Keeping up with the latest social media marketing trends is no easy task. The moment you think you have it figured out, something changes. You read a social media marketing textbook written in 2022 for a class, only to find out it’s already outdated! In today’s fast-paced digital world, you need to stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re seeking to boost your brand’s visibility, connect with your audience, or enhance your personal branding, mastering the latest trends can be the key to boosting new career opportunities. Ready to take the rapid world of social media marketing to the next level? Let’s go!
To advance your marketing career, it’s vital to stay on top of the latest social media trends. Whether you’re a college student looking for job opportunities, or an experienced marketer wanting to stay relevant and competitive, here are five effective ways to do it without falling behind.
Create Time & Space to Learn
Former social media education is lacking. Because the industry is changing on a daily basis, social media strategists not only need to educate their staff, but themselves, too. Even if they graduated from a university with a degree in marketing, chances are they didn’t receive the proper social media education they needed. While professors plan out well in advance, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with new updates on social media. There is an evident education gap in social media marketing, and there is something you can do about it!
While it may not be a good idea to go back to school for proper training, you can dedicate time in your day for learning. There are ample, easily accessible curriculums, webinars, newsletters, and tools to choose and learn from online that will help you master social media trends. Pay attention to top influencers and brands that showcase their marketing strategy, and stay connected to platforms like LinkedIn, X, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook. Engaging in online communities will offer new perspectives and practical advice on emerging trends.
Experiment with New Features
Keeping a social media presence on every platform seems daunting, but creating content that connects deeply with your audience is key. This may require you to step out of your comfort zone and experiment with new features. The Top Marketing Trends of 2024 reveals that short-form video content will continue to dominate in reaching your audience. A survey by HubSpot found that 53% of marketers are leveraging short-form videos like TikToks, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts in 2024. Experimenting with short-form video features on the platforms listed above will give you an edge by learning what works while others are catching up.
Other popular features to experiment with includes interactive stories, live streaming, augmented reality (AR) filters, and trending songs or memes. Observing what's "in" and following along with new trends can keep your social media content fresh and engaging.
Utilize Social Media Tools
Before you jump into finding the best tools, determine which social media platforms you’re active on and which platforms you want to add in to your future social media strategy. Once these platforms are determined, you’re ready to choose the tools that best support and promote your personal brand.
Utilizing analytics tools will help you anticipate changes and adapt your strategies. Semrush Blog posted the following tools that will help your social media marketing efforts:
Semrush Social Media Toolkit: Management tool to help you manage all aspects of your social media.
Social Content Insights: Social media analytics tool that helps you analyze how your social media content is performing.
InVideo: Video creation tool that allows you to create engaging social media videos.
Canva: Image editor that provides built-in templates for various types of social media content.
Visme: Social media graphic tool that offers built-in templates for easy image creation.
Having the right tools will help you monitor competition, act on trends quickly, stay consistent in posting content, track performance, and create visually appealing content.
Follow and Collaborate with Social Media Influencers
Influencer marketing is crucial. If you are active on any form of social media, it’s nearly impossible to scroll without seeing influencers promoting various brands. Whether it's Instagram, Snapchat, TikTok, or Facebook, social media influencers are effective in keeping your brand in step with current trends. Utilizing social media influencers in your marketing strategy will boost your career and expand brand awareness.
If you are a college student in the beginning stage of your career, start small by following popular and local influencers to learn from. Then step into micro-influencing. Micro-influencers are found to bring more success than if a person or brand were to work with a celebrity. Whatever sparks your interests, start by creating authentic and engaging content that speaks to who you are. Interact regularly with your audience and collaborate with other micro-influencers and small brands. Don’t be shy to reach out to influencers, offering to promote their products and showcasing your ability to help them reach their audience.
For more information on the benefits of social media influencers, go read my colleague Joyce's post about them here.
Reflect Brand's Values
Understanding your own mission, values and goals and showcasing them through engaging content will increase your career opportunities. Customers want to shop brands that align with their own values. To be a successful marketer that captures target audience, it's vital to fabricate every post to reflect the core of your brand.
To better prove this point, 75% of shoppers say they've cut ties with a brand over a clash in values. Building trust with your audience is key as it creates deeper connection and increases customer loyalty.
Conclusion
Trends on social media come and go quickly, and staying on top of it can help you boost your marketing career. It’s not easy by any means, but by leveraging these strategies, you can stay up-to-date and keep up with the ever-evolving social media marketing trends. Giving yourself time and space to learn, experimenting with new features, utilizing social media tools, following and collaborating with social media influencers, and reflecting your brand's values will put you on track to keeping up with social media trends and advancing your career as a marketer.
Resources
Santiago, E. (2024, January 5). The Top Marketing Trends of 2024 & How They've Changed Since 2023. HubSpot. https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/marketing-trends#social-media-trends
Mustapic, B. (2024, August 21). 19 Top Social Media Tools to Use in 2024. Semrush Blog. https://www.semrush.com/blog/social-media-tools/
Fox, I. N. (2021, August 18). Is Marketing Education Keeping Up With Social Media? Hootsuite. https://blog.hootsuite.com/marketing-education-social-media/
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