Last week we talked about the latest social media trends – from the rapidly declining trust in social media to Stories` growing popularity.
But there`re more trends to explore.
Here`s what the social relationship platform Hootsuite found in their report on the subject:
#Trend 3 Increasing paid budgets
64% of the respondents of the Hootsuite survey said that there two big challenges in their way:
1) The decline in organic reach
2) The need to increase paid budgets
So, how are marketers facing these challenges? The results show that they increased social ad budgets with up to 32 percent in 2018 alone and created more ads than ever before.
Let`s be more specific:
One of every four Facebook Pages uses paid media, according to 2018 Q3 Global Digital Statistics.
Companies like Spotify and Netflix, among others, are investing in creative social ads that are both personalized and entertaining with the aim of generating user discussion and engagement.
Hootsuite`s tips regarding paid ads
Let`s go through some of Hootsuite`s best recommendations (with a focus on hospitality):
• Target the right audience
Seems like the secret to conducting successful ad campaigns is targeting a well-focused group based on interests, jobs, and relevant competitors.
How to do it? Research your buyer personas and the way they interact with your accommodation property.
Ask yourself:
What are their main problems? What are they looking for in an accommodation property? How do they interact with your brand and service (what`s their feedback)?
- Set clear goals and metrics
Define clear and attainable goals and metrics that relate to your business objectives.
Start by reviewing your business objectives:
What do you hope to achieve by the end of the year? How many new customers? What kind of increase in terms of revenues? What types of campaigns would support your goals – awareness, conversion, etc. and how are you going to measure your success?
• Produce high-quality content
There`s no shortage of brands competing for attention. But how to stand out in such a crowded space?
According to statistics, visuals and videos are performing very well on social. Even if you don`t have big budgets, you can brainstorm fresh ideas and turn them into videos, visual posts, articles and other types of content.
Bonus tip: Experiment with new ad formats like Instagram Stories ads, Pinterest wide-format promoted videos and Facebook Messenger ads, among others.
#Trend 4 Buying direct from social
Did you know that Facebook`s Marketplace is now used by more than 800 million people? More and more young buyers are shopping through Facebook and Instagram without leaving the applications.
Video marketing company Brightcove conducted a study and found that 74% of viewers make a purchase influenced by watching a video on social media.
Hootsuite`s best tips
How can your accommodation property respond to this trend? Let`s find out:
• Promote your property with contests
Why don`t you try running a contest for a tourist package that`s included in your shoppable posts? Create clear contest rules and use memorable hashtags.
• Share visuals and videos about your services
Photograph the beautiful region around your guest house or make a video of your guests enjoying your services. For instance, if you offer horse riding or trekking options – film it in action. Convey the emotion your customers feel whereas taking part in these activities.
#Trend 5 Messaging is on the rise
Surveying people about the time spent on social media, Hootsuite made an important conclusion:
“46% of respondents have either implemented messaging application or a planning to do so in the next 12 months.”
Bottom line?
Users spend more time messaging and less time sharing on social media. In turn, this means that messaging application like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and WeChat are thriving.
Hootsuite`s best tips
Time to explore some practical tips that relate to this trend:
• Answer messages on your Facebook Business Page
Enable Facebook Messenger on your Facebook Business Page. Then, you can set up an instant reply – so that you answer users straight away with a simple greeting and typical open types, for instance.
• Use bots or in-app assistants for FAQs
Bots and in-app assistants can be a good way to improve your customer support. It is impersonal but might be effective in answering the basic questions, freeing up more time for the more complicated customer request.
Over to you
Hootsuite`s extensive survey outlines some of the fastest growing trends in the world of social. Information is key to be able to respond to these tendencies and stay ahead in the highly competitive social media space.
Our advice? Study the trends and think of creative ways to benefit from them. Experiment and measure the results. And don`t forget to share your experiences in the comments down below.
