Social media marketing is one of the most important marketing strategies for cross-border e-commerce companies, not only to find target audiences and open social media accounts, but also to understand the latest social media trends, from the growing impact of social commerce on the latest social media marketing strategies, and a deep dive into the seven social media trends of 2020, which will certainly drive your business.

1. Where time is spent during the outbreak 

During the outbreak, not only changed the way online businesses operated, but also changed consumer behavior. As consumers spend more time at home and on social networks. Among them, YouTube has overtaken Facebook as the most popular video platform. Data from March 2020 show that YouTube's participation rate is much higher than that of other video platforms. If you don't have a video marketing strategy, it's time to think about it. At the same time, consumers are beginning to accept new family-based interests and hobbies, and engaging content offers huge growth opportunities for businesses. 

2. Start making money from social media videos 

Video became more popular during home isolation. In response, many platforms now offer more video capabilities for businesses. Video streaming, in particular, has surged in demand. The industry's huge market value is $42.9 billion by 2019 and is expected to grow by 20.4% between 2020 and 2027. Recent consumer behavior has undoubtedly confirmed this prediction, with the trend of live shopping recently sweeping the country and consumers flocking to online shopping. More than four million live purchases were made in the first quarter of 2020 alone. At the same time, Alibaba said it plans to recruit and train video workers to sell more products through AliExpress. Data show a 70 percent increase in video views from February to March, so Instagram is also improving its video capabilities to encourage video creation by allowing ads to be shown in the long videos on its Instagram TV service, with 55 percent of that revenue going to creators.  

3. Social media trends: Niche platforms are becoming increasingly popular 

Of course, Facebook is still the king of social media. If done well, Facebook ads can be a lucrative marketing channel. However, the latest social media trends suggest that, although small, platforms are emerging that deserve special attention.  TikTok is one such platform. As a result of its efforts to expand its user base and increase the time users spend, users worldwide are spending 210% more time in TikTok than in 2019. Reddit is another increasingly popular niche platform. Although it has been around for 15 years, it is rarely seen as an important marketing channel. This is where the latest social media trends prove. Reddit has grown significantly in 2019. The number of monthly active users on Reddit rose 30 percent year-on-year to 430 million, and its monthly views grew 53 percent. All this makes it clear that businesses need to seriously consider making Reddit part of their 2020 plan.  

4. Social business is the future 

If previous social media trends haven't convinced you of the power of social commerce, how will they impact you today? Of all Gen Z Internet users in the U.S., 55.2 percent said their recent fashion shopping was social media-inspired content. Millennials were similarly inspired, with 50.6 percent buying fashion items online after browsing social media. All in all, more than half of all Internet users between the ages of 14 and 34 have recently purchased items related to online fashion through social media. Meanwhile, three-tenths of businesses said they had implemented a social business plan or were considering doing so in the next 12 months. 

5. The question of authenticity in social media marketing 

More and more consumers see authenticity as an important factor in determining which brands they like and support. Statistics show that 90 per cent of consumers now put brand authenticity first, up from 86 per cent in 2017. Authenticity is also particularly important for younger generations, especially Gen Z and Millennials, who prefer visual, original and authentic content to older people.  

6. Social media as an engine of discovery 

This is one of the latest trends in social media, which plays a huge role in consumers' entire purchase process. Consumers are increasingly relying on social media for purchases. According to a recent study, a quarter of consumers use social advertising and recommendations to reach out to new brands and products.  In addition to passive consumption, consumers also take an active approach to discovering new products. Statistics show that 43% of consumers study products online through social media networks. And there's an age trend: younger generations tend to look for products more frequently on social media than older ones. 

7. Customer service through social media 

One of the latest social media trends: Consumers are increasingly using social media to address customer service-related issues. A recent study found that three out of ten consumers use social media to communicate with companies. Most people who do this see convenience, 24-hour service and ease as three major benefits. 

Whether you want to adjust your social media strategy or just want to learn about the latest social media trends, the seven social media trends listed above will no doubt help you understand how your customers interact with social media and learn about the latest social media marketing trends to stay one step ahead of the competition!

(Source: Cross-border e-commerce Blair)