How to approach social media in 2018

Where is social media marketing heading in 2018?
Good question. The social media landscape seems to be constantly changing. Facebook is constantly adding new features and changing its algorithms, and even people who use social media for marketing on a daily basis sometimes wonder how they can keep up.
The key is not so much keeping up with Facebook's changes, but rather getting a handle on your own marketing goals.
So - what do you want to achieve in 2018? Let's start with that.

Set social media marketing goals

The great thing about social media marketing is how versatile it is. Whatever goal you want to achieve, you can achieve it with social media.
The problem that many companies have is that they don't know what they want. In the end, they only take a random approach to social media marketing. The result is that they:

• Do not achieve their goals
• Lose money
• Throwing good money after bad

How can you avoid these things? The answer is simple. You take some time to think about what you want to achieve and then plan how to achieve it.
Here are some of the most common goals of marketers:

• Increase brand awareness
• Direct visitors to your own website
• Retain existing customers
• Building an online community
• Strengthen commitment
• Build a list
• Making social sales

You may want to do all of these things, but it won't help you focus your efforts if you don't prioritise the goals that are most important to you.
We suggest choosing three goals that you will prioritise in the coming year. You can also have secondary goals, but your top three goals will determine what you do on social media - and how you do it.

Selecting your social media strategies

The next step is to decide what specific strategies and tactics you will use on social media to achieve your goals.
At this point, social media marketing can be a little overwhelming. There are many possible strategies you can consider. For example:

• You could engage with influencers and offer them payments or incentives to talk about your brand
• You could create a schedule for posts to increase engagement
• Designing a Facebook ad could help you generate leads or build your list
• Setting up an account on Instagram could help you attract younger customers

The better you know your social media marketing goals, the easier it is to choose the strategies that will help you achieve them.
For example, if you want to make influencer marketing a priority in 2018, you could do some research and create a list of potential influencers you want to target. You could also think about what you expect from your influencers and quantify the results you hope to achieve.
The strategies you choose should be tailored to your goals and appeal to your target group. For example, if you want to target male customers, a dedicated Pinterest campaign is probably not the right way to go.

Social media trends for 2018

Once you've set your goals and chosen some general strategies, you can read up on the latest and greatest social media trends and see if any of them fit into your plans for the coming year.
Let's take a look at some of the biggest and most important trends.

1. Live streaming is more popular than ever. Facebook has made its Facebook Live feature available to all users, and it's not uncommon to see streaming video from both brands and consumers. Live streaming gives marketers the opportunity to engage directly with customers, answer questions and provide insight into their products, employees and services.
2. The use of augmented and virtual reality is on the rise. Although these technologies are still new, the new iPhone 8 and iPhone X have virtual reality chips. Facebook Spaces is still in the testing phase, but it is expected to be widely released in 2018. VR is on the rise - and many companies will jump on the bandwagon.
3. Instagram Stories has been around for a year, but usage by marketers is expected to skyrocket in 2018. 200,000 people use it every month, and if the trend continues, more than half of all Instagram users will be on board by the end of next year.
4. Influencer marketing is still on the rise and is one of the most popular ways for brands to attract new customers. Big brands may rely on celebrity endorsers, but choosing the right influential blogger or Instagrammer can make a big difference to your visibility.
5. The use of messaging platforms has increased dramatically as many companies integrate their social media into customer service. Apps such as Messenger, Kik and WhatsApp can be used to answer customer enquiries immediately.
6. The popularity of Houseparty - a new type of digital hangout platform - has led to rumours that Facebook could introduce a similar feature later this year. This could provide an easy way for brands to 'hang out' with their customers in cyberspace.

We'd be remiss if we didn't also mention the trend inspired by recent Congressional investigations into Facebook ads during the election. You can expect a crackdown on ad content in the coming months.
Most routine adverts will not be affected, but it is important to note that Facebook is introducing new AI monitoring alongside human monitoring. It may take a little longer for adverts to be approved in the future and it is possible that glitches and misunderstandings may also occur.

The social media landscape is constantly changing.

New technologies, apps and trends are appearing on the horizon faster than we can keep up.
The keys to successful social media marketing in 2018 are:

1. Identify your goals as completely as possible
2. Choose strategies that help you achieve your goals
3. Pick up on new trends and technologies when they make sense

If you keep these three things in mind, your social media approach will be successful in the new year.