Although it may be hard to believe, we have another year behind us and a new year still fresh on our doorstep. This is great news for digital marketers who have been looking back and making note of what trends and strategies worked out in 2018 as there’s still plenty of time to prepare for this year. Going forward, 2019 is poised to make some dramatic shifts in the social media sphere with the integration of artificial intelligence, the use of personalized custom content, and the proliferation of chatbots. In this article, we will explore which social media trends are on the rise in Malaysia for 2019, how they will help your business stay ahead of the competition, and why you need to adopt them as soon as possible.
1. Live Video Will Continue to Be Popular: although live streaming services have been around for several years now, some of the big social media platforms have finally hopped on board. Instagram’s stories, Facebook’s live streaming, and YouTube’s Gaming platform are pulling in massive amounts of traffic. Consumers are far more likely to gravitate towards live streams because they provide a real and authentic perspective or viewpoint of those behind the live stream. Beyond this, those who regularly watch live streams are more likely to purchase items like event tickets, products, and services, because they know how it works or have seen the value of it in real time.
2. Talking to Robots in the Form of Chatbots is Normal: with the novelty of chatbots wearing off, more brands are choosing to use them for customer service roles because they are able to generate qualified leads. Businesses and brands are using robots because they offer a seamless user experience, offer a two-way communication channel that runs 24/7, and are effective for mass communication. When you combine this with the fact that they are incredibly simple to create and can be used across numerous types of platforms, they become a perfect solution.
3. Video Marketing Will Continue to be Massive: regardless of where you go on the net, videos are everywhere and studies show that they account for a massive portion of internet traffic. For marketers, using platforms like Instagram and Youtube to run video ads, get endorsements from social media influencers, and partner with brands is the way to go. To put this in perspective, about 90% of the consumer population uses videos to help them with buying decisions.
4. You Must Invest in Mobile Advertising: according to Stat Counter, 89.7% of Malaysia’s population uses mobile phones and tablets to access Facebook, with Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram following suit. As you can see, the majority of the population use their mobile devices to check social media platforms, and so marketers should take advantage of this with regards to mobile advertising campaigns.
5. Bite-Sized Ad Times: due to the massive amount of video content on the internet, whether that is live video or regular video, consumers are developing shorter attention spans. This means that you, as a developer, need to cater to this and developer shorter advertisements. In 2019, we are going to see shorter ads that are near or below the ten-second mark.
6. Businesses Will Need to Jump Into Paid Advertisements: with Facebook making it very easy to set up advertising campaigns on a budget, and Instagram’s two million plus monthly paid advertisers, it’s really hard to pass up on paid advertising and you shouldn’t. It is incredibly easy to set up ads targeting specific demographics and they are a sure-fire way for getting your message out to the right people. Although print media isn’t dead by any means, digital media advertisements are surpassing print media at an alarming rate.
7. Utilize User-Generated Content: there are plenty of people out there who are willing to use your business or brand’s hashtag in their photos and on their social media platforms if they have had a good user experience with you. This is one of the simplest ways to generate content for your company without doing any work. The bigger your brand or business, the more likely it is that more followers will be encouraged to take part and have their own content reach a larger audience through your business social media platforms. Remember, that when a user posts about your company, it exposes your brand to a wider audience.
Beyond these seven social media trends, look out for the rise of visual search in Malaysia, augmented reality filters, and ephemeral content which is short-lived content that only lasts up to twenty-four hours. If you combine and use the above trends with an effective social media strategy, you are going to be able to surpass your competition while catering to the right audiences in an authentic and popular manner.