Facebook remains a powerhouse marketing tool for your business. With 1.56 billion users each day, this social media icon is much more than a meeting place for friends – Facebook is an essential platform for brand promotion. Whether your business is large or small; national or international, a smart marketing plan on Facebook will ensure that you are best utilising this popular platform. In this blog we guide you through the top trends in Facebook marketing for 2020 to keep you at the top of your professional game.

1. Video killed the radio…

Across all social media channels, video continues to reign supreme and with all the different types of video out there, which should you focus on? Live video is the one to pounce on for 2020 and here are the reasons why:

• It’s engaging: If a great photo can speak a thousand words, then just imagine what a live video can achieve. With so much content to choose from, giving your audience a real-time glimpse into your product and business gives your brand an authentic feel that draws users in.
• Quick gratification: Users want their content and they want it now so with 70 million other businesses to compete with, you need to stand out, NOW. Live video allows people to see what is happening in real time and participate in the action, something that static video can’t offer.

2. The Story is still key

In late 2018, Mark Zuckerberg predicted that Stories would be the future of social media and clearly, he had the crystal ball. Quick refresh: a Facebook Story is visual content that is only available to the recipient for 24 hours, at which point it is saved in a stories archive (which only you can see). Stories are successful because their time limit gives them a sense of urgency and allows your audience to engage with them, as opposed to static advertisements. Including them in your marketing campaign is smart for a few reasons:

• It’s in the social media family: Stories are used widely across all the major social media players – Instagram and Snapchat in particular – and some stories can be shared across media platforms, meaning more bang for your buck. For example, a story on Instagram can be set-up to instantly share with a Facebook page, and with 500 million Instagram users viewing stories each day, that is traffic you definitely want directed your way. 
• Location, Location, Location: Stories appear at the top of users’ Facebook app, which is a prime place to be indeed. They also stay at the top of the screen as users scroll through their newsfeed, meaning that they can’t help but see your brand and what you have on offer.

3. Authenticity

This might not seem an obvious trend, but followers are increasingly attuned to what feels like a real story, as opposed to a blatant cry for attention or cash, and this applies to marketing campaigns. Simply put, authenticity equates to honesty in the eyes of consumers and with thousands of other companies vying for your audience’s attention, a trusted brand is something worth fighting for. Here are a few tips for gaining and maintaining authenticity on Facebook or any social media site:

• Be relevant: Consumers are smart and keyed into current trends. Tying your marketing into hot topics will demonstrate that your business is listening and responding to the flavours of the day.
• Create feedback loop: Whichever way you choose to interact with your audience, whether through conversational posts, Q&A sessions, or live video – always be listening and gearing up for a response. People want to feel heard on social media and the best way to do this as business is to have an ironclad feedback loop in place that clearly demonstrates how much you value your followers.
• Be you and be consistent: Spend as much time as possible on creating your individual voice on social media. It goes without saying that you want to stand out as a brand, so put in the effort crafting your unique look and feel and be consistent post-launch. Consumers can smell a gimmick or fake a million clicks away, so take your brand personality seriously.

4. The Attribution Tool

Whether your Facebook marketing is booming or busting, you will want a way of tracking what ads are working best – say hello to the Attribution Tool. The primary benefit of the Attribution Tool is to identify the touchpoints that result in conversions or, in other words: achieving what that advertisement has set out to do.  If you don’t have one yet, set-up a Business Manager account on Facebook and start tracking conversions based on pre-set measures or creating your own. By tracking your most successful advertisements, you can see the drivers behind purchases and engagement and ultimately, hone your marketing model to best connect with your customers.

With these creative tools under your belt, Facebook will be a fantastic channel to more effectively reach your audience and keep them interested. In a world dominated by social media, make it go to work for you and your business by staying across and implementing the latest trends. Be sure to contact us if you have any questions – we are always happy to hear from you!