Social media has been the forefront of digital marketing for some time now, continuously evolving to improve consumer experiences. And while there’s users who don’t necessarily log in with the intent to buy a product or service advertised on these various platforms, social media has become a more interactive way of creating that opportunity.

Since most consumers spend a good portion of time on social media every day, it’s important for marketers to take advantage of these platforms to connect with their target audience. Here are some of the top social media marketing trends to stay on top of this year.

Video Content and