IN
OUT
- Overly promotional, inauthentic ads
- Irrelevant and overused hashtags
- Account saturation
- Lack of community management
IN
AI trends
Maybelline and Virgin Voyages are just two examples of brands that have jumped onto the AI trend bandwagon. But they’ve done it well! Hootsuite Social Trends 2024 Survey revealed a 260% increase in how much organisations plan to use AI for editing images – 2024 is the year to partner with AI and learn how to use it to benefit social content and strategy.
YouTube Marketing
YouTube – a hybrid between social media platform and search engine (it’s the second largest search engine in the world!).
Alongside long-form content, YouTube is capitalising on their Shorts feature with over 50 billion daily views. Although this number is relatively small when compared to Reels or TikTok, their growth is strong and YouTube, as a platform, has fewer connotations with data concerns (unlike TikTok).
SEO – on every platform
Looking for a lunch spot? Head to TikTok.
To optimise content discoverability, SEO is key and not just on Google. Business Insider reported that nearly 40% of Gen Z uses TikTok or Instagram for their searches, so striking the balance between engaging, short captions and relevant keywords is a big ‘in’ for 2024 search results.
Micro-influencers
We’ve officially entered the era of the ‘de-influencer’. #deinfluencing currently has over 1.3 billion views on TikTok. It’s no secret that people follow people, but there is a large group who are beginning to see through and lose trust in inauthentic influencers. This is where micro-influencers come in. It’s predicted that these influencers with 10k – 100k followers will continue to be viewed as more authentic by their loyal audience, generating strong engagement rates for branded content in 2024.
OUT
Overly promotional, inauthentic ads
Authenticity doesn’t just sit with the choice of influencer… delivery is key. Avoid overly scripted and heavily produced ads. Instead, tap into the ‘facetime’ style, where followers will feel like they are on a phone call with a friend, hearing about their new favourite product or their latest experience. In most cases, influencers will know their audience the best, so follow their usual content style – there’s a reason why they’re a loyal audience!
Irrelevant and overused hashtags
You’ve perfected the SEO and social balance, don’t ruin your caption with 27 hashtags. Too many can hinder performance: select relevant ones that suit the post, resonate with the audience and are fitting with the brand message. A unique brand hashtag is ‘in’ for UGC and community management overuse is ‘out’.
Account saturation
A presence on every single social media platform is out, especially when it doesn’t fit the brand. Social media platforms are constantly changing so keeping up with more than necessary won’t help results, engagement or the community. It’s better to have a strong social strategy, specifically tailored to core channels, than have a meagre presence on multiple. Each account should be unique in assets, copy and audience treatment.
Lack of community management
Don’t build a following to ignore them. In the long run this can lead to people unfollowing or dropping into the ‘least interacted’ category on Instagram. Duolingo is a great example of a brand that knows how to create a genuine connection with its followers. Show off social presence – interact in the comment section of owned posts and comment on other accounts to introduce a sense of humanity.