7 New Social Media Trends for 2018

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“Happy New Year!” And just like that, 2017 ended.

After ringing in the New Year 2018, savvy content marketers know that it’s never too early to start planning for the year ahead.

Here’s what to expect from social media in 2018 (and how to find success).

1) Generation Z on the rise

According to a Goldman, Sachs & Co. study, Generation Z is more valuable to most brands than even millennials! And in 2018, this generation is just beginning to make purchases and enter the workforce.

What’s interesting about GenZ-ers is they don’t stick with one social channel all the time. According to The Drum, “With students, mostly GenZ, using up to five different screens over the course of the day and evening, it should be no surprise that they are not married to just one platform.” However, Snapchat and Instagram are in the lead over channels like Facebook, when it comes to GenZ.

2) Social media + shopping becomes more popular

From Instagram to Pinterest, Twitter, and Facebook, social media continues to wade in the shopping waters. But, 2018 is when it will truly take off.

For example, Victoria’s Secret is ahead of the game—everything they share on Instagram is up for purchase from their Shopify integration. In fact, Instagram may soon reach 1 billion monthly active users. When teamed with Shopify (boasting more than 500,000 businesses), this channel is sure to impact brands hoping to sell on social.

3) Improved algorithms given priority

With the rise of “fake news” on social channels, Facebook and Twitter are finding ways to integrate human filters into their processes.

Until now, engagement was the main driver of success within algorithms, but this doesn’t help when combating false news. It’s predicted that 2018 will usher in a new wave of best practices and perhaps even changes to news feed algorithms because of this trend.

4) More video consumed and created

Content marketers focus more on video rather than static images—and that trend is expected to grow this year.

Brands discovered that effectively engaging with their audiences is much easier when using video. In fact, Mark Zuckerberg, the co-founder of Facebook, estimates that 90 percent of Facebook’s content will be video-based by 2018. However, brands be warned: Video should still have a purpose and be directed to your specific audience—not just making video for the sake of it.

Read the full report at http://www.addthis.com/academy/7-new-social-media-trends-for-2018/