Digital marketing has become the kingpin of advertising within a very short time, and all businesses worth their salt have realised that this is an area that they will have to devote more time and focus on. With a growing number of mobile users accessing the internet for everything from financial transactions to shopping for groceries, there is tremendous potential to reach a wide and diverse customer base. So what are the most vital and dominant social media trends you need to know about?

1. Augmented Reality will take over

One of the first times Augmented Reality took the world by storm was with the gaming sensation Pokémon Go, in 2016. Having netted more than 1 billion in revenue by now, the game has shown the world that not only are people excited by the prospect of Augmented Reality, there is also a tremendous potential for revenue generation in it. More and more brands are coming out with AR games and ads to cash in on this market. Many videos on YouTube and Facebook come in the form of 360 VR videos. Mark Zuckerberg also confirmed that Facebook is experimenting with augmented reality. They recently acquired Masquerade, a live filter and selfie app for live streaming video.

2. Native advertising is the name of the game

Native advertising is material in an online publication which resembles the publication’s editorial content, but is paid for by an advertiser and intended to promote the advertiser’s product. They have been proven to work much better than traditional display ads, and are more useful for building trust and gaining popularity.

3. Live Videos are gaining popularity

Though it only started in 2016, Live Videos are now here to stay as a social media trend. Facebook, Periscope Pro and Instagram are only some of the top platforms offering this feature to their users, and it is used by brands, celebrities and more. These videos make it to the news, are shared thousands of times, and can be useful to build a reliable and steady customer base for your brand. One of the biggest advantages of live video is that you can be reasonably sure you’re getting authentic content.

As a business or marketer, are you prepared to capitalize on these booming social media trends for your brand awareness and promotion? Give Klientas a call for a consultation regarding how to leverage these tools in the most efficient way.