Navigating the Future: 10 Social Media Trends Shaping 2024
As we step into 2024, social media continues to evolve, reshaping how we communicate, shop, and engage with the world. From AI-generated content to immersive virtual communities, these platforms are not just about connecting people anymore; they’re about creating rich, interactive, and, oftentimes expansive experiences. Let’s explore some of the biggest social media trends that are redefining (or continuing to define) the landscape in 2024.
AI-Powered Content Creation:
Artificial Intelligence has revolutionized content creation. Platforms now use AI to suggest content ideas, auto-generate posts, and even craft personalized responses. This trend is not only making content creation more efficient but also more targeted and engaging.
Augmented Reality Experiences:
Augmented Reality (AR) continues to blur the lines between the virtual and real worlds. Social media platforms have embraced AR for filters, games, and interactive ads, offering users a more immersive and engaging experience.
Voice and Conversational Interfaces:
Voice interfaces are becoming a staple in social media. Features like voice commands, voice tweets, and audio chats are gaining traction. Though certain platforms and functionalities (R.I.P. Clubhouse & Twitter Circles) have waned in popularity since the pandemic, the trend still has a lot of steam left in it. These interfaces make social media more accessible and offer a fresh way of engaging with others.
Short-Form Video Content:
The explosive popularity of short-form videos, pioneered by TikTok, remains a dominant trend. These quick, engaging videos cater to the decreasing attention spans of users and are a powerful tool for storytelling and advertising, especially as YouTube & Instagram/Facebook have prioritized their own versions.
Social Commerce:
Buying and selling through social media platforms, known as social commerce, is transforming the shopping experience. With features like shoppable posts, live stream shopping, and integrated checkout, social media is becoming a significant retail hub.
Ephemeral Content:
Ephemeral content like Stories, which disappear after a short period, continues to be popular for its authenticity and immediacy. This trend caters to the user’s desire for real-time, unfiltered content.
Increased Privacy and Security:
With growing awareness about data privacy, social media platforms are enhancing security measures and offering more privacy controls to users. This shift is crucial in maintaining user trust and complying with global data protection regulations.
Social Media for Social Good:
Platforms are increasingly being used for advocacy, awareness, and fundraising. Users and organizations leverage these tools to drive social change, making social media a powerful tool for good.
Virtual Reality (VR) Communities:
The rise of VR technology has led to the creation of virtual communities where users can interact in a fully immersive environment (think Metaverse). These spaces, though still in their infancy, offer new possibilities and expanded horizons for socializing, gaming, and even attending virtual events.
Data-Driven Personalization:
The use of big data and analytics for personalization remains consistent. Platforms continue to utilize user data to curate content, suggest connections, and even predict trends, offering a highly personalized social media experience.
These trends highlight the continuous evolution of social media, driven by technological advancements and shifting user expectations.
Looking for help navigating the ever-shifting social media landscape? Give us a call at 904-355-1766 or contact us today!
Our Top 5 Tips for Social Media Content Generation
Today it all but goes without saying that social media is an essential tool for businesses to connect with their audiences and build an online presence.
But in order to take full advantage of social media, your content needs to stand out from competitors. And with the social media landscape being so crowded, it can be challenging for your business to cut through the noise.
And that’s why we’re here today with the top five tips to generate social media content that resonates with your audience…
#1 — Understand your audience
The first and most crucial step is understanding who your audience is, what they care about, and what makes them tick.
For example, Pew Research Center reported in 2021 that roughly half of all Americans between the ages of 19 and 29 use TikTok, making it a crucial platform if you’re trying to reach a younger audience.
Remember to…
- Analyze the patterns, needs, and preferences of your audience demographics
- Conduct surveys and ask questions
- Engage with your audience to get valuable insights
- And more
The key is to tailor content that is relevant to your audience demographics. It should always resonate with them.
#2 — Create a content strategy
A well-defined social media strategy can help you focus your efforts on reaching your social media objectives. The best way to create a social media strategy is to first identify your goal — and then, of course, develop a plan to achieve them.
