Social media and video marketing trends and statistics for 2020

It is not even a subject of discussion – most of their everyday lives people spend by looking at their phones or computers. A few years ago we would discuss this as a matter of certain concern, but not today. Our everyday tasks and habits are depending on our phone use. Most of it is covered by various social media, including even less popular ones than Facebook, Instagram or YouTube.

From one point of view, there is a conviction that people have become so obsessed with social media so they would check it first thing in the morning and during the day. However, there are too many important things going on there including the possibility of connection with other people. It might be not that concerning that social media is an integral part of our lives nowadays. It is hard to underrate how vital social media is in business as well.

Maybe even more important, because it is business that is shaping the way we interact in some areas, let’s call it that, of social media – advertisements, brands’ pages, event reminders and many, many more. What are social media platforms in relation to consumers and brands? First and foremost – that is where interaction begins. As a brand, social media is the main area where you create and keep an impression of you.

Great many vital marketing things can be present only through social media. It might be extremely helpful to be aware of the latest social media trends in order to breathe more life into your strategy and make you stand beyond the competitors. We want to share with you some data about upcoming social media trends and statistics.

Social media trends 2020

There are some aesthetics in things that won’t last for a long time. We knew that from real life – because that’s the condition of it. However, this feature is also a part of the experience we value in social media. The invention of Instagram called “stories” – as simple as that – has become very popular, even though it lasts only for one whole day. This is to be a number one social media trend during this year because stories stepped out of Instagram boundaries long ago and became a part of Facebook and YouTube.

It still feels natural on Instagram but isn’t limited by that social media platform. Some marketers have a sort of bias to explain the popularity of stories by the attention span that might be short due to the general condition of attention people have these days. It is not how we would like to explain it. Stories are more engaging, there is a particular narrative – short, ephemeral, most likely – not even edited. A person would decide that some immediate stories would be born, private, glamorous stories that cost nothing even in relation to effort that one must make.

For some people, it’s filmy stories that make one life very interesting to look at. Nevertheless, stories will be shared more frequently on many other social media. But Instagram still will stay on top of it. Think about it using stories as part of a marketing strategy. We already wrote about that topic – why Instagram stories should be used as a marketing tool.

What? Instagram has removed likes!

Instagram has removed likes and removed another important thing – a possibility to see what other users put a sign of heart on. Privacy will become another trend on social media. The concern is understanding – no one wants to be seen without knowing that. It is a matter of trust – those social media that can leverage safety and privacy for their users will gain more loyalty. Instagram removed likes for a reason.

Since social media is such a big part of our daily life, naturally, it has an impact on our mental health. People feel exposed, evaluated by likes, so the decision was made underweight that matters. The growing interest in regulating one’s health will be having an impact on the way social media is structured. Facebook, YouTube as well as Instagram will dedicate more efforts toward this.

Maintaining privacy becoming new online etiquette, so the brands should keep an eye on the trend. How you treat customers is always vital. However, it is more complicated now due to a new approach toward boundaries on social media, and how generally things are changing when it comes to treating consumers with care. There were some complaints from brands about Instagram having removed likes – to grand changes to keep track on stats. Let’s see what will happen next here to understand how this will change online marketing. Because it will.

Video and animated video content isn’t going down

Just something we already know, but seems like an important thing to mention. First of all – and we are all well aware of that – video content is step-by-step becoming a prevailing form of content. It’s super engaging, informative, and light. It doesn’t require from you any sort of effort, unlike other types of content. For sure, video with animated content will be growing in its forms and variations during the year.

Even today we can see that animated video content taking up most of the online space. Just think about it: today, video content is 79% of all content that is out there online. The reason for this is not only in the content itself – there are new tools launching here and there all the time. It includes stories on different platforms, the way people sh are messages while communicating – yes, by filming short normal video or animated video messages – etcetera.

VR and AR are on the way here

Virtual reality is not really a new trend; it is something that is always a matter of subject. For a long time, social media have been mulling over the idea of adding both VR and AR to everyday interactions in social media. One of the biggest things that will have an impact on marketing in 2020 is 5G technology.

