Social media has become an integral part of our lives, and it continues to evolve at a rapid pace. In 2024, we can expect to see several new trends emerge that will change the way we interact with social media platforms. Here are the top 7 social media trends that are expected to have a significant impact in 2024.
Digital marketing social media vs search engine
In the year 2024 and beyond, social media platforms have become the biggest threat to traditional search engines like Google in the field of digital marketing. According to a survey conducted by Hootsuite on nearly 9000 Gen Z consumers worldwide, social media has become the second most popular way to research products or brands before making a purchase. TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram have become the favorite search engines of young people due to their authenticity and accessibility.
“In our study, nearly 40% of gen Z users surveyed did not access Google Maps when searching for a place to eat lunch, instead opting for TikTok or Instagram”
In fact, social media platforms like TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram have become the favorite search engines of young people due to their authenticity and accessibility.
In the field of digital marketing, social media platforms have become the biggest threat to traditional search engines like Google. To truly compete with Google, social media platforms have made some adjustments to better suit the preferences of users. For example, TikTok has integrated Google search results into its app and added tools such as Keyword Insights to its Creative Center.
Video length trend in digital marketing
According to a survey conducted by HubSpot, the optimal length of a short-form marketing video is between 20-60 seconds. However, the trend in digital marketing is shifting towards longer videos. Long-form video content ranging from two to five minutes is becoming more popular than short-form videos that are less than a minute long.
Social media platforms like Instagram Reels and TikTok are also experimenting with longer video lengths. Instagram Reels can now be up to 15 minutes long, while TikTok is testing videos of that length. Twitter has also launched a subscription program that allows users to upload videos up to two hours long.
It seems that long-form video content will become more prevalent in the coming year.
As mentioned in the above trends, users now turn to social media platforms to find the most detailed and accurate answers instead of using Google or other web search engines as before. Therefore, brand content also needs to be deep, comprehensive, and invested in to answer customer questions. Short-form videos will continue to reign in 2024, but with longer durations to meet the search needs of users.
Share count importance
Sharing has become more important than ever for brands. Marketers always want to attract as much attention from customers as possible. However, measuring by reach, likes, or comments cannot accurately reflect the effectiveness of marketing activities. The most realistic and accurate criterion is the number of shares. Unlike likes, comments, or follows, views, and impressions, shares represent real value because when someone shares content, it means they have truly felt its value.
Sharing content on personal social media platforms can stem from various reasons. Useful information, high entertainment value, or the desire to express oneself can all lead to users sharing content. Additionally, goodwill to help someone can also create a strong impetus for a user to click the share button on social media. From this, brands can increase their shares and reach through content that provides real value to customers.
However, marketers do not underestimate the importance of other metrics such as likes or comments, as they are still a way to evaluate the effectiveness of a post on social media. If a brand creates content that focuses on attracting shares, likes and comments will still follow, but the opposite is not always true.
Linkedln algorithm update 2024
LinkedIn has over 1 billion users from 200 regions and countries worldwide. The platform’s algorithm processes billions of posts every day – all to provide the most useful knowledge and information to users.
Prioritizing high-quality content and promoting genuine interactions through value provided to users is what the platform will continue to develop in the coming year. LinkedIn is not a platform where brands create content to go viral, but rather a place to share knowledge so that followers can apply that information to their careers and lives.
According to recent updates, LinkedIn has decreased the priority of personal content to focus on professionalism. The algorithm analyzes user behavior, learning from what professionals engage with the most. By tailoring the feed to individual preferences, LinkedIn aims to keep users engaged by delivering content that aligns with their interests, industry, and connections.
LinkedIn’s algorithm classifies users based on the groups, hashtags, pages, and people they follow. From there, the platform analyzes users’ interest in a topic based on social actions such as writing a post, liking content, or commenting on a relevant post or article. LinkedIn has implemented some algorithm updates to prioritize the professionalism of shared content, focusing on “knowledge and advice,” especially among experts in their respective fields. This is because, according to LinkedIn, users find the content most valuable when it comes from knowledge, especially when shared by those they admire.
Photo dumps
Photo dumps have become increasingly popular on Instagram. In 2023, there were over 2.8 million posts on Instagram using the hashtag #photodump, and this number continues to rise. According to Hootsuite’s test results, photo dump content receives higher engagement and reach than reels and single photos.