To put it all simply, once you have your determined goals, you need to decide…
- How often you will post
- Which types of content you will create
- What channels you will use
- How you’ll measure your goals
- And more
A comprehensive content plan will save you time and ensure your content is consistent and within your brand guidelines.
#3 — Use visuals
Visual content is a powerful tool to attract and engage social media users. Posts with visuals tend to get more likes, shares, and comments compared to those without visuals.
Infographics, photos, and memes can provide extra mileage to your posts. Use high-quality visuals that are aesthetically pleasing and consistent with your brand. Moreover, don’t discount the power of video content.
After all, “91% of active Instagram survey respondents say they watch videos on Instagram weekly,” according to Instagram itself.
#4 — Leverage trends and hashtags
Trending topics and hashtags provide opportunities for businesses to connect with their audiences and boost engagement. They expand the reach of your posts, increase visibility, and help you stay relevant.
Also, monitor trending topics and hashtags that align with your brand and are highly relevant to your audience. But remember, Instagram isn’t the only platform that uses hashtags. TikTok and LinkedIn both utilize hashtags, too.
“Hashtags on LinkedIn help you discover topics and interests most relevant to you, and give you the opportunity to engage with them,” as explained by LinkedIn. “All hashtags start with a # sign, followed by a keyword or phrase. Some examples of hashtags include: #Productivity, #Careers, or #SocialEntrepreneurship.”
#5 — Experiment and test
Last but not least, truly effective social media content creation comes down to experimentation and testing. Experiment with various types of content and utilize the ones that work best for you. Monitor insights and analytics, like engagement rates, likes, and shares, to determine what resonates best with your audience.
It’s important to continuously evolve your social media content and adapt accordingly so that it continues to engage and captivate your audience.
That being said, generating social media content may seem like a challenging task. However, with the right tools, planning, and mindset, it could be turned into an enjoyable task with measurable results.
How to Use Facebook Lead Ads for Maximum Efficiency and Profitability
Are you looking for a way to increase lead generation and maximize the efficiency of your online advertising campaigns? Facebook Lead Ads are one solution that can help.
With easy-to-fill forms, dynamic ads, retargeting capabilities, and integration with third-party apps and services, Facebook Lead Ads make it easier than ever to capture leads without taking users offsite.
Of course, this has been slowly changing up just how marketers and business owners use Facebook, so let’s take a moment to break down the details:
Prioritizing User Experience
First and foremost, Facebook Lead Ads are more trusted because they keep the targeted audience on Facebook as opposed to taking them to a different website. As the user doesn’t leave Facebook, they are more likely to complete the process.
Lead Ads also use pre-filled forms, so all the user has to do is click a button — no need to enter any information into complex forms. This makes Lead Ads much quicker and easier than traditional methods of capturing leads.
“People can simply tap your ad and a form pops up—it’s already pre-populated with their Facebook contact information and ready to be sent directly to you,” according to Facebook. “With just a few taps, they can get the information they want, and you generate a qualified lead for your business.”
Lead Ads also use dynamic ads and retargeting, so you can target users with personalized ads tailored to their interests. This makes Lead Ads more likely to convert people into leads than traditional methods such as email marketing or using website forms.
The Gift of Simplicity
The process of re-formatting an ad to ensure it is user-friendly on both desktop and mobile can be time-consuming. Thankfully Facebook Lead Ads provide an unprecedented level of simplicity for mobile users.
“The app is already set up for mobile users, so you can rest assured that your ads will be, too,” Hubspot explains. “That means that no matter which device your leads view your ads, they’ll be able to complete your form without any issues thanks to its responsive design.”
Additionally, Lead Ads also have the ability to integrate with third-party apps and services. This makes it much easier for you to track and organize your leads throughout the lifespan of your campaign.
Last but not least, according to the Facebook Business Help Center, “these forms also let you include custom questions to help you understand your potential customers and reach your business goals.”
