Forecast for SMM: Key Trends to Watch

The world of social media is evolving rapidly, shaped by contemporary trends. The significance of authentic content, personalized user approaches, widespread integration of AI technologies, and other innovations continues to grow.

What should definitely be on your radar this year? Here are our preliminary insights.

Reels, Shorts, and TikTok are at the peak of popularity

Short and dynamic videos allow for quick delivery of any information to users. Humor, expertise, aesthetics, and, of course, advertising integrations – these videos can convey a multitude of messages.

TikTok, a platform for short video formats, stands out as an excellent example of engaging millions of users and achieving extensive reach. Businesses that actively share interesting and creative content, engage with influencers, and provide insights into the behind-the-scenes creation of their products can significantly boost their profits.

Responding to TikTok, similar video sections have emerged on other popular platforms – Instagram's Reels and YouTube's Shorts. Since these platforms already had a broad audience before these updates, dynamic videos quickly gained popularity.

Each of these platforms has its unique features and advantages. The choice depends on the content creator's goals, the type of content, and the target audience. Additionally, many creators may use multiple platforms simultaneously for maximum audience coverage. In 2024, TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts will continue to dominate the media landscape, essential for emotional impact, strengthening connections with the audience, and effective promotion.

Generation Z and Its Impact on Digital Marketing

The contemporary generation, raised in the era of digital technologies, is already exerting a significant influence on the evolution of social networks and marketing. This generation values authenticity, mindfulness, and creativity, preferring content that reflects their unique interests and perspectives. All of this necessitates brands to reevaluate their existing strategies and adapt to new forms of interaction.

As Generation Z emerges as the fastest-growing consumer segment in the economy (as evident from the Exploding Topics table above), it presents a valuable opportunity for marketers.

For instance, LinkedIn, traditionally known as a professional platform, is adjusting its content to more personal themes, fostering closer interaction among users.

Authenticity

In the past, both brands and users sought flawlessly edited images and videos, content without imperfections, fearing to appear "less than perfect." However, today, it's quite the opposite. Audiences now expect sincerity, naturalness, honesty, and emotional connection with content creators.

In the world of information overload, authenticity can set a brand apart from its competitors. Users are searching for genuineness and rejecting artificiality. Brands that base their communication on authenticity can cultivate a positive image in the eyes of consumers. This is particularly crucial in an era where public opinion plays a significant role.

The rise of User-Generated Content (UGC) is one of the most authentic trends. It serves as social proof that brands and products deliver what they promise. UGC includes any user posts featuring the product: stories, comments, video reviews, photos with the product, or short clips.

In a survey, consumers more often perceived a brand as authentic when it featured UGC rather than content created by the brand.

Content Personalization

Content personalization in social media is a strategy aimed at creating a unique and relevant experience for each user, based on their preferences, behavioral patterns, and characteristics. This approach is becoming increasingly significant in the context of information saturation and the growing volume of content in social media.

The core idea of personalization is to provide content that not only aligns with the specific interests of an individual user but also engages with them on a deeper level. This involves adapting content to individual characteristics such as location, age, gender, preferences, and taking into account the user's past interactions with the brand's publications.

The benefits of personalization in social media are evident: improved audience response, increased engagement, heightened loyalty, and, consequently, more effective conversion. Personalized content contributes to building deeper connections between the brand and the consumer, making interactions more meaningful and personal.

With the use of data and machine learning technologies, companies can analyze user behavior, predict their preferences, and deliver content that maximally aligns with the expectations of each individual audience member. Such an individualized approach opens up new horizons for brands to effectively impact the world of social media.

Social Media Platforms - The New Search Engines

Social networks have long ceased to be merely platforms for content distribution and communication. Users increasingly search for products, goods, or services without leaving the applications. Since SEO plays a significant role, it is essential to optimize content to enhance brand visibility for ranking algorithms.

Algorithms now take into account factors such as content relevance, engagement level, and author authority. Therefore, alongside optimizing content for search engines, it is crucial to adapt it for social networks as well.

Social Networks - Support for Impatient Customers

Prompt responses and attentiveness to each customer's needs are what customers expect from brands today.

When interacting with customer support or a company's manager, customers anticipate a timely and quality response to their inquiries. A consumer survey published on the SuperOffice website revealed that 90% of respondents consider a prompt response a decisive factor for making a purchase or continuing engagement with a brand.

Typically, many companies employ chatbots for 24/7 interaction. This helps quickly address user queries, provide consultations, and gather necessary preliminary information.

Telegram Stories 

In recent times, SMM specialists have increasingly observed a surge in reach and audience engagement within Telegram channels following the introduction of the Stories format in the messenger. By leveraging this tool, content creators successfully draw attention to their channels and new posts.

The primary advantage of this new feature on the messenger platform lies in its low competition. The format is not as prevalent and established, providing influencers and companies with an opportunity to carve out their niche.

Analytics also indicate that the greatest impact from story publications is achieved by channels that infrequently share content in this format. The main objective is to remind the audience of their presence.

Conscientiousness and Social Responsibility

Questions of brand conscientiousness and ethics are becoming increasingly crucial. Modern consumers show heightened interest in the transparency of business operations and are more informed and demanding. This underscores that the success of brands is now tied not only to their commercial prosperity but also to demonstrating a responsible approach to social, environmental, and ethical aspects of their activities.

The focus on conscientiousness requires brands to be transparent in their marketing and sales strategies. Buyers expect honesty regarding the origin of products, the conditions of their production, and their impact on the environment. Brands that actively showcase their responsibility and commitments to society gain a higher level of trust and loyalty from consumers.

And, of course, neural networks!

Content planning, chatbot utilization, generation of realistic images and videos, algorithmic recommendation systems, and much more—all of this relies on the assistance of artificial intelligence technologies.

AI can process vast amounts of data from social networks to identify trends, gauge audience sentiment, and monitor discussions. Machine learning algorithms enable the understanding of user interests, helping brands adapt quickly to industry changes and stay ahead of competitors.

AI is also capable of optimizing advertising campaigns, allocating budgets, determining optimal posting times, and adapting well-thought-out strategies in real-time.