The format of multiple photos allows brands to tell long stories interestingly and visually, which increases the likelihood of attracting viewers. To create a video or a series of photos, brands will have to invest resources from costs to production. Meanwhile, content expressed through multiple photos focuses on authenticity and intimacy, so it can be produced faster but still convey more content through a more attractive and lower-cost form. On Instagram, brands can share up to 10 photos or videos in a post, and on TikTok, the number of photos can be up to 35.
When using this type of content, attracting viewers from the first photo is extremely important. Brands can refer to the following three tips to succeed with this format:
Photo dumps product introduction
Photo Dumps is a great way for brands to share multiple photos and videos in one post, making it an excellent way to introduce products to customers. Brands can easily share information about product variations such as different colors or styles, or highlight some other important details.
Sharing everyday moments
Sharing everyday moments through images is a powerful way to engage users and pique their interest. Brands can create posts that provide quick summaries of these moments using authentic photos to capture the attention of customers. This technique is especially effective for stories that are relatable and personal.
UGC marketing 2024
User-generated content (UGC) is one of the most reliable and authentic forms of content, as rated by consumers. In 2024, UGC is predicted to continue to grow and have a significant impact on brands. Therefore, brands can combine UGC with posts that contain many images to attract attention and create a good impression with viewers. This strategy is especially effective for marketing campaigns that aim to be relatable and personal.
AI and brand marketing 2024
Artificial intelligence (AI) tools such as ChatGPT have revolutionized content creation and all aspects of life. When used correctly, AI can become a valuable ally for marketers, as it makes everything easier and faster. HootSuite conducted an experiment to compare the content generated by ChatGPT and real people posted on Twitter. The results were fascinating – ChatGPT generated more interactions, but human-written content received higher reach. Therefore, when humans and AI work together harmoniously, they can create positive results for brand marketing.
In addition to ChatGPT, many AI tools have emerged to support the content creation process, such as Bard (Google’s heavyweight competitor to ChatGPT launched in February 2023), Bing AI, Jasper AI, Adobe Firefly (beta), and Midjourney (used for image processing). Using AI for content creation is similar to marketers collaborating with different software in a production process but with much higher efficiency and speed. AI can save time and effort by up to 5 to 10 times compared to traditional content creation methods.
YouTube Shorts development
YouTube Shorts is a short-form video section of the American video-sharing app YouTube that focuses on vertical videos with a maximum length of 60 seconds and various features for user interaction. It was launched in September 2020 and has since become increasingly popular, with over 5 trillion views collectively as of January 2022. YouTube Shorts allows creators to add licensed music and on-screen captions, and viewers can scroll through an endless feed of videos. The feature is intended to be watched on smartphones but can be viewed on all other devices.
YouTube Shorts was created to compete with TikTok, an online video platform for short clips. The beta version of YouTube Shorts was released in India in September 2020, shortly after TikTok was banned in the country. Since then, YouTube Shorts has been released globally and has become a valuable tool for marketers to reach out to younger audiences. YouTube Shorts empowers mobile-first creators and has led to a significant increase in the number of daily first-time creators. As of September 2021, the average number of daily first-time creators more than doubled compared to September 2020. YouTube Shorts is part of YouTube’s long-term development strategy and is expected to continue to grow in popularity.
According to Google Trends, the interest of Americans in YouTube Shorts has increased by over 500% since 2021. A survey by Statista has also indicated the remarkable growth of this feature: In 2022, 1.5 billion global users were active on YouTube Shorts every month, and a year later, this number increased by another half billion. Nicky Rettke, YouTube’s Vice President of Product Management, shared that short-form videos have exploded in popularity over the past two years, and this platform cannot be left out of that trend. The impressive growth of YouTube Shorts has also led to a significant increase in the number of content creators.
In conclusion, social media is constantly evolving, and it’s essential to stay up-to-date with the latest trends. In 2024, we can expect to see more businesses adopting direct-to-consumer interactions, niche social media platforms, influencer marketing, user-generated content, social commerce, programmatic advertising, and social media stories. By staying ahead of the curve, businesses can ensure that they remain competitive and continue to grow.