It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone – and what a year it has been! As the New Year approaches, we are excited to revisit a favorite D+P tradition: our social media trends predictions for what is to come in 2020. What new and exciting trends will dominate in the new year? Check out our top three social trends we predict will take over the social media world in 2020.
Members Only: Closed Communities Will Grow
Has this ad come across your timeline or TV lately? Yes, you saw that right – Facebook has rolled out a massive advertising campaign to promote a feature; and it’s not a new, shiny addition to their suite of tools. No, it is an ad for one of the platforms oldest features, Groups.
Today, Facebook reports more than 400 million users belong to a Group. And while the tool itself is not new, how marketers and brands use Groups has become more and more sophisticated. Capitalizing on users shared interests, ideas, opinions and challenges, centralized groups are a great way to bring together current and future customers. In Facebook’s own words, “Sometimes you just want to be with your people. The people who get it.”
Another perk of closed groups? Once members have joined a closed community, brands now have a direct method of communication with their target audiences. In short, these closed groups don’t just foster community – they can become a place to identify influencer users, test new products, get direct feedback, and more.
Expect to see closed groups grow in popularity on social platforms that easily facilitate them already, such as Facebook. And don’t be surprised if social media platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and others begin to release features that enable closed groups to be easily created.
The TikTok Takeover Rages On
When it comes to hot new social media platforms, TikTok took the cake in 2019. In just three years the platform has amassed more than 500 million users worldwide. In fact, there could be as many as 800 million daily users on TikTok, according to a leaked pitch deck from the app.
Whether you’re a fan of viral dance challenges, or you just love short-form comedy videos a-la Vine culture, TikTok truly offers something for every user – and for that reason alone, we should expect to see its meteoric rise to the top of everyone’s social platform lists.
In 2020, look out for lots of TikTok-originated trends to not only rule TikTok, but the whole social media universe. This year’s “Renegade” dance challenge is a great example of this type of domination. The challenge was created by an Instagram user, but then spread like wildfire once a TikTok user performed it on the platform. Nearly three months later, there are hundreds of thousands of TikToks featuring the trend, and even celebrity users have gotten in on the fun.
From a communications perspective, we expect to see TikTok influencers partnering with more brands for influencer activations on the platform. For organizations hoping to tap a younger audience, TikTok’s user demographic offers a treasure trove of Gen Z creators and audience members. Plus, by its very nature, TikTok’s creative tools will surely result in some extremely clever brand and influencer partnerships coming to life in 2020.
P.S. If you missed our recent blog post about TikTok and the creative Gen Zers who dominate the platform as power creators, give it a read!
Here Today, Gone Tomorrow, But Ephemeral Content Isn’t Going Anywhere
What’s this?! A repeat offender? If you are a loyal reader of this predictions blog year over year, you’ll know that ephemeral content made my shortlist in 2019 as well. While we certainly saw a higher emphasis on expiring content, especially on Instagram, it doesn’t seem like that trend is slowing down at all. The addition of more features to places like Instagram Stories, including sophisticated filters, new text and image options, and new content formats continue to breathe life into these short-term content streams.
Plus, as the tools have grown, so too have user behaviors. More and more, we are seeing a trend – the “polished and professional” content is shared on main feeds, like Instagram feed posts – while the informal, fun, and personality-driven content thrives in places like Stories. And why not? If it’s going to disappear in 24 hours, it’s low-risk; and frankly, just plain fun. Have you tried the 6-second blink challenge filter yet?
Happy New Year from Team D+P! If you are interested in learning more about how social media can help your organization’s goals in 2020 and beyond, drop us a line at resteasy@devinepartners.com.
