As social media continues to be the primary channel of communication, more and more brands are relying on these platforms to reach out to their customers.

While customer attention remains scattered across various social platforms and apps, brands need to evolve and align their marketing strategies as per the changing trends.

As we roll over from 2018 to 2019, let’s take a look at the emerging social media trends and how will these trends impact your marketing efforts. Further, let’s also consider what brands need to do to stay relevant in 2019.

Here are the top social media trends to watch out for in 2019

It’s time to rebuild trust

As the number of users on social media keeps increasing, users are growing increasingly leery of the information they find and consumer confidence in social media is on shaky ground. Information overdose and an overload of paid advertising overwhelms the users. Marketing strategies in 2019 will need to address this and brands will need to focus on building trust by connecting with their audiences on a meaningful level.

It’s all about storytelling on social media

Narrating a story for your brand on social media gives a more human touch to your brand. This opens doors for brands to connect with customers and communicate better. Story telling feels real, immediate and personal. These narratives capture moments and experiences that are shared between the user and a product and if done right, it could help build customer relationships — long term. So, in 2019, evaluate your brand story and ensure it’s inspiring and stands out against the maze of content on social media.

Quality over quantity

Flooding platforms with mediocre and uninspired content and hoping to make a presence will only lead to a marketing disaster. The threshold for gaining customer attention has grown and shall keep growing. Social media marketers need to provide audiences with quality content and that is thoughtfully written and well positioned. 2019 social media trends will revolve around quality rather than abundance and uninspired content.

Segment your social audiences

Segmentation can organize your audience into manageable groups so that you can tailor your messaging according to the preferences of each group. In 2019, the more research you conduct about your audiences, the better you are poised to serve and convert them!

Videos over images and text

Videos are getting really big. A video can communicate way more than a photograph ever could. Videos tend to feel more immediate than text or images. With the attention span of viewers shortening, a video could be the right choice to capture and retain user attention.

Social media is no longer a supplementary marketing channel. Social media is has become a means for businesses to take the opportunity and demonstrate value to their customers consistently. In 2019, brands will definitely use social media to reinforce their voice and communicate more effectively with customers.