Published on 07.01.2019 under Agency, Social Media
Social media trends 2019: with and not about the target group (part 1)
New year, new luck: Many institutions still hesitate to post their projects on social media. It was never easier than today! We advise: Just do it! Use 2019 to rethink your existing appearances or start building appearances. Conduct a dialogue with your target group where it is represented.
So that you don't have to rely on your luck alone, the matrix has a few tips and trends that you should be aware of in 2019:
The overview:
- Influencer - reach through strong cooperation
- Video - A trend that continues and grows
- Google - Google+ dies, Google wakes up!
- The Dystopia - The flood on social media brings people back to the real world
- Games & Gamification: New possibilities - Programs and applications from other areas will open up new ways of interacting with the community in the future
1. Influencer - reach through strong cooperation
"And another forecast about influencer marketing," one or the other will now think. “The thing with influencers has long been dead”, one can read in many current articles. But we want to look at another side of influencer marketing - that of the so-called Micro and nano influencers.
Virtually every one of us is one of them. Everyone has a circle of family, friends and acquaintances with whom he or she can discuss certain topics.
In many of our projects, the matrix deals with the topic of future career choices, whether for young MINT talent or for those who are doubtful of their studies. Again and again, protagonists tell us similar stories: “My mother has a similar job” or “A good friend of mine recommended it to me”.
We permanently exert this social influence on our environment. Some more and some less, if one may believe the law of the few of the tipping point theory.
One thing is certain, however: The credibility of people you know is usually significantly higher than that of strangers.
Now some will think, "This is called word of mouth and is nothing new". That is also true, of course, but very few apply this principle and apply it to social media: write reviews, comment, share, like or recommend. Social media is full of functions to show our family, friends or acquaintances what we like and what we don't like. These ratings influence us when we inform ourselves or swipe through our newsfeed - whether we like it or not.
Activating the user is the be-all and end-all
And this is exactly where the new core of influencer marketing lies for us. While on the one hand the big macro influencers pay for their reach well, micro and nano influencers should also be encouraged to produce content through other factors. Such influencers are particularly suitable for niche products because they are often part of the community themselves. This phenomenon is called 'user-generated content'. But how can the target group be activated to interact? Gamification, vouchers or hero campaigns, these are all examples of activating micro and nano influencers. In terms of authenticity, there is no higher level than 'user-generated content' from people you know personally.
This principle can of course be extended to all areas. Often there is already brand loyalty to a product and perhaps these users have already posted something on social media. The task is therefore to activate the user correctly so that these activities can also be tracked - for example, a hashtag can be defined. Of course, this also simplifies that Community Management unbelievable, and positive and negative statements can be addressed directly.
Our advice: Think of a clear strategy for activating your target groups and turn them into your own influencers.
2. Video - A trend that is continuing and growing
For two years it has been prophesied that all channels will have to adjust to the video format. This has also proven to be the case - 80% of what we consume on social media is now video content.
Initially, this led to the newsfeed being flooded with moving images in every form. Unfortunately, often rather bad than right. But two factors promise improvement:
- Technology: Unpack your first smartphone and compare the video quality with your latest iPhone, Samsung or Google Pixel! At least since 'Unsane', which Steven Soderbergh shot alone with the iPhone, it has been clear: a lot is possible here. In addition, the equipment is getting cheaper and better. While a few years ago gimbals were only used by professional filmmakers to compensate for wobbles, school classes, social media managers and teachers are now using the latest technologies for the lowest price. We ourselves regularly give workshops on the subject of mobile journalism, and we keep finding that just a few months mean gigantic leaps in the quality of the equipment. Important tip: Educate yourself. Unfortunately, the equipment cannot do everything for you. Editing programs like Adobe Premiere and Avid were the only way to cut professional videos until a few years ago. The selection of programs that already deliver good results on the mobile phone is now changing daily. Camera manufacturers like GoPro even offer “intelligent” editing programs that do half the work. Of course, that's not enough to produce real image films, but in order to satisfy the necessary demand in social media, this opens up completely new possibilities that need to be used.
- We learn! Every year it becomes more natural for us to use a smartphone. Most silver surfers now eagerly send videos of their grandchildren or facetimen diligently with the children who live overseas. Every day we use our smartphones between 145 and 225 minutes (source: JIM study 2018). It is therefore becoming more and more natural to use these programs. The only thing that falls by the wayside here is ours digital competence and our sense of data protection. Incidentally, this is a topic that will bring major challenges and difficulties in the coming years: I promise!
Don't lose sight of virtual reality and 360 ° videos. These technologies are also gaining more and more acceptance on the market and offer exciting opportunities to retell your story. Incidentally, live video is ideal for a long range.
Our advice: Try yourself out. Test the possibilities of the platforms and clarify internally which content would be suitable as a video. If necessary, get advice or training. In principle, however, you should always ask yourself the following questions: Whose data am I currently using? And have I given people sufficient opportunities to be aware of this and to contradict? New technologies must not lead to the incapacitation of people.
In the second part of this blog, you can read how things are going with Google and how flooding on social media leads people back into the real world.
