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Social Media Marketing 2019 to 2020: What to Know

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Social Media Marketing 2019 to 2020

Social media moves lightning fast with each week, month, and year bringing new twists and turns that directly impact your company’s marketing. Take Instagram Stories for example. Stories didn’t even exist three years ago, yet today is one of the best ways for brands to connect with followers, especially considering one third of the most viewed Instagram stories come from businesses and one in five stories receive a direct message from their viewers.

It’s our job to always stay at the forefront of the social media marketing action, so we’re here to share a few things that happened last year and what to consider in 2020:

1. Goodbye Google+ and Hello (Again) Google My Business

Due to low usage, security issues from data leaks, and ongoing bugs, the entire Google+ social network shut its virtual doors in April 2019. While Google+ may be dead, Google My Business is still very much alive and worth your time in 2020. This free platform allows you to manage your business’s optics in Google Search and Maps, while showcasing your Google reviews. Most importantly, your Google My Business presence can improve your local visibility through Google search, especially if you take advantage of all its features like posts, photos, and reviews. Here are several tips to optimize your Google My Business listing:

  • Ensure your business information is complete, accurate, and matches both your website and all your other business listings on the internet
  • Add your business hours, phone number, website, photos, and Google Maps directions to your business
  • Capture a wealth of Google reviews from your customers – you can’t have too many
  • Keep all of your business information up to date throughout the year

2. Longer Videos on Instagram through IGTV

The launch of IGTV in 2018 made it possible to post videos longer than a minute on the platform, but only within the IGTV feature. In 2019, Instagram gave users the ability to post the first one minute of an IGTV video in their Instagram newsfeed and after that, users have the option to continue watching the remainder of the video through IGTV. Moving into 2020, it will be wise to incorporate long form video through IGTV in addition to standard-length video (60 seconds or less) into your marketing strategy. The verdict is still out on IGTV, but you don’t want to be left in the dust if this trend takes off and it’s always worth testing a variety of content to determine what works.

3. More Reactions on LinkedIn

Let’s take it back to the 80’s for this section – N.W.A or Madonna’s “Express Yourself” – pick your choice and cue the music…

In 2019 we were given the chance to express ourselves in more than one way when reacting to LinkedIn posts! In addition to the standard thumbs up, the platform introduced four new icons in 2019 to make your reactions more personal.

LinkedIn Reactions

Unsure how LinkedIn can help your business? If your company’s target market happens to be in the 18-64 crowd with college degrees and household incomes over $75,000 per year, it’s prudent to have both a personal and business page on LinkedIn. Your personal page is the place to create relationships with your connections. After all, people buy from people they like, so it’s worth the time to build a genuine LinkedIn network. Once your personal page is complete, it’s time to finalize your business page by adding your company details, asking your team to link their jobs to the page, and start posting relevant content. We are BIG fans of LinkedIn and can help you monetize your feed. Get in touch to learn how.

4. LinkedIn Events

Similar to Facebook Events, LinkedIn launched its own event feature in 2019 – a place to create both virtual and physical events for your business. If you have a service or product that could benefit professionals or wish to connect with other professionals in your industry, this feature is worth a try in 2020.  Plus, unlike the more popular Facebook or EventBrite events, LinkedIn Events is still new and fairly vacant, so you have a greater chance of cutting through the noise and reaching your audience.

5. The Most Talked About Topic on Facebook

#InternationalWomensDay (March 8th) was the most talked about topic on Facebook and if you didn’t incorporate it into your 2019 marketing, start planning ahead for 2020. This is an opportune time to highlight the women talent in your company and incorporate a donation element into a March promotion to raise funds for WAGGGS, the Charity of Choice for the day. Mark your calendar now because March will be here before you know it.

These are just a few of the noteworthy 2019 social media trends (for a slew of Instagram updates check out our last blog). The bottom line is this – while it may feel impossible to keep up with the trends, you’re leaving money on the table if you don’t. That’s where we come in. If you’re ready to get paid by paying for social media support for your business and stay ahead of the curve in 2020, scream for our award-winning team here at or call (305) 455-0720. We take the guesswork out of social media marketing so you can focus on your business.