Social Media Predictions for 2019

Last year was plenty eventful for the social media landscape. In a far-too-brisk breakdown of 2018, we saw Facebook deal with way too many privacy concerns for comfort, Twitter reckon with free speech on its platform and Snapchat continue its attempts to stay relevant while Instagram thrives.

Here’s a recap of our favorite 2018 trends and what we think is to come in 2019:

Facebook Data Privacy

With several major data scandals in 2018, Facebook was left with some serious explaining to do. Facebook users were concerned about their privacy, and advertisers were curious about how this would impact advertising.

We don’t think we’ve seen the end of Facebook scandals, and it’s fairly easy to predict that Facebook will be making more updates to its pixel and will tighten its audience targeting rules even more in 2019. Expect more fallout in the early part of the year, when a new Congress hits the ground running.

Video

This year was absolutely enormous for video, and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. Live streaming really ramped up in the past year, and we expect the number of live video users to keep growing. Consumers and brands love how easy it is to connect in the moment and will continue to take advantage of this. Keep an eye out for additional optimizations to the live viewing experience for all social platforms.

Influencer Marketing

It’s not just celebrities, or even “celebrities” who fall under the influencers category anymore. In 2018, using micro influencers became more popular. Micro influencers typically have fewer followers but are posting great content for a niche audience. This is very appealing to brands, as they can be sure that their post is seen by people who are interested in their product. Consumers react well to these posts, since they made the decision to follow that person.

Going into 2019, in order to stay competitive, more brands will need to start working with influencers. This tool will become a much more necessary part of overall social strategy, especially for brands in the e-commerce space.

AR

The use of augmented reality grew at an exciting pace in 2018, paving the way for new opportunities for brands to connect with customers in the near future. In some instances, it was as simple as interactive filters on Snapchat and Instagram. Some more complex uses, including using Facebook’s camera to bring an image to life, are early indicators that this market will only grow in 2019 and beyond.

Be on the lookout for more brands using AR as a way to let potential customers experience the product before making a purchase. Users can see themselves wearing different styles of sunglasses, a new hat or even makeup, without entering a store.

Don’t miss out on some of these trends in 2019 and beyond. With social media still being a relatively new way for fans to connect with brands, things can change quickly. Will your company be prepared?