In a nutshell: What’s in? Everything. What’s out? Nothing. From understanding the latest trends to staying updated on algorithms, we cover it all. Keep reading to find out how you can make your social media strategy ready and hot to go.
Adapt and evolve based on social media trends
Social media is always changing—and at turbo speed. You need to have your finger on the pulse and become fully immersed to stay on top of what’s new, what people are talking about, and what’s resonating.
As you incorporate trends into your brand’s strategy, it’s critical to adapt organically. By doing so, your content will blend in with your followers’ feeds while also standing out and remaining familiar to your audience. With video content’s rise in popularity, we are increasingly seeing video and audio trends shaping brands’ social media strategies and presence.
Content creation: videos vs. photos
Video content has always been an option, and though it is not new or groundbreaking, we have seen a greater emphasis placed on video content rather than still images. With the uncertainty surrounding TikTok’s future in the U.S., more platforms are prioritizing video content over still images and algorithms are registering stronger engagement metrics for this shift in content.
Facebook and Instagram reels have gained in popularity, and the video trend is also becoming more relevant on LinkedIn. There may be a tendency to avoid videos on LinkedIn, but they have been proven to increase engagement and should be seriously considered in your social media strategy.
When speaking about video content, we are speaking specifically about short-form videos. The optimal length for short-form videos is between 31 and 60 seconds. As the popularity of video content continues to grow, it’s crucial to select the right audio to engage your audience effectively.
When it comes to trending audios, it’s important to recognize that not all will work for your brand. Being selective about what you use will help ensure that you stay true to your audience. On that note, Instagram has recently introduced a new feature that allows you to easily view the top 50 trending audios on the platform over the past three days.
While platforms like TikTok and Instagram’s Reels have become hugely popular for short-form video content, keep an eye out for YouTube shorts, which are also gaining prominence.
Effectively use your comment sections and URLs
You know what they always say … the phone works two ways. Well, this also applies to social media and community engagement. Engaging with your audience means more than just waiting for likes, comments, and follows.
It’s important for your brand to actively engage with your community by liking comments, responding to messages, acknowledging content you’re tagged in, and reposting relevant posts.
For better engagement and impression metrics, it’s important to include a call to action in all posts. This could be a URL with UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) tracking or encouraging followers to engage in the comments. To find out more about essential UTM building tips, visit our blog.
LinkedIn has introduced new dynamic UTM codes, which will revolutionize data tracking. Keep an eye out for this update!
Instagram algorithm update
The algorithm is now giving smaller creators more attention compared to in the past when larger creators dominated. After receiving months of criticism from creators who claimed that the algorithm had a negative impact on their reach, the platform is implementing a ranking change. This change aims to give smaller creators more visibility by prioritizing original content over reposts in recommendations.
The changes that will go into effect will include the following:
- Instagram will now show new content to a smaller audience first, then gradually to larger audiences based on engagement.
- If identical content is reposted Instagram will only recommend the original post.
- Reposted content will be labeled and linked to the original creator.
- Accounts that repeatedly publish content that they didn’t create may not be shown in recommendations.
With this update, it’s likely that other platforms will also make similar shifts. It’s critical to shift your focus toward generating more impressions and engagement, especially with regards to your reels content. Rather than fixating on the number of followers, it’s now more important to ensure that your content resonates with a wider audience on Instagram. This is key to enhancing your visibility and reach.
Historically, when one platform makes a shift, other platforms tend to follow suit months later. Stay ahead of this trend and implement these strategies across all your platforms to ensure your social media strategy is serving 💅