From Messenger Bots to the Growth of ‘Gram, Social Media Examiner’s Annual Report Reveals Trends to Watch

http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/OnlineMarketingSEOBlog/~3/vWsUcx9QppE/ <p><img width=”600″ height=”360″ src=”http://www.toprankblog.com/wp-content/uploads/social-media-marketing-trends-report.jpg” class=”attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image” alt=”2018 Social Media Marketing Trends from Social Media Examiner Report” srcset=”http://www.toprankblog.com/wp-content/uploads/social-media-marketing-trends-report.jpg 600w, http://www.toprankblog.com/wp-content/uploads/social-media-marketing-trends-report-300×180.jpg 300w” sizes=”(max-width: 600px) 100vw, 600px” /></p>
<p><img class=”size-full wp-image-24292 aligncenter” src=”http://www.toprankblog.com/wp-content/uploads/social-media-marketing-trends-report.jpg” alt=”2018 Social Media Marketing Trends from Social Media Examiner Report” width=”600″ height=”360″ /></p>
<p><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/04/social-media-marketing-benchmarks-focus/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Engagement is down</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>. </span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/02/data-driven-marketing-build-trust/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Trust is dwindling</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>. And the most popular social media marketing platform is now riddled with uncertainty.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>For marketers, the social space has never felt more daunting or perplexing. Luckily, </span><a href=”https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Social Media Examiner</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> recently released its </span><a href=”https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-industry-report-2018/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>2018 Social Media Marketing Industry Report</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>, the latest annual snapshot of where things currently stand in this critical frontier. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>While the report doesn’t answer </span><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>all</span></i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> our questions, it does offer some helpful clarity and context.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>We’ve gone through Social Media Examiner’s in-depth report, which gathered input from more than 5,700 respondents, and distilled some of the most noteworthy nuggets for marketers to noodle on and insights on how you can improve your efforts.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Here’s what you need to know about the state of social media marketing in 2018.</span></p>
<h2><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>#1 – Facebook is in flux.</span></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Although it continues to be easily the most prioritized social network for marketers at large, </span><a href=”https://www.facebook.com/” target=”_blank” rel=”noopener”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Facebook</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> has become a source of quandary. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>This pie chart, displaying responses to the question, “My Facebook organic post reach has declined in the last year,” illustrates this quite well:</span></p>
<p><img class=”alignnone size-full wp-image-24271″ src=”http://www.toprankblog.com/wp-content/uploads/Facebook-Organic-Reach.png” alt=”” width=”348″ height=”391″ /></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>That’s a remarkably even split, but the bottom line is this: more than half of marketers either agree or strongly agree that their organic reach has dropped since 2017. This comes as no surprise, since Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has </span><a href=”https://newsroom.fb.com/news/2018/01/news-feed-fyi-bringing-people-closer-together/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>all but admitted that the platform is shifting feed prioritization away from branded content</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> in favor of user-generated posts.   </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Despite this, Facebook remains the most-utilized social channel for marketing with 94% penetration, nearly 30 percentage points above the next-highest, and 67% of respondents point to it as their most important platform. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Facebook’s gargantuan active user base is impossible to ignore. </span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/03/social-media-marketing-mid-life-crisis/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>We just need to get creative</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> in finding ways to connect with people there, as only 49% of respondents feel their marketing is effective on the platform.</span></p>
<p>[bctt tweet=”Facebook’s gargantuan active user base is impossible to ignore. We just need to get creative in finding ways to connect with people there. – @NickNelsonMN #SocialMediaMarketing” username=”toprank”]</p>
<h3><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>What Should I Do?</span></h3>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Obviously, paid will play a major role; 67% of marketers plan on increasing their use of Facebook ads in the coming year. But, as TopRank Marketing’s </span><a href=”https://twitter.com/CaitlinMBurgess”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Caitlin Burgess</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> has written, </span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/01/facebook-update-influencer-marketing/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>influencer marketing also offers a path to capturing attention</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> in the age of diminishing organic reach. And </span><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>that’s</span></i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> an opportunity that fewer marketers are hip to, with 61% reporting that they are not working with influencers as part of their social media efforts. </span></p>
<h2><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>#2 – The ‘Gram is in.</span></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>While Facebook continues to rule the roost, its prized subsidiary is most noticeably on the rise. </span><a href=”https://www.instagram.com”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Instagram</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> is now the second most commonly used social media platform for marketers, jumping up from the No. 4 slot in 2017 with a 54% gain.</span></p>
<p></p>
<p><a href=”https://giphy.com/gifs/instagram-uo6rcjwHSAFsQ”>via GIPHY</a></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Our own </span><a href=”https://twitter.com/NiteWrites”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Josh Nite</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> recently coined the term “</span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/04/social-media-marketing-benchmarks-focus/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>hopping on the ‘gramwagon</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>,” which I love, and there’s definitely a widespread movement in that direction. Two out of three marketers said they plan to boost their organic activities on Instagram in the next year, while 53% intend to increase their investment in ads on the platform. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>This makes sense given that 80% of marketers cited visual images — core to Instagram’s interface — as their most commonly used type of social media content and 32% said it was the single most important type, beating out blogging (27%), videos (24%) and live video (9%).</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Seeking to take advantage of its growing momentum, </span><a href=”https://marketingland.com/instagram-rolls-out-new-messaging-features-for-business-profiles-expands-action-buttons-to-more-third-party-apps-239698″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Instagram is in the process of rolling out several new features for businesses</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>As you might guess, Instagram is a more popular focus for the B2C cohort (72%) than B2B (57%), where LinkedIn remains the most prevalent non-Facebook option. </span></p>
