The Future of Social Media Advertising

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T8Pftl5uRuE

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With 2.37 billion monthly active users and 330 million monthly active users respectively, it’s clear that Facebook and Twitter are dominant in the social advertising space. Marketers in most industries are wisened to the benefits of advertising on these platforms. Their constantly changing nature, and algorithms, have some stumbling after the last trend to catch up to the next. Here’s what you need to know about the trends affecting your social media advertising campaigns.

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Deeper Personalization

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Personalization used to mean starting an email with a person’s first name or serving up an ad to someone in the right region of the country. These early iterations of personalization, like merge fields and geotargeting, have conditioned consumers to expect a lot from companies. Buyers want to be known by the brands that can provide them with solutions, and this means going even deeper into personalization.

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We’re getting closer but there are still deeper layers to the personalization cake. In the future, we can expect to see advertising options that allow marketers even more access to their audience’s behaviors, motivations, and even emotions - all in the name of giving them what they want when they want it, Ariana Grande style. For some, this is extremely creepy, but for marketers, it’s marketing magic. Despite the invasion of privacy, many consumers like this trend as they can get tailored solutions that they enjoy without having to sift through those that are not.

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AR, AI and Chatbots Galore

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Of course, a future-focused blog post has to include mention of augmented reality (AR), artificial intelligence (AI), and chatbots. These technologies are steadily becoming more common among every industry, and advertising is no exception. AR is already in use on many social platforms, like when you use filters for photos, but this will likely transcend into advertising as well. B2C companies, like retailers, could use this technology to allow shoppers to interact with their apparel via online ads, even virtually trying on the merchandise, as one example. It may just provide a whole new level of interaction in advertising that is yet to be uncovered.

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AI and chatbots already power many companies’ conversations via live chat with customers and prospects. These handy robots are also likely to be used in advertising as well. We’re betting on a future of dynamic ads, in which back-and-forth dialogue between customers or prospects and chatbots are the norm, or where these technologies are used to move those who click on social ads through the early stages of the sales process.

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Influencer Advertising

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Social media has created a brand new category since its inception; that of “influencers.” These individuals have large social media followings and their opinions, therefore, reach their large audience. There’s already a significant amount of celebrities who get paid to promote products on their personal social media pages, and that will undoubtedly continue.

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The next wave of influencer advertising is more likely to be on a tier below celebrities. Marketers will likely set their sights on micro-influencers who hold sway with very particular groups of people, and will promote their products or services in a way that does not scream ‘advertorial.’ This approach is more grassroots in nature, and can be just as successful as the higher-priced, bigger-name promotions we’re used to seeing.It’s fun to think about how trends in social media advertising have changed over the years, and how they’re going to continue to evolve in the coming few years. A marketer’s best bet is to keep an eye on social media and marketing trends, and consider using those that align with your organization’s growth strategy. If you need help defining with any stage of your marketing plan, contact us anytime.

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Key takeaways:

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• FB and Twitter ads are here to stay

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• Personalization isn’t just for monogrammed totes from Lilian Vernon

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• Chatty bots, AI, and AR are going to get creepier, and more helpful

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• Influencers get micro-sized