Happy New Year! This is our first episode for 2018, and this is the time of year where we like to think about our goals, plans and marketing for the year ahead. But with so many options available, it can be very confusing to know what to focus on.

If you’re wondering what trends are going to be worth leveraging in 2018, this is the episode for you!

Instagram stories

The past year has seen a dramatic rise in the usage of Instagram Stories, which has now surpassed its rival Snap Chat with over $200 million users. This relatively new feature has seen the way people use Instagram change significantly, with a lot of people preferring to use Stories rather than look at the traditional Newsfeed.

We expect to continue to see this trend rise with Instagram Stories, with new features being rolled out such as Stickers, Polls, the ability to tag people and geolocations offering fantastic organic reach for users.

So now is a great time to think about how you might integrate Instagram Stories into your social media plan. In fact, our next episode is going to be completely dedicated to creating amazing Instagram Stories, so stay tuned for that one!

Social media advertising 

Digital advertising spend has now overtaken TV sales in the US, and Facebook has over 5 million advertisers on their platform. This indicates the importance of social media advertising on this channel.

The time of organic reach on social media is over, which is why you need to dedicate some marketing budget to social media advertising in order to reach your audience in 2018. Social media advertising is still a relatively affordable option. However, this is going to become more competitive and more expensive as more advertisers jump onboard.

Put simply, social media channels are running out of space to show ads and content due to the amount of content currently being produced by users and businesses. Putting money behind your content won’t necessarily translate to reach and results. So it’s really important that you focus on your ad creation, your content, your budget and your targeting. Getting all those things right will make sure that you don’t waste your advertising dollars.

Video content 

Video content will continue to take centre stage in the social media world. There’s no doubt that throughout 2017 video has been a huge trend in social media. It’s predicted that by 2019 over 80% of all internet traffic will come from video.

Social media platforms are giving huge preference to video content in the newsfeed, making it one of the highest performing content types when it comes to reaching an audience. Read or blog to learn more about content ideas and themes for video.

So there you have it! Those are our top tips for your social media plan for 2018, and we really hope they help you succeed in the new year!

Now, we’d love to hear from you. What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to social media? Leave us a comment below because we love to know.

Thank you so much for watching and I’ll catch you next time on The Digital Chronicle.

Need help with your digital marketing?

Chronicle Republic Communications is a boutique Sydney marketing consultancy for real estate, property and interiors professionals. We specialise in social media, content marketing, email marketing, blogging, search engine optimisation, social media advertising and much more!

If you are looking for social media for real estate, property or interior design our digital marketing experts can help you bring your brand’s story to life.

contact-us-2