2019 Social Media Predictions - Sysomos · 10 | 2019 Social Media Predictions There’s been something of a backlash against influencer marketing in 2018, with many questioning the

1 | 2019 Social Media Predictions

Social Media Predictions2019


Nobody could ever accuse the social media business of being dull and 2018 certainly saw lots of changes that kept social marketing professionals on their toes. As the world continues to grapple with the question of how exactly platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram fit into our lives in a positive way, it seems likely that 2019 will be just as

eventful for those of us who work in social media.

In this eBook we’ve summarised some of the big changes that took place during 2018, and made some informed predictions about what you can expect in the coming year. We’ve also tried to offer some clear guidance on how brands can prepare for these trends, to help you plan

your social media strategy.


The Big Changes to Social Platforms in 2018


Timeline AlgorithmThe big story for marketers on Facebook in 2018 was the continuing decline of organic reach. This has been happening for a while, but this year saw a change to Facebook’s algorithm designed to prioritise content from friends and family in users’ timelines. What that means for brands is that it’s even harder to get your content seen, and paying to boost your posts is really the only way to address that. Of course, focusing on producing great quality content that people want to share and engage with will help a lot, but you’ll still need to put some budget behind your posts to get the ball rolling.

Video FeaturesMany of the social channels are making a play in online video, particularly with respect to live-streaming, which is still a largely

untapped opportunity with brands still exploring its potential. This year Facebook added some interactivity features to both live and on- demand videos, enabling brands to run different types of polls and quizzes for viewers.

Breaking News TagIt’s no secret that fake news has been a serious problem for social channels over the past few years, and Facebook took a step to combat it this year by introducing the ability for trusted publishers to tag their stories as breaking news. This may sound like a small thing, but in theory it should help users to differentiate between genuine news from reliable journalists and fake stories dressed up to look like legitimate news sources.

Facebook


Timeline AlgorithmMuch like its parent-company, Facebook, Instagram has been tweaking its timeline to provide a better experience for users. Again, the idea is to give priority to content from people that users have authentic connects with rather than branded content, and in some ways this is walking back a little from a 2016 update which ditched the chronological timeline. While the 2018 update doesn’t completely restore the timeline to chronological order, it is certainly a lot closer to the original version that users loved. For this reason, brands need to pay more attention to the timing of their pots on Instagram, since recency is once again a key factor.

Video FeaturesInstagram has also received updates to its video capabilities this year with the introduction of IGTV which enables users to host long-

form videos. This, obviously, puts Instagram in direct competition with YouTube as a channel for distributing video content, and has the potential to completely transform how the service is used by consumers and brands.

Commerce FeaturesInstagram has been experimenting with various commerce features for a while now, exploring different ways to help brands sell through the platform and for users to more easily buy cool stuff that they see in their feeds. This year the company introduced an in-app feature that enabled brands to provide users with more information about products, and to direct them to the shopping page where they can purchase the item. Pinterest has led the way for commercialisation of image-focused social media, but Instagram is clearly catching up and innovating.

Instagram


TwitterTimeline AlgorithmUnsurprisingly, Twitter has also enhanced its video capabilities this year, with a focus on live-streaming improvements. Live video streams are now given priority in users’ timelines, and this is very much in line with Twitter’s ethos of being the social media channel that people turn to when they want to know what’s happening right now.

Chronological TimelineAs with other social channels, Twitter has experimented with moving away from a strictly chronological timeline and tried instead to use an algorithm to decide what content to show users. Unsurprisingly, this caused a backlash from users who liked things just the way they were. Responding to this, Twitter now offers users the ability to opt out of the algorithm and switch back to the chronological timeline.


