1. Shoppable posts

A shoppable post is simply being able to purchase an item directly through a social post. It’s more common on Instagram, when you can spy an excellent pair of trainers and buy on the spot.

And all trends point to this kind of ecommerce growing in 2020. Shoppable posts are yet to be fully embraced by financial services, but we could start to see limited products filter onto social.

Think about what kind of products or services you deliver which could lend themselves to a shoppable post.

2. Influencer marketing goes nano for organic growth

Trust in consumer recommendations continues to grow in strength. There’s nothing like hearing from real people on whether a product or service really cuts the mustard.

The power of trusted nano and micro-influencers is growing in strength

At the same time, more consumers are turning to their favourite bloggers and social media stars for guidance. This is despite knowing that there is a degree of contra strategy involved (i.e. products for content).

Nano and micro-influencers shape smaller groups and communities, building bonds, trust and authenticity. They also have a higher degree of interaction with their followers.

It’s a good idea to explore this effective, scalable tactic while the power of trusted nano and micro-influencers is growing in strength.

3. Brands need to know about social lifespan

Depending on the platform, social media posts have differing lifespans impacting how much, when and what you post. If you’re not already savvy to the ideal frequencies for your brand, consider the following:

• Instagram visibility depends on consistency, with posts lasting around a day.

• Twitter posts have the shortest lifespan due to the constant churn of news, commentary, fandoms and content – here you need quantity just as much as quality, especially when your post is more likely to dip below the waves in under 20 minutes.

• When posting numerous times a day seems unimaginable, remember it’s not necessary to conjure original posts every time. You can repost previous content with a different angle and wording. You can curate and redistribute content – a tactic commonly used by brands.

• There is debate on the impact of Facebook posts since algorithmic changes. A post can last anywhere from 6 hours to a day, but once a day is recommended. Admittedly, social media success on Facebook is getting harder.

• LinkedIn has durability – less can be more, as Hubspot reveals posting more than once a day drops engagement. Your post is more likely to last a day, so think of creating content 3 to 4 times a week.

• ‘Stories’ on Instagram and Facebook are also a fantastic (and cost-effective) way to keep interesting moments going, such as a ‘behind the scenes’ approach to an event. In fact, stories have a growth rate 15 times the rate of feeds.

All platforms garner more engagement when photo and video posts are used.

4. Bring your content into the real world

It’s all very well having a great hashtag and brand story, but how can your customers use it to join a real world experience?

User-generated content is how your campaign goes viral, such as Starling Bank’s snapchat filter which features starlings flying around the user in a murmuration before settling into the Starling logo.

Personalised bottles were a brilliant success for Coca-Cola’s ‘Share a Coke’ campaign – content experiences are where you can get really creative as a brand!

5. Brand transparency

Customers are seeking transparency and clarity more than ever – they want to know your company’s core values, how you do business, who you do it with, and how you deal with legitimate complaints.

Brands need to build space for their communities to communicate, which can be helpful for brand salience, improved promoter scores and revitalising strategies for engagement.

This could take the form of a web forum or a dedicated social feed. The latter has the added bonus of segregating brand messages from brand help.

If you want to know how Editions Financial can help you with digital marketing trends in 2020, get in touch.

Read all of our Digital Trends series: Part 1: Search Strategy, Part 2: Customer Strategy and Part 3: Platform and Format Strategy