Let's Talk Social Media Trends... Anyone?
“When they say something is a trend, it doesn’t necessarily have to be new, but it’s trending in a certain direction.”
Trends exist for a reason – they indicate an ever-evolving landscape. But it's important not to feel overwhelmed or powerless in the face of these trends.
Instead, view them as tools that can propel your business forward.
By staying true to your mission and the core values of your business, you can find joy in the process. Having a supportive team (wink-wink!) that helps you navigate the digital landscape with ease and enjoyment is a significant advantage.
Remember, embracing these trends can be a catalyst for growth and success.
Adapt or die! Upwards and onwards!
Connect with Team Dklutr:
Episode 1: Let's Talk Social Media Trends… Anyone?
Trending in the right direction
Anne Garcia: I feel like every marketing podcast and YouTube channel has at some point an episode or video like this, which is about trends.
And because we're in the creator economy and in the digital marketing space, it's always ever-evolving.
I feel like keeping up to date with social media trends can feel like going to the doctor. You don't always enjoy it.
Sometimes you fear it, you're afraid of it, but it's necessary.
And when you go through it and you come out the other side, it's actually exhilarating and it gives you that peace of mind that you did the right thing.
Carlo Garcia: Well, that's actually an interesting comparison, and I think it boils down to what type of person you are.
If you like anticipating things and crunching the data like me, then you want to always be on the lookout and you want to soak up as many updates as you can. You want to be in the know so you can interpret, collect the data, and execute it properly.
Anne Garcia: Yeah. I see you every morning, going through your email, your inbox. It's like the new way of reading.
Like when our dads or grandpas used to read the newspaper before, that's what the inbox is now. And you go through all those newsletters, those email marketing, and if you're someone like me who's more on the creative thinking side, these trends can be a bit overwhelming and worrisome for you.
You can get lost in your thoughts. You feel like drowning or you drown yourself with overthinking to the point of no return. Worrying about things that actually aren't even there.
Carlo Garcia: It's common nowadays because at the end of the day, even minor decision-making you need to do, decision overload.
Anne Garcia: Analysis paralysis paralyzes you.
I try to be more disciplined with my work routine, but I do have to admit, I rely heavily on motivation.
Carlo Garcia: I am big on discipline. I like keeping my routine, my schedule, my diet, and my study time. And part of my routine is to keep updated with what's going on in the ins and outs of the digital marketing space, just the creator economy and business news in general. But basically, I'm curious about what's happening.
Anne Garcia: It's the curiosity thing.
Carlo Garcia: Whatever data I can get my hands on, I can't help but consume and then share.
Anne Garcia: You're actually the perfect evangelist for digital marketing.
Let's talk about those trends. Can you cite your source?
Carlo Garcia: So this is from HubSpot it actually came out in q1.
So most of these were already seeing unfold, in the social media sphere.
But I'd like us both to dive deeper and look into these trends and how they affect our clients and people in this space.
I am also curious about how fast these trends can change because social media today, it's so fast.
They change quarterly.
Building an active online community is no longer optional
Anne Garcia: Let us repeat that. It's no longer optional. You can't be online and not have an engaged community. And I think that is the hardest to do because it's that part of social media that you can't fully automate.
And I know bigger social media influencers or online personalities have teams. They come in droves. Not persons, teams that handle their social media engagement for them. And as much as you want to sound as authentic as you can, it can get overwhelming to individually engage 10 or 100, or even 1000 followers, right?
To actually build real connections and a loyal following. That's what has to happen because your followers want someone real at the other end of that virtual conversation. It's a matter of balance. It's finding your brand voice and it's really spending that sacred type.
Carlo Garcia: I'm glad you raised the issue about spending time because a lot of business owners now want to resource and they do the algorithm strategy.
So time is really of the essence here in order for you to build an active community.
Ironically, social media has made it increasingly difficult to build true engagement despite the increasing reach, but we're seeing platforms reign it in.
More and encourage interactions and engagement more than just posting away.
Social media is the future of e-commerce
Social media apps are evolving into e-commerce platforms where users can buy products right from the app. Talk about efficiency. We've already seen this meteor growth in the number of TikTok affiliates who are going live on the app, selling anything under the sun.
Anne Garcia: Yeah, but don't sleep on Pinterest though. It may have a smaller user base than TikTok.
I think still to some degree Instagram, they're a major force in driving sales. I mean, these apps, because they're showing products in real life, support brand influencer partnerships, and inspire user-generated content.
And they even have built-in e-commerce features like You have that view shop on Instagram. If you're a product-based business, you just have to have at least one of these social platforms going for you.
I think the beauty of having your shop set up on these platforms is it already skips a step in the customer journey because you want to lead customers to your e-commerce site if you have any, but selling on the apps has a higher batting average since you already have a captured user base.
The more active users, the bigger your customer base.
Carlo Garcia: Well, speaking of selling, that's the perfect lead into the next trend.
Consumers are using social media for customer service
I'm not quite sure if this is a new thing, but if you're going to be purposeful or direct to using it as customer service, it can be a plus for you.
Anne Garcia: Just to be clear, when they say something is a trend, it doesn't necessarily have to be new, but it's trending in a direction.
Using social media for customer service, it's not necessarily new, but it's becoming more and more the medium of choice or the channel of choice for customers to engage with their brands or their businesses.
Carlo Garcia: And once it becomes a trend, you know, that creators tend to develop certain systems in order for them to be more specific and be more direct
And strategic through developing customer service.
So it's not just a one-liner reply coming from a certain brand.
So when social media shopping comes, social media customer support, And around one to five, Gen Z, millennial, and Gen X social media users have contacted the brand through DMS for customer service in the first few months of this year alone, and 76% of social media marketers say their company already offers service on social.
Anne Garcia: DMS is telemarketing with a digital twist.
Carlo Garcia: Agree. Because when smartphones replace landlines, I feel so old saying that you and I used to talk for hours using the house phone.
Smartphones are predominantly how we communicate and get information. Customers are looking for direct access to support on social media, which is where most of them hang out or spend their time virtually.
Anne Garcia: And honestly, no hate for AI, but I still prefer chatting with an actual business or brand representative at the other end of the line.
That's why if I call my credit card company or the bank, I still prefer phone banking over the app. I don't know. For some reason, I think it's because of my age guys, it
I still just prefer talking or chatting with an actual human so I can feel taken care of, but, well, maybe that's just me and my geriatric millennial heart.
Carlo Garcia: Well, you know what they say, adapt or die.
These trends are trans for a reason.
They're indicators of an evolving landscape. But again, you don't have to feel overwhelmed or helpless in the midst of these trends. There are tools that you can use, to further your business, so to speak.
As long as you stay true to your mission and the core values of your business or why you do what you do, you'll enjoy the process, especially if you have a team that will help you navigate the digital landscape with ease and enjoyment.