Our Trend Predictions for 2019Our Trend Predictions for 2019


Fake news remains a problem that is under intense scrutiny from governments around the world, and the social platforms are looking at ways to address the issue, knowing that if they can’t find a solution it’s likely that they’ll face stricter legislation. They also know that if the quality of content found in social media continues to nosedive, it won’t be long before users turn away from their platforms. So you can expect to see a lot stronger action on disinformation, propaganda, and untrustworthy information sources in social media as the major players seek to maintain the integrity and usefulness of their networks.

To make sure you’re ready for this, assess your content and advertising approach, make sure you’re not doing anything in social that could be mistaken for ‘fake news’. Also, pay close attention to algorithm changes and how they impact your social media strategy. We know that organic reach is in terminal decline, but be on the lookout for other changes to the way content is published in social timelines and make sure you understand what that will mean for your owned social channels.

Fake News Backlash


Experimentation with video features has been a common thread running through all of the major social media players over the past couple of years. The huge success of YouTube and popularity of Snap-Chat, as well as streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Video has not gone unnoticed by the established social media players, so it’s no surprise that they’re making a play for the online video space.

It still feels like the social media world is trying to work out exactly how to use online video, introducing features just to see if their user base can find a compelling use case. We expect to see more inno-vation in this area over the coming year, as the platforms introduce even more video focused features, and users find interesting new ways of using them. It’s also likely that the big social channels will start experimenting with ways to monetize video, as users spend more time viewing on their platforms.

If you’re not already using video as part of your social and content marketing strategy, now is a good time to take a look at how it might work for you. Look at what features are available on the dif-ferent social channels you’re already active in, and think about which might be the most useful for you - for example, if you think you could do something really compelling with live video streaming, then it’s worth exploring what Twitter can do for you.

The Evolution of Social Video

Find out how Meltwater Social can help you build a world-beating social strategy in 2019.

meltwater.com/social

https://www.meltwater.com/social


There’s been something of a backlash against influencer marketing in 2018, with many questioning the real value of working with online influencers. This issue has been compounded by increasing awareness of “influencer fraud” which involves dishonest influencers artificially inflating their audience sizes, and charging naïve marketers high fees for sharing their messages with nothing more than a network of bots and fake-followers.

Another development is that an increasing focus on data privacy means that it is becoming more difficult for brands to identify truly influential people online. This creates a situation where the influencers who excel at self-promotion are most visible to brands, but they might not be the best people to help you reach the audience you want to focus on.

There are some steps brands can take to future-proof their influencer marketing. First, set some clear policies and guidelines about the kind of influencers you want to work with and rules of engagement, to ensure that you’re really getting value from the relationship. If and potential influencer deal falls short of those policies, think carefully about why you’re doing it.

When assessing the true reach of an online influencer, don’t just take their word for it – ask for proof of their influence, and positive referrals from previous partners they may have worked with. Don’t forget you can use tools like Meltwater Social to analyse their audience and get a good idea of whether they have as much clout as they claim.

Influencer Marketing Shakeup


As social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter play a bigger role in

society, they attract more attention from governments and the media,

and the way that brands use these channels also comes under closer

scrutiny. This is compounded by the previously mentioned backlash against

social influencers, which is contributing to an increasingly apprehensive

environment for social media marketing activity.

This isn’t entirely a bad thing, as it should help weed out some of the bad

practices and establish more trust in the social media industry. At the

same time, we’ve seen social ad spending boom over recent years, so it’s

understandable that people are going to start asking a lot more questions

about how we use social media, our relationships with the platforms, how

social budget is being spent, and what it’s delivering.

How should social marketers prepare for this? It’s a good idea to get your

house in order ahead of any increased scrutiny. Document all of your social

media processes and policies, make sure you have a complete picture of

how you spend money in social the business case for that spend. Make sure

that your social media policies are aligned with your organisation’s broader

CSR and ethics policies, and any codes of practice that apply to your

industry. Pay special attention to how your social media activity fits in with

appropriate data protection and privacy rules that your business may be

subject to.

