The Most Important Social Media Trends So Far In 2018

Social media plays an important role in everyday life for millions of people. As a result, businesses both small and large would do well to engage on these various platforms. It’s perhaps one of the best ways to connect with a target consumer market today.

Although some aspects of social media will never change, there are elements that evolve according to the needs of users. This causes many social media platforms to alter how information is presented. Luckily, many of these changes and trends have little impact on web hosting accounts that integrate feeds onto blogs and sites.

What are some of the most important trends to pay attention to in 2018?

Custom Personalized Content

A lot of social platforms are committed to delivering a more personalized experience. Custom layouts for specific users keep them engaged. People often feel singled out and important when content fits their specific needs and wants. It’s such a connecting point with consumers that many industries are adopting this trend.

In many tools, personalization comes in the form of predictive analytics. Using data and statistical information, developers are apt at delivering a more precise layer of content for users. This is similar to how Google ads appear to know what a user is looking for during a search. A lot of social outlets are committing to the same kind of layout.

Being Interactive

One of the most important parts of engaging consumers on social media is being interactive. Most people want to “communicate” with the brands they trust and follow. The end result is a stronger and more supportive customer base.

But how does this work in social media? Take many creators on YouTube, for example. Some of the more successful developers will encourage viewers to share and join in the conversation. This is also seen on Facebook and Twitter to a lesser extent.

People often like the idea of influencing content from a creator. And being this interactive solidifies brand awareness and reputation.

Video Use on Multiple Channels

Video engagement isn’t necessarily a new thing. However, technology has allowed a far more streamlined way to deliver this type of content. For example, HTML5 and MP4 have easily replaced the once popular Flash standard. In fact, YouTube itself dumped Flash video for HTML platforms because of speed and security.

YouTube isn’t the only place to receive video, though. Facebook and Twitter have joined in with their own platforms to engage video audiences. This means developers have more than one platform to share video content efficiently.

Live Video Feeds Growing

Live video feeds are taking social media by storm. Although the gaming community has already been ahead of the game thanks to social sites like Twitch and Beam, YouTube and other social hubs are constantly trying to keep audiences engaged as well.

YouTube has a significant head start on the competition, but that doesn’t mean sites like Facebook are lacking. In fact, Facebook’s live streaming has grown in popularity by approximately 330 percent since it became available to the general public.

Facebook’s live streaming is gaining steam as the platform pays influencers to create content. It’s like how YouTube pays creators through the use of ad content.

Augmenting Reality

Augmented reality really took off thanks to platforms like Snapchat. In this instance, users can take a “selfie” and add filters to make the image look different. This is done thanks to facial recognition technology.

Changing the perception of reality has grown to the point where app developers are implementing video feeds when playing games on smartphones or tablets. One of the most popular of these games is Pokemon Go.

Because of the popularity of filters in social media tools like Snapchat and Instagram, there’s a good chance Facebook may offer something similar in the near future.

Advancing Business Tools

As more businesses take to engaging audiences on social media platforms, new tools are being developed. This is beyond the traditional pay-per-click campaigns sites like Facebook offered in the past, although, these systems are becoming more elaborate and finely tuned as well.

Things like improved analytics, profile pages and the ability to create ads from posts are also implemented in many apps. One of the most popular platforms for developing these is Instagram. As a quickly growing social hub, businesses are taking to snapping pictures and marketing directly from within the app itself.

Continued Chatbot Development

The technology behind artificial intelligence continues to advance at a rapid pace. Algorithms and coding are beginning to drive consumers to make smarter purchases based on their needs. This is in thanks to chatbots.

Chatbots are essentially programs that are often programmed to learn how specific guests shop, search and interact with a web-hosted platform. While some of the more basic bots simply regurgitate stored answers, others will actively analyze a person’s interests to give him or her exact results.

Google, Amazon’s Alexa and Apple’s Siri are among the three most used chatbots because of intuitive programming and algorithms. It’s safe to assume that similar technology will continue to advance in the social realm.

Anti-Harassing Features

As cyber-bullying continues to wreak havoc on social media, many platforms are beginning to address harassment features. For instance, Twitter and YouTube now offer the ability to input blacklisted keywords to filter out negative or hurtful comments.

But it’s not just negative harassment that makes these tools useful. For instance, blacklisting language can prevent others from trying to use a developers channel or feed to advertise themselves. It can also be used to prevent interaction regarding racially or religiously charged current events.

In other words, it’s a way to keep a social feed clear of controversial and negative content while remaining professional.

In Conclusion

Many developers integrate their social media accounts with their web hosting platforms. It’s an incredibly useful way to engage an audience and drive traffic. However, one needs to keep his or her thumb on the pulse of social media. Sometimes innovations are revealed which may boost the success rate of any website. It’s best to keep oneself in the loop.

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