Interact, Don’t Interrupt
Overall, Lead Ads are an efficient way for businesses to capture leads without the hassle of taking users offsite. The form is easy to fill out, and the process is mostly automated so you don’t have to worry about manually tracking leads.
But if you just can’t wrap your head around how to use it effectively — or if you simply don’t have the time to overcome the learning curve — you don’t have to do it alone.
At Mad Men Marketing, our social media team specializes in setting up Lead Ads that maximize conversions while minimizing clicks. Our team of experts will work with you throughout the entire process of setting up your campaign and measuring your ROI for sustainable growth.
After all, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. And what better way to do so than seamlessly integrating your ads into their existing experiences?
So, are you ready to interact? If so, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!
What is a Social Media Advertising Agency?
Put simply, a social media advertising agency is an agency that offers comprehensive services throughout a variety of marketing channels and mediums — with a primary focus on social media, its algorithms, and its trending content.
After all, while social media is just one cog in the proverbial marketing machine, it’s coming to be, well, the primary one.
Thus, here at Mad Men Marketing, we’re currently in the midst of our transition to a full-service social media advertising agency. Here’s why:
The Rise of Social Media…
According to Statista, “in 2021, over 4.26 billion people were using social media worldwide, a number projected to increase to almost six billion in 2027.”
In other words, simply being active on social media is one of the world’s most popular activities.
And if we were to shave it down to the United States, specifically, the University of Maine has found that “72.3% of the total US population actively use social media, totaling a number of 240 million people.”
Consequently, it’s easy to see how and why the advertising landscape as a whole is changing.
After all, marketers want to be where their audience is — and these efforts have absolutely proven fruitful. For example, on Instagram alone, “92% of users say that they’ve acted in the moment after seeing a product on Instagram,” as reported by Hootsuite.
And as the community tides turn in favor of social media, so too will the marketing industry as a whole.
… And the Fall of Traditional Marketing
While television commercials, radio spots, and other physical forms of traditional content are all well and good — and still necessary, depending on the context — they are no longer the bread and butter of the marketing world.
This is because, not only do brands lack real-time interactions with their direct audience and prospective consumers, but traditional marketing is just plain inefficient in terms of making edits and adjustments as necessary.
Additionally, “traditional marketing can also be pricier,” Hubspot explains. “For instance, it can cost between $2,000-$160,000 to run a print ad. Further, you never know who you’ll reach with that investment because results are difficult to measure.”
Not to mention a reported “70% of consumers want to learn about products through content as opposed to traditional ad methods.”
So… why not do exactly that? Talk about a single statistic that puts it all in perspective.
Upward and Onward with Mad Men Marketing
Here at Mad Men Marketing, we’re not just going to help you make memes and optimize your direct engagement with your audience. Rather, as your cutting-edge social media advertising agency, we’re going to help you stay ahead of the game and on top of industry strategies!
Specifically, we…
- Produce a variety of visual content for social platforms. Whether you’re looking to produce a short and witty Instagram Reel or an in-depth behind-the-scenes look at your company for Facebook, we can do it all and more.
- Design eye-catching content that will enhance your brand identity. Our graphic designers won’t just create aesthetically pleasing carousels and banners for your business accounts, but they can also generate infographics, create your new logo, and more.
- Craft compelling copy, both long- and short-form in nature. Need a brief but convincing social media caption? No problem. Or perhaps a longer, more in-depth LinkedIn article? We’ve got you there, too.
And that’s only where it starts.
After all, here at Mad Men Marketing, we are rooted in the belief that brands should interact with their customers, not interrupt them. And social media is precisely where a majority of that magic happens today.
So, are you ready to interact? If so, contact Mad Men Marketing today by calling (904) 355-1766!
7 tips on taking better photos for social media
There are several different components that make up a successful social media page, but one of the most important is quality imagery. As a marketing agency, social media can be one of the best places to engage our audience. That’s why we understand the importance of a great photo.
