would be their participation in a certain industry event.
Stories is a feature that is here to stay. Through trial and error, businesses can adopt these new features efficiently. By starting early, they can ultimately help their marketing efforts, too.
Increased Use of Bots In Messenger
Programmers deal with chess games whenever they create a bot. First-generation response bots only used accumulated responses from other users to create interesting conversations. Modern bots can respond accurately to certain inquiries by identifying certain keywords and providing a multiple-choice dialog option for users. Using an algorithm almost similar to social media marketing, bots can provide precise information. This enables businesses to save time hiring and maintaining a full customer chat service.
Then again, bots are still far from perfect. They can still introduce certain bugs or fail to properly respond. However, they will see an increased use on Facebook the following year. Customers are more likely to use their social media accounts to lodge their inquiries or complaints. Therefore, bots can respond quickly and take note of analytic data, too.
Content Oriented Towards New Graduates
Millennials are now growing as the world’s primary workforce. The humorous and witty generation of tech-savvy and innovative individuals is here to stay. But after them comes Generation Z. These once-children now have an average age of 18-22. Most of them are on the last leg of their formative years. Soon, they will be part of the world’s workforce. Like millennials, they will first have limited dispensable income, but that can change in a few years.
Facebook is still the medium of communication, publication, and digital socialization for Generation Z. Therefore, some businesses, especially tech and fashion, will target these individuals in the near future.
New Guidelines and Penalties
In light of recent events with social media untowardly shaping the opinions of many entry-level tech users, social networks can increase their efforts in monitoring content for authenticity. Facebook is leading the way towards fact checking and verification. While this might not apply to advertisements, the move will likely affect your content marketing campaigns.
Therefore, there is a need to invest in well-researched and produced content.
Augmented Reality
VR and AR technologies are coming and they’re arriving quickly. Augmented reality can allow you to scan and profile people and locations. It can possibly render search engines extinct or obsolete. By pointing your camera towards a person, you can access their publicized social network information. AR allows your camera to scan a location or street sign and show you interesting or frequented locales that you can visit in-location.
Live Streaming
Live streaming is a helpful tool as some businesses have discovered. It sends alerts to followers and allows businesses to interact with their viewers. The experience of having one’s say in a live event is a unique experience for any Facebook user. Live streaming’s current features are quite efficient. However, Facebook is likely to innovate them further as more users and businesses utilize it.
Live stream has helped communities bond together. Influencers have also expanded their channels from other social networks into Facebook using live stream. While not a major feature nowadays because the News Feed still gets the most traffic, Facebook live stream’s potential is enormous in the near future.