Advertisements and social media usage has increased by leaps and bounds in the last couple of years. The number of users that stood at three billion in 2019 is expected to reach nearly four billion in four years.
With social media platforms incorporating new technologies and attracting users regardless of their age, gender, or location, it’s high time for advertisers to sit up and take note. After all, the key to smart advertising lies in catering to where the customers are.
And, what can be a better place than social media platforms to do that?
However, there is no denying that the world of social media and advertising is ever-changing based on evolving consumer behavior. Thus, staying ahead of the game means keeping up with the trends.
So, on that note, here’s taking a look at what has changed in advertisements and social media.
1. Significant Increase In Chatbot Integration
Chatbots have revolutionized customer service interactions and made advertising more effective in its outreach. Right from solving technical glitches, addressing complaints, and providing quick answers, chatbots are among the quickest ways to give relevant information to the customers.
Advancements in AI technology has made the bots smarter, which leads to higher user engagement. Now, advertisers aim to introduce the chatbots where the consumers are the most active. And, more often than not, these are the mobile messenger apps.
Reports suggest that over 800 million smartphone users will rely on mobile messaging applications by 2020-21.
Thus, businesses have now resorted to using chatbots on the free messenger apps to connect directly with the customers 24*7.
2. Ephemeral Content To Tap Into The FOMO
Ephemeral content refers to images and videos on display for a short time, such as what you can see in Snapchat or Instagram Stories.
As this content is only there for a short time, it piques the people’s interest to know what’s happening and taps into their FOMO, or the Fear of Missing Out (in case you didn’t already know it).
The lure of the ephemeral content is that it makes the people interested to constantly check their social media accounts, and make the most of what you’re offering on your stories.
These days, it’s common to see advertisers offer short-term discounts and sales through ephemeral content to promote their brand or a particular product line to the customers.
3. Online Video Advertising Taking The Lead
Online video advertising has become the forefront of digital marketing, with over 87% of businesses using video as their marketing tool.
People respond to visual content better as they tend to be more appealing and self-explanatory than other forms of advertising. Videos are used not only to market products and services, but also to share funny anecdotes, customer accounts, success stories, and more.
The key is to make an engaging video that captures the attention of the customers from the get-go.
As an advertiser, you can use a photo slideshow maker with music to make short videos to engage your audience. Try using a video creation platform like InVideo that comes with multiple tools to help you make a great video.
4. Contextual Advertising Is The Latest Trend
Contextual advertising is all about placing advertisements on social media platforms and websites through automated systems that use keywords related to what a person is viewing or searching for.
It pulls up the advertisement that is appropriate for the subject.
If you are reading a travel blog or looking at a travel web page, the advertisements popping up would be relevant, for instance, accommodations or flights.
Short video ads might also start playing on the side while looking at something related to the topic of the ad. So, suppose someone is searching for the best multiplayer games. The video you made using the outro maker free might start playing alongside the user, making the user interested in clicking. However, apps like video ad maker, Instashot, Filmora go also available to create an eye-catchy video on your phone only.
5. The Steady Growth Of Influencer Marketing
Partnering with social media influencers has become an integral part of the marketing strategies of the brands. It doesn’t matter whether your business is local or global and big or small. All you need to do is find the influencer who works with your niche and get him/her to promote your brand.
Influencer marketing has shown such remarkable results in the past few years that the marketing budget towards it is slated to increase by more than 67%. Studies further state that influencer marketing overs eleven times more ROI than traditional marketing.
The fact is that people are more inclined to follow and believe the influencers over typical celebrities or models. The key is to find the right influencer for your brand by understanding the person’s social media outreach.
6. Artificial Intelligence Powering Greater Customization
Artificial intelligence is being adopted by an increasing number of applications each day. This is a trend that is likely to become stronger in the years to come. Right from ad creation and management, to analyzing the marketing outcomes, the impact of AI adoption is being felt all around.
The reason behind the popularity of AI is that it enables customized advertisements that meet potential customers in their environment.
Moreover, it helps in optimizing your ad spending and targeting. It can process your spending and targeting data, analyze the results, and learn the actions that can drive better performances.
Reports suggest that 41% of marketers believe AI enables them to generate higher revenues, with a 13% increase in click-through rates and a nearly 8% increase in open rates.
The Bottom Line
The world of social media, as well as advertisement, is such a place where the excitement never stops. Each year brings with itself new technological innovations and also new things to learn.
It might feel like a roller coaster ride for a digital marketer, but keeping up with the changes makes the difference between standing out from the crowd and getting lost in it.
So, have you adopted the necessary changes to your marketing strategy? If not till now, do it at the earliest!