Latest Social Media Marketing Trends in 2020
By: Madhur Dixit
Tags: Storytelling, Marketing, Social Media Marketing, Digital Marketing, Content Marketing

Digital Marketing

Embrace these Two Game Changing Social Media & Digital Marketing Trends to Take Your Customer Engagement to a Whole Different Level Madhur Dixit Follow Jun 8 · 5 min read

With around 5 billion people using the internet and the number of active social media users touching a 4 billion mark, it is needless to say that social media has undoubtedly become an unbeatable platform for marketing. Companies from almost every industry are embracing this fact and are channelizing their efforts on levelling up their social media marketing practices and engagement with the customers.

Social media is a world in itself and is evolving faster than any other platform when it comes to using it for the marketing activities. In order to stay on top of their game, companies must embrace trends in social media as they come.

The following two most recent trends and best practices are driving customer engagement and helping companies get traction like never before:

1. Content is king, Context is Kingdom and Storytelling is The Royal Guard

Creating attractive and engaging content is no doubt one of the key metrics to success when it comes to social media marketing. However, what is more important is the context in which this content has been used. A same post cannot always be used on all the social media channels by a company to drive its marketing activity. Different content posts should be curated for different social channels targeted on different audiences on these channels. For example, Instagram is a great platform to drive customer engagement and awareness for a particular product. Viewers on Instagram are looking for entertainment and engagement and they do not prefer to be pushed by an advertisement to make a purchase right away. Creating pushy ads for Instagram, for example, might backfire on a company’s marketing campaign. To make sure that the context and the content both resonate with the viewers seamlessly, social media updates or advertisements alone are not enough. A royal guard is needed. I consider Storytelling as this royal guard. Storytelling allows a company to tell a story behind its products and services to the consumer in a given context thus allowing for the content to breathe and flow seamlessly among the consumers.

“Just as a king is no one without his kingdom, his people and his guards, Content is nothing without the Context and the Storytelling.”

Social media apps have understood the concept and importance of storytelling even before the companies looking to market their products on these apps have done so. Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat all are examples of the platforms which have integrated a story feature that allows anyone to upload stories, create engaging posts and polls, ask questions or start a discussion. It is a classic way of community building and the companies which can leverage this story feature would stay ahead of their competition all the way.

Marks and Spencer is a great example of a business that uses Instagram’s story feature very efficiently and drives customer engagement. A proof of Marks and Spenser’s successful use of Instagram story feature is a fact that the following that M&S enjoys is more an organic play than a paid-for one. This is because they produce great content specifically for their audience on Instagram and give this content a beautiful breathable context with the help of visually engaging and attracting storytelling.

Heineken is yet another example of a brand that has got the basics right and mastered the social media marketing game on Instagram. Heineken used its sponsorship of the UEFA Champions league to not just increase sales penetration among loyal customers but also attract new digital customers.

Image captured by Vijeshwar Datt

The brand discovered that many of its consumers watching the UEFA Champions League, which it sponsors, were doing so through digital devices only, meaning they wouldn’t see activations taking place in so-called traditional media. It was found that 8 out of 10 people were following the game on Social media channels. Heineken leveraged this fact to their advantage by starting a UEFA campaign on Instagram using the story feature. This practice not only helped them connect with their existing consumers but also helped them attract new consumers who are die-hard fans of the game in general.

2. Augmented Reality is The New Cool in Marketing

Augmented reality allows brands to create one of a kind, immersive experiences which drive connection and brand-building opportunities. With the help of AR, brands are able to provide virtual tours, hold virtual events and enable customers to try their products virtually without leaving the comfort of their homes.

Nike has always been very innovative and open when it comes to embracing new marketing practices. They have incorporated AR in their marketing practices and customer engagement excellently. In July 2019, they integrated an AR feature in their app in the USA market which allows the customers to scan their feet and get the correct shoe size the first time, thus taking the guesswork out of buying shoes online. This feature is a great addition to Nike app and for the customers to get the correct shoe size and see how a particular shoe would look like on them.

Image Captured by Laura Chouette

Companies such as LVMH and Estee Lauder in the fashion industry could benefit from integrating AR in their marketing campaigns thus providing the buyers a unique experience of trying out clothes, accessories and beauty products in a virtual setting and providing them with a unique shopping experience.

EA Sports in the gaming industry is also leveraging the virtual reality concept in engaging with the gamers, thus providing them with an unforgettable gaming experience. They are using AR to allow the gamers to have an unmatched gaming experience and thus creating a buzz word around the brand. Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson, in 2017, even said that AR is more interesting of an experience for the gamers as compared to the VR.

To make the most out of social and online media, companies must embrace the new trends as they come and should be able to take risks in these campaigns.