6 social media predictions that will change businesses in 2019

For social media’s biggest players, there may be a sense of relief that 2018 is over. Simmering issues with privacy and data integrity came to a boil at Facebook, with effects felt at the highest levels of government. Networks in the crosshairs of congressional investigations have had to reckon with their own power and potential for abuse, while users have been left to question the larger impact of social media on politics, culture, and civic discourse.

What does this mean for 2019? How will users and networks respond to these seismic shifts? How will the way companies use social media evolve in light of changing attitudes on privacy and meaningful connection?

In our annual Social Trends Report, we at Hootsuite surveyed more than 3,000 businesses – from small agencies to huge enterprises – to see how they plan to adapt in 2019. Here’s some of the most salient findings and a look into the crystal ball on what the year holds.

1. Real is back

Waves of scandal have had a tangible impact on people’s faith in social networks. According to Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer Report, 60 percent no longer trust social media companies.

Against a backdrop of fake news and data manipulation, users have grown distrustful of influencers, including celebrities and media personalities. In a major reversal, trust has reverted back to immediate friends, family, and close acquaintances on social media – individuals whose personal credibility speaks far more than the size of their followings.

For businesses, this presents a delicate challenge in 2019. Using social media as just another ad channel – filled with flashy clickbait and promo codes – feels increasingly out of step with social norms and user preferences. Instead, progressive companies will focus less on maximizing reach in 2019 and more on generating transparent and meaningful engagement. And 50 percent of respondents to our survey agreed that personalizing social content will be a key challenge.

Brands like Adidas and The New York Times exemplify this emerging ethos. They’re creating focused communities and sharing insightful, relevant content, then allowing passionate users to connect with one another.

2. Stories that disappear

This shift to more personal ways of engaging on social media is echoed in the type of content being shared. Instead of posting on their news feeds, users are increasingly sharing “Stories” with their network.

In contrast to standard updates, these ephemeral slideshows generally disappear after a day, growing 15 times faster than feed-based sharing. There are more than a billion users of Stories across Instagram, Facebook, WhatsApp, and Snapchat. Facebook chief product officer Chris Cox has noted that Stories stand to surpass feeds as the primary way people share things with their friends in 2019.

Companies seeking to stay relevant on social media will then need to up their Stories game. Two-thirds of respondents to our survey have either implemented Instagram Stories or plan to this year. This means rethinking social updates as less of a static block of text and more of an intimate, often raw, multimedia glimpse behind the scenes.

Integrating video, simple graphics, and a narrative arc is key, but it’s important not to lose sight of authenticity. Pioneers like The Guardian have figured out that less polished and more realistic Stories generate the highest engagement. What’s clear is that Stories are second nature, especially for millennial and Gen Z users, and that the news feed may be ceding its throne.

3. LinkedIn comes into its own

While scandal and controversy have rocked other networks, one channel has quietly trucked along in the background: LinkedIn. The buttoned-down business network passed the 500 million-member threshold in 2018. A content powerhouse, LinkedIn now publishes more than 100,000 articles a week on its blogging platform.

Beefed-up groups functionality, native video, and a new API for integrations with third-party apps all show that these days, the network is far from just a place to warehouse your resume. At a time when other feeds are increasingly filled with toxic rants and viral memes, LinkedIn’s no-nonsense professionalism has a stronger appeal than ever – as witnessed by the accelerating pace of user growth.

Companies that succeed in social media this year will find creative ways to leverage LinkedIn’s unique place in the social universe – at the intersection of the “personal” and the “professional.” A natural choice for B2B marketing, LinkedIn is also increasingly a channel to reach affluent consumers. Of its half a billion members, 44 percent make more than US$75,000 and more than half boast a college degree.

Meanwhile, in a record tight labor market where recruitment is an existential challenge for many businesses, the network also offers an ideal platform to showcase employer brand (i.e. a company’s culture and reputation as a place to work).

4. Group logic

5. Social ads overload

6. Social gets personal

Zooming out