Diana Perry
Happy New Year! Doesn’t it feel weird to write 2020? Like me, I’m sure you’re wondering where the time has gone and how it’s already 2020. We’ve come a long way, particularly in the realm of social media and technology. We’re at a time where the older generations are joining Instagram, the younger are blowing up TikTok, Firework and Houseparty, developers are working on augmented reality contact lenses, and marijuana is being delivered to your door with Eaze. Boy have things changed in the last decade. Below, I’m going to give you my personal take on social media trends for 2020 and how to navigate them.
Social media will get even more personal – People identify with certain groups and follow hashtags of interest, it’s the whole reason social media started in the first place, to build connections. In order to stand out, capitalize on YOURSELF! Try to get in front of the camera more this year instead of safely shooting behind it. When people can see your face and expressions it creates more emotion and connection. Also, be in the know! In researching stats on my company’s social media accounts, we get a huge response from venturing to the grand opening of stores, new concepts or developments. Oh, and don’t forget to talk about others! No one wants to hear only about what you are doing, share the love and be grateful.
Stories may become the most viewed content - As we know, video has exploded i.e. Facebook Watch, IGTV, YouTube, TikTok to name a few. Personally, I really liked Vine - the six second video platform from 2013 that is no longer, eh hem #FixinSix was my favorite. That aside, since Instagram is the largest growing platform right now, paired with the popularity of video (especially non-stop video of story to story of all your favorite people and brands in one place), I’m betting on Instagram Stories to be the most watched content on social media.
Like count ban! To take some of the competition and pressure off being so well “liked,” Instagram is slowly rolling out the discontinuation of posting your like number on your posts. Instead, it will list a few usernames “and others.” You’ll still be able to see your own like count on your posts, but they won’t be visible to others. So far, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and a few others have already seen the change. I fully support the decision for personal accounts but for the influencers of the world, bloggers and businesses, it’s could be a little discouraging. Ways to combat this change are to be more creative and thoughtful. Spend more time in thinking about the photo or video you’re posting, the angle, the colors, the clarity etc. and make sure your text description isn’t a blanket statement but is educational in some way.
LinkedIn is still loved….and thriving. LinkedIn’s revenue is up 25% as of October 2019, according to Microsoft, who acquired it in 2016. It’s amazing that the social media network continues to add new features and keep a loyal audience of daily active users. I’m still on it every day, posting, commenting, learning about new things. If you haven’t been on in a while, reconnect and utilize all of it’s features including their new event tool in the app.
Fun Fact: Niraj Shah, CEO of Wayfair said, “In the future, you’ll be able to feel texture of fabrics on your phone” at the CBRE Market Overview in Boston on January 9th.
Diana Perry is VP - marketing and social media at Linear Retail Properties, Burlington, Mass.