Transparency and Accountability


Rise of the GIFsOK, GIFs are nothing new, but it seems like only now are brands really

sitting up and taking notice of how they can be used as part of

marketing campaigns. The big GIF platforms like GIPHY are starting to

engage in commercial partnerships, especially with media companies

and consumer brands. Popular UK TV show,

The Great British Bake Off, uses GIFs to help generate online buzz for each episode, while Italian auto maker Fiat, also creates some great animations to spice up its social channels.

It’s not just B2C brands either, some B2B companies are also making

great, creative use of animated GIFs, like MailChimp – you can view a

video case study of how they use social media, including GIFs, here on our website.

There are a lot of examples of all kinds of brands using GIFs, so if you’re

not already using them, now’s the time to start thinking about what they

could do for you.

https://twitter.com/BritishBakeOff/status/1044680532750151680https://twitter.com/FIATUSA/status/479356004678004737https://sysomos.com/summit-london/sessions-online/mailchimp/https://sysomos.com/summit-london/sessions-online/mailchimp/


Social Media Growth Forecasts

Global Social Media UsersThere’s no sign yet that the growth of social media has plateaued in terms of user numbers. Global forecasts show user numbers continuing to rise, driven by increasing penetration in developing markets and more widespread adoption of smartphones.

2.732.89

3.04

3.17

3.29

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Billions % of population

Source: eMarketer, November 2018

Social Network UsersWorldwide, 2018 – 2022


Facebook, Instagram and Twitter GrowthThe expected growth in user numbers will largely benefit Facebook and Instagram, with Twitter experience very modest growth in the same period. Based on current forecasts from eMarketer, other social channels are dwarfed by the big three and, short of a surprise explosion in popularity, are unlikely to achieve and similar levels of growth.

2.5B

2.0B

1.5B

1.0B

500M

02017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

Facebook Users Instagram Users Twitter Users



US Social Media Ad Spending

The already huge social media advertising market is predicted to see double digit growth over the next couple of years as advertisers continue to flock to the channel. Over the past couple of years we’ve seen organic reach completely evaporate, and brands have turned to paid social in order to make sure their content gets in front of the right eyeballs, which has resulted in revenue boosts for social platforms.

41.0%

34.9%

3.04

3.17

$37.71

2016 2017 2018 2019 2020

Billions % change

Social Network Ad SpendingUS, 2016 – 2022

$15.63

$21.08

$26.95

$32.18

27.9%

19.4%17.2%



2018

US Social Media Ad Revenue ShareWhere is all that social advertising budget being spent? There are no surprises here, as we see that Facebook completely dominates the social

advertising market with its subsidiary, Instagram, a distant second. All other channels are completely dwarfed by these giants and any predicted

growth is relatively small in comparison.

35B

02017 2019 2020

30B

25B

20B

15B

10B

5B

Facebook Instagram LinkedIn Other social venues Pinterest Snapchat Twitter



Timeline AlgorithmsMajor platforms are focusing on

improving the quality of users’ timelines.

Brand content needs to be brilliant, and

will require advertising budget to get

seen.

Social VideoPlatforms are trying to muscle in on

live and on-demand video, and will

often prioritise video content. There’s an

opportunity here for content marketers.

GIFs are GreatGIFs aren’t new, but they’re exploding

in popularity and all kinds of brands are

finding new ways to use them in their

social marketing activity.

Influencer Marketing The true power of online influencers is

increasingly being questioned. If you work

with influencers, make sure you’re getting

value for money.

Transparency & AccountabilitySocial has been in the news for all the

wrong reasons recently. Social marketers

need to be ready to answer tough

questions about how they work with

platforms.

Summary: 2019 Social Media Predictions

Learn more about these 2019 social trends by watching this webinar

Watch Now ››
http://pages.sysomos.com/webinar-social-media-predictions-us-2019-112918_Page.html

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2019 Social Media Predictions - Sysomos · 10 | 2019 Social Media Predictions There’s been something of a backlash against influencer marketing in 2018, with many questioning the