At Hilo Web Design, we try to stay up to date on the current trends in web design, development and marketing. To do this we have to look at all areas of marketing, including online marketing, radio advertisements, print media, and email marketing. One of our main areas of interest is the aspect of social media marketing.

Learn more about what to expect in 2018!

Social media has been an important marketing tool for many years and has the means to continue to be so for a long time. We recently read 10 Social-Media Trends to Prepare for in 2018 from Entrepreneur.com  and wanted to share some of their predicted trends for social media in 2018!

Augmented Reality Users on the Rise

With companies like Google, Facebook and Sony stepping in to the world of virtual reality (VR)/augmented reality (AR), there will be a rising demand for products and services that incorporate this type of software! When Apple introduced the iPhoneX and iPhone 8 with capabilities already built in, it created a new playing field for the every day user!

This trend is something to keep in mind when trying to look at what avenues you might want to sell your product or business through – whether through a special filter on SnapChat or through a specialized AR projection for you newest product.

Stricter Publishing Policies for Advertisers

Recent elections and all issues associated with them have brought up the concern of advertising on social media and who can and can’t do so! With the stricter regulations from each individual platform, it’s important to be aware of the changes that each will have and how that might affect your company’s main source of adverting and client retention!

If Facebook book decides that a company must have a certain amount of followers in order to advertise or if Google decides that only company’s with account over a certain volume are able, your company may be directly affected if you depend on paid advertising in your marketing strategy!

Increased Use of Stories and Live Streams (Instagram and Facebook) 

Because of the fact that so many people (over 200 million people) are using Instagram stories each month, you may want to start looking into what it would take to use this service. There are many aspects to these types of marketing tools that could benefit a business if done correctly – gearing some of your marketing efforts towards Generation Z, the generation brought up with social media, could greatly increase your sales and drive business to your company!

Does your company sell specialized products? Do you think a person looking for your products would prefer to see a live demonstration? LiveStreaming, Instagram Live and Facebook Live might be a great way to get results!

How Does This Affect You?

Since many of the social media platforms are gearing towards a video or video-enhanced marketing strategy – where videos are seen more often, live streams, instant notifications and regular pictures are seen less frequently – it’s important to be mindful of the trends and where they might help your company.

If you prefer, you could have a company like Hilo Web Design help you strategize a marketing plan that would be best suited for your needs!

Contact us today!