With over 2.4 billion people on Facebook alone, social media is here to stay. With so many people on these platforms, you shouldn’t sleep on the marketing potential available. What does the future hold for social media?

Check out our guide below to discover 8 rising trends you need to adapt now. Get ahead of the competition as quickly as you can!

1.VR and AR

When you think of social media, you might not immediately picture implementing Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality. That’s about to change in 2020 and beyond.

Snapchat is the first platform to take advantage of AR. Through its service, people can use AR to check what an item looks like when worn before they proceed to purchase. They can virtually try on a pair of glasses, for example.

2.Social Videos

Take a moment to scroll down through Facebook. In mere seconds you’ll get bombarded by videos. They’re quickly growing into the number one type of content people on social media digest. Don’t get left behind – implement videos into your social media marketing strategies!

Keep in mind that videos on social media should be short. There are too many distractions on platforms like Facebook. The shorter your videos, the more likely people will watch them to the end.

3. Social Media for Customer Service

Many companies now shift their customer service to social media platforms. Using platforms like the Facebook Messenger app to answer inquiries and resolve customer concerns is quickly becoming the norm.

Fortunately, even Facebook realizes this trend and already implemented the option to use auto-replies and chatbots.That said, don’t put all your eggs in one basket. You should still have traditional customer service, whether on a personal phone line or chat system on your website.

4. Stronger Influencer Marketing

Did you know 40% of people  purchased a product after seeing their favorite influencer feature it on their channel? This is one of the reasons why you see sponsorships spike in popularity on platforms like YouTube and Instagram. People prefer to buy products if they see it in action.

Influencers also have thousands of followers. If you click with the influencer, you could gain the attention of all their followers too.

5. Shoppable Posts

One-stop shopping is the future of social media. Don’t force people to visit your site through social media portals. Let them shop directly via shoppable posts.

As mentioned, there are too many distractions on social media. You need to be one of those distractions, grabbing people’s attention as they scroll down their feed! Shoppable posts convince people to buy because they instantly think they can purchase and then continue scrolling down.

6. Interactive Content

What kind of interactive content can you try out?

Start with the basics. Introduce polls and conduct Facebook Live videos to host Q&A sessions. These can help you connect with your consumers.

From there, introduce contests on Instagram or Pinterest. Emphasize consumer-generated content to further generate interest and participation. If successful, your campaign on social media could become viral.

7. Chatbots

AI and social media go well together. We already mentioned chatbots above but let’s dive deeper into how they’re one of the top trends of 2020.

Chatbots automate much of the manual work. You don’t need a dozen or so people answering messages on Messenger or Instagram anymore. Let AI handle it for you.

That said, don’t let them run rampant without guidance. Make sure you anticipate the most common questions and program the proper answers for those queries. Make your chatbots smarter to ensure people don’t get frustrated.

8. Temporary Content

Do you want people on social media to have a sense of urgency? This pushes them to panic-buy, an act of “buy now, think about it later” kind of deal. They’ll want to purchase, subscribe, or comment before the perceived time limit is up.

You can do this through temporary content. Facebook Stories are the best tools to use for this. Stories only last 24 hours so advertise limited promos and discounts there. The limited-time and exclusivity can push leads to conversions.

Step Into the Future of Social Media Today!

Social media marketing is never stale. Platforms continue to grow and evolve and so should your strategies. The future of social media isn’t only one thing – it involves multiple moving parts and these 8 are some of the most crucial ones you need to take advantage of now!