<h3><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>What Should I Do?</span></h3>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Is it time for your business to jump on the ‘gramwagon? Not necessarily. Instagram has a sizable audience and some great features, but isn’t the right fit for every business type. Determining whether it’s a good fit will ultimately depend on who your ideal customer and audience is, as well as your business objectives and available team and budgetary resources.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>These </span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2016/07/marketers-instagram/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>insights and examples around Instagram marketing</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> might help inform your decision.</span></p>
<h2><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>#3 – Video is the vision.</span></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The marketing community at large is taking a keen interest in the world of video. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Fifty-eight percent of marketers said they plan to increase their YouTube organic activities in the next 12 months. And while only 24% of marketers currently peg video as the most important social media content type, 77% expressed an intention to grow their reliance on it going forward, topping the list. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>When asked which forms of content they wanted to learn more about, respondents chose video (77%) and live video (68%) above all others. </span></p>
<h3><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>What Should I Do?</span></h3>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The beauty of video is that it doesn’t follow a linear format. You can <em>and</em> should experiment to find the right format for your message and audience’s tastes, as well as to match what you’re trying to accomplish at different stages of the funnel.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>If you’re among those eager to learn more about video, our team recently shared some </span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/04/video-marketing-tips-beginners/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>tips for first-time video marketers</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>. And if you’re already exploring this tactic, our </span><a href=”https://twitter.com/aleuman4″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Annie Leuman</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> shared examples of </span><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2017/10/long-form-video-content/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>brands connecting with audiences through long-form video</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.</span></p>
<h2><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>#4 – What about bots?</span></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Facebook Messenger first launched an API for bots back in 2016, but there still aren’t too many marketers wading into this pool. Only 15% of respondents said they’re currently using Facebook Messenger bots as part of their marketing mix. However, 51% said they plan to include this tactic in future marketing.</span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>One does wonder, however, if such plans will be altered by Facebook’s maneuvers to restore faith amid privacy concerns. The company quietly </span><a href=”https://mashable.com/2018/03/28/facebook-pauses-new-chatbots-apps-platform/#1FFDOOScTZqU”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>paused the ability of developers to add new chatbots</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.</span></p>
<h3><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>What Should I Do?</span></h3>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>This remains a relatively nascent tool for engagement, but it’s worth getting familiar. Why? Because it has the potential to be an “always-on” marketing team member. But like any new feature or technology, you need to be thoughtful and engaged as you develop and launch your plan, as well as monitor </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>To provide some recognizable context, this blog post does a nice job laying out the </span><a href=”https://medium.com/swlh/marketing-tools-email-vs-messenger-bots-fdcd4aa928c7″><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>similarities and differences between email and messenger bots</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>. </span></p>
<h2><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>#5 – Measurement moving forward.</span></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Here at TopRank Marketing, we’re big on </span><a href=”https://www.toprankmarketing.com/services/smartcharts/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>concrete reporting and analytics</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>, so we’re glad to see 44% of marketers now stating that they’re able to measure ROI from social media activities, up from 38% last year. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>That’s still less than half, and only 10% strongly agreed, so there remains considerable room for improvement. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Incidentally, </span><a href=”https://twitter.com/seb_joseph”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Seb Joseph</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> wrote earlier this month at Digiday that </span><a href=”https://digiday.com/marketing/facebooks-big-threat-isnt-cambridge-analytica-advertisers-questioning-roi/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>advertisers questioning ROI might be Facebook’s biggest threat</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.</span></p>
<h3><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>What Should I Do?</span></h3>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Most of the major social platforms have deep measurement functionality that you might not be utilizing. Make sure to explore back-end dashboards and pinpoint metrics that align with your objectives. Additionally, Sprout Social compiled a list of the </span><a href=”https://sproutsocial.com/insights/social-media-analytics-tools/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>best social media analytics tools of 2018</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.</span></p>
<p>[bctt tweet=”Most of the major social platforms have deep measurement functionality that you might not be utilizing. Explore back-end dashboards &amp; pinpoint metrics that align with your objectives. – @NickNelsonMN #SocialMediaMarketing” username=”toprank”]</p>
<h2><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Solving Social Media Marketing in 2018</span></h2>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>The constantly changing dynamics of </span><a href=”https://www.toprankmarketing.com/”><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>social media marketing</span></a><span style=”font-weight: 400;”> make it an especially challenging landscape to navigate, but the sheer number of users and level of activity make it one that none of us operating in the digital world can afford to ignore. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>While the latest Social Media Marketing Industry report points to several areas of of uncertainty and shortcoming, it also shows that marketers are moving in the right direction when it comes to grasping ROI, embracing video, and diversifying their strategies. Hopefully the tips we’ve provided here can help you with these initiatives. </span></p>
<p><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>While its standing is still impressively strong, I’ll be curious to see if Facebook loses its dominant footing in the year ahead, and how other players might pivot to take advantage.</span></p>
<p><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Want to read the full report? </span></i><a href=”https://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-industry-report-2018/”><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Head on over to Social Media Examiner</span></i></a><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>. Looking for additional social media insights, trends, and tips? Peruse our lineup of recent </span></i><a href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/category/social-media/”><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>social media marketing blog posts</span></i></a><i><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>.</span></i></p>
<p>The post <a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.toprankblog.com/2018/05/social-media-marketing-trends-statistics-2018/”>From Messenger Bots to the Growth of ‘Gram, Social Media Examiner’s Annual Report Reveals Trends to Watch</a> appeared first on <a rel=”nofollow” href=”http://www.toprankblog.com”>Online Marketing Blog – TopRank®</a>.</p>

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