We don’t need expensive cameras to take quality photos. Our cell phones can take such high-quality photos, and most people can’t tell if they are taken with a phone or professional photography equipment. The camera can’t do all the work, though.
There are a few key tips to keep in mind while you’re trying to capture that Kodak moment.
#1 — Light it Right
Lighting is one of the most important tools you can utilize when taking photos. An easy tip to remember is to ensure your subject isn’t backlit, and that the light is shining down on it directly or coming at it from an upper-diagonal angle. If the light hits it from the back, you’ll be left with a dark, indiscernible green smoothie bowl, which is social media blasphemy.
You can combat this in a few ways:
- The first way is to make sure your light source is coming from behind you (facing the subject).
- You can also take the photo in HDR mode.
- The third option is to fix it in post-production.
#2 — Shoot in HDR Mode
HDR stands for High Dynamic Range. In HDR mode, the camera will typically take two, three, or more photos at different exposures in quick succession, and then blend them together into one image with detail in both highlights and shadow.
Smartphone cameras that have the HDR feature usually offer the option to switch the HDR setting to On, Off, or to set it to Auto-HDR. Having HDR set to “On” tells your phone to capture a high dynamic range image every time a photo is taken.
#3 — Understand Depth of Field
Creating depth of field with your phone camera is a really cool way to up your Instagram photo game. When you’re shooting, always take into consideration the foreground, middle ground, and background in relation to the subject of the photo.
Let’s say you’re taking a picture of a subject some distance away from you and you want the subject in focus and the background blurry — simply tap your subject and wait for a yellow square to appear. Shooting in portrait mode on your phone is a great way to effectively highlight the depth of field, too.
#4 — Learn the Rule of Thirds
Rule of thirds, also known as the golden grid rule, is a technique where a composition is aligned to a three-by-three grid.
By dividing a composition into three grids, we section it into nine imaginary rectangles with four intersections. The focus subject is aligned at one of the intersecting points or close to them. This creates an asymmetry in the composition.
In Settings, tap Camera, and then enable the Grid option. That’s all you have to do to turn the feature on! Your next step is to apply the concept: remember to put important things along the lines.
#5 — Have Fun With Camera Angles
Playing with unique angles can help your photos stand out and offer you a variety of options to choose from when it comes time to post. Angles can create the illusion of depth and height, making your images more interesting to look at, thereby generating more views.
TIP: Try lowering the angle to create a new perspective instead of shooting straight down.
#6 — Use Negative Space Appropriately
Negative space is the area surrounding the main subject in a photograph that is left unoccupied. Basically, it’s the space around the subject that helps define the positive space (or main focus).
Leaving a large amount of negative space in the photo can emphasize scale and simplicity, but make sure you are using it correctly.
TIP: If you’re trying to highlight the subject in the photo, make sure you’re taking the photo close up and filling the frame with the subject. This will reduce the surrounding negative space.
#7 — Tasteful Phone Editing
We could break down each category of editing you can utilize on your phone, but for simplicity’s sake, we want to highlight the three tools that can really elevate your photo:
- Brightness: It’s always a safe bet to bump up the brightness a bit unless your photo is already over-exposed. Indoor lighting rarely provides you with adequate illumination for a decent photo.
- Contrast: Adjusting the contrast ever so slightly helps to make the darks darker and the lights lighter. This can help your image appear less “flat.”
- Saturation: Delicately increasing the saturation will help to bring out some of those vivid colors that poor lightning may have counterbalanced. Make sure to not overdo this one or you will end up with some radioactive colors.
With over 4.6 billion people around the world using social media, online engagement is higher than ever. That is why it is so important to have content that is not only engaging but aesthetically pleasing. Take each one of these tips into consideration the next time you are taking a photo with the intention to post and you’ll look like a pro in no time.
And the Mad Men Marketing production crews are always ready to step in and help elevate your content for you! So, are you ready to interact? If so, reach out to our team today by calling 904-355-1766!