Changes Are Coming for Social Media Part II

Social Media’s reputation is at a low point. Users in the digital world are losing trust due to privacy concerns as well as a perception that companies do not do enough to keep misinformation from spreading.

Much user discontent focuses on companies that advertise on social media. Surveys reveal that users don’t distinguish much between them and the social media companies themselves, and this is affecting the way users view and engage with advertising. Clickbait and similar tactics have fallen out of favor, and companies are scrambling to evolve to stay relevant.

Stories Are in and News Feeds Are Losing Ground

News feeds have been around for a long time and, in their day, represented a unique way for people to connect with others. Recently, stories have been surging in popularity, and experts expect stories to overtake news feeds as the primary mode of connection between users this year.

Facebook stories see 150 million users each day, and the Facebook app WhatsApp reaches 450 million. Snapchat and Instagram’s daily story users also number in the hundreds of millions.

Stories are more about personal anecdotes. They tend to be more visual and are made for mobile devices, although they can certainly function with desktops. Stories are viewable for a limited time and then disappear, and less polished, more authentic stories lead to higher engagement.

Companies will need to plug into stories with video and simple graphics to give behind-the-scenes looks at their product and business. With two-thirds of respondents to Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer Report indicating they have implemented or plan to implement Instagram Stories alone this year, stories is set to be a key area for advertisers to engage.

Facebook Groups Are Still Going Strong

Even with efforts to tame the wilds of Facebook discussions, online engagement can be a free-for-all. Facebook Groups is a way to create safer spaces for users with shared interests to communicate with each other under more civilized guidelines.

In a time when misinformation on social media is a growing concern, Facebook Group membership is at 1.4 billion users each month, an increase of 40% in just a year. Closed groups can benefit from an air of exclusivity by requiring permission before seeing and posting content.

Companies that want to keep up with 2019 social media trends will have to take advantage of the possibilities that Facebook Groups offers, acting as moderators of tone and civility while keeping customers enthusiastic. It’s all part of staying relevant in 2019.

Sources: LinkedIn