Social media can make or break a business, and it’s important to stay current with social media trends in order to share the most effective content possible. The first half of 2020 had all social media managers on their toes as businesses shifted their models from storefront to online.
At AZ Media Maven, many of our clients are in the restaurant and hospitality industries. Planned posts were no longer relevant as health guidelines from local governments changed the rules on an almost weekly basis throughout the spring and early summer. The new normal became day-to-day reaction posts to the latest news. That is part of one of the growing social media trends in 2020 – emphasizing the role of your business or your client’s business within your community.
A hotel client, The Rose Hotel, chose to offer discounted rates to frontline health care workers and active National Guard members in ithe Bay Area. The owner of Cuisine and Wine Bistro in Chandler, Ariz., began delivering meals in her own refrigerated truck to Gold Canyon, Ariz., because it is an underserved residential community with only a handful of restaurants.
If there is one particular trend for social media in 2020, it’s that small business owners must react quickly to what is happening in their communities and ensure their social media reflects that. Let’s look at all the social media trrends unfolding in the latter part of 2020:
An Emphasis on Building Community
Building a community around your business isn’t a new idea – it’s something that many people have been doing for years. What sets this particular trend apart from routine efforts, however, is the focus on “marketing tribes.” While the idea of tribes is not a new concept – marketing expert and author Seth Godin dedicated an entire book to the subject, Tribes, (2008) – it’s gaining ground in 2020. The idea is that instead of marketing to a specific demographic, businesses should instead focus on winning over groups of consumers who share the same beliefs and mindset. These groups are known as “tribes”, and marketing to them is often more effective than posting more generic content geared toward a certain gender or age group.
Building a community is a key trend on social media in 2020,
Small business owners with too little time to manage their social media are the key members of AZ Media Maven’s tribe. Who is your tribe? Think of them as your ideal customers, those who are most engaged with your products and services.
For a gastropub, maybe its other foodies who love trying to new places. For an HVAC company, it’s people who need your services for new products and for maintaining their systesm. Find your tribe, and watch engagement increase on your small business social media channels. And that’s a perfect transition into our next 2020 social media trends.
Direct Engagement Key Part of Social Media Management
Business social media often focuses on engaging content. That’s a great goal, of course, but few business owners have time to actually interact directly with the followers who react to their posts. If your business can’t afford a social media manager to handle this for you, then you need to find a manager or knowledgeable employee you trust to assist.
The trend is to speak directly with customers and match your tone to theirs. For some strategies that means creating something like a giveaway or a community challenge and posting favorites as submissions come in while other businesses simply respond to individuals who engage with them online. Either way, the point is to establish a more personal relationship with your audience.
The Rise of Smaller Influencers as a Social Media Trend
While influencers with millions of followers will continue to be popular in 2020, many businesses will be interacting with smaller influencers with a more focused community that matches their marketing tribe. This trend ties in with the emphasis on community, developing your tribe, as well as personal interaction on social media. This means that even influencers with only a few thousand followers will become more valuable to social outreach efforts than in the past.
Create the best content possible this year with these 2020 trends! Give them a shot – you might be surprised at the results. If you need help, AZ Media Maven provides consultations to teach you and your team the best practices in social media management.
AZ Media Maven is based in Laveen, AZ, a suburban village in the greater Phoenix area. Owner Rose Tring has more than 30 years of journalism experience as an editor and writer, many of those years in business news. AZ Media Maven was created in 2012 to serve other business owners in learning how to best use social media and to provide affordable public relation services. Reach AZ Media Maven by emailing azmediamaven@azmediamaven.com, or calling (602) 373-8371.