What does it mean for social media? It will be possible to send and receive big amounts of information rather sufficiently than it was before. It is natural to expect a certain effect on social media as well.

A connection is more valuable than a product

The relationship with customers and the audience is much more important than the products and services you intended to sell. We were talking a lot about the importance of audience for the brands nowadays and will be more in this article but at this point we kind of at the core: there is nothing to pursue harder than strong connection with the people who follow you. This is a cornerstone trend because it will affect brands policy and marketing ethics in the future as well.

People look for a connection with brands because there is more than just a desire to buy something; people need to feel brands like a part of their community – at least one level where values are shared. So brands strive to be really social in social media.

What is that supposed to mean? Well, it means to respond to commentaries and impressions people might have. No matter if it’s good or bad. It is critical now to be able to listen to your audience. Social media is this space where you should demonstrate that you are really listening to the people that support you.

Trust, which is one of the things that fuel your work and what any customer is seeking, generates in social media more than anywhere else. Meaningful interaction is what gathers people around you and what they want in order to understand if they are going to buy your product.

TikTok should be part of your marketing strategy this year

All of us have heard about TikTok. During the last year, these new social media have become super famous. It is going to be stronger and bigger since the community inside it is growing every day. Maybe your business is not necessarily very suitable to present on this platform. However, keep an eye on what is going on there. Maybe there is a spot for you to work on your own marketing strategy.

Facebook days are over

Yes, it is a bit of exaggeration, but there is more than a grain of truth in it. Younger audience – which is definitely the main audience all over the world, because they make a difference – is not really hanging out on Facebook. Their favorite platforms are nothing like Facebook.

In fact, Facebook is trying to imitate something from the social media young people spent their time in. Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok – these are the main platforms that will make an impact on the marketing world during this year. Organic reach on each of these platforms is nothing that Facebook had in the best years.

So, if you are a marketer, there is a reason to think about concentrating your efforts on the platforms we’ve mentioned. Or maybe not – maybe you want to stay with Facebook even now.

Analytics programs will change

To measure success online will be easier. It is also very trendy because many brands need to have better tools in order to measure if they reach the target audience and how people generally react to the publications. Partly this situation will get better because many marketers want to invest in analytics programs.

More consumer-focused strategy

How people interact with each other is changing. Consumer habits are changing as well, partly because with the rise of mobile users instead of those who preferred to utilize computers, we can’t share information the same way we used to.

So, the way brands target people will also change. It makes more sense to use animated or live video, voice message or even message for such a purpose. Brands have to focus on consumers and invent new strategies to attract people to follow them.

Social media allow collecting personal information

Even though there are lots of benefits thanks to social media, it is hard to exclude negatives that have come to be a reason for many worries during the last year. Privacy and security are still under the question. We expect that secured messengers will be more used in the next year and beyond more than ever.

YouTube

Unlike Facebook which is losing its positions every year, YouTube, on the contrary, is only becoming stronger. Of course, it’s easy to explain with an obsession to watch animated explainer videos that are all over the world right now. The main point is next – YouTube should play a leading part in your social media strategy.

Concentrate your brand’s efforts here and you will have more chances to win. There is data that convincingly claims that consumers who view online videos are more likely to buy a product. It is not the text that people expect to read when they want to buy something, no. It’s only about animated 2d or 3d videos.

Social media as a part of customer service

Social media has always been a place for people to communicate and share personal information with each other. Nowadays it is not like that. Social media can’t be limited by mere communication. People discover, evaluate, and learn many things about brands through social media.

Brands do the same as well about their customers. But there is more. Proper customer service through social media now sounds like a real thing – effective and extremely useful. How did that happen? Well, brands started noticing that a lot of customers spent time on social media more than anywhere else.

So, instead of only communicating with them by responding to commentaries, brands would start to use their pages to deliver customer service. During this year the tendency will get stronger and more efficient.

Conclusion

Marketing almost fully stepping in the era of video and animated video. There will be more forms of video and more ways to communicate through short video ads with the audience. Hopefully, the list of trends we’ve mentioned will help you navigate your brand successfully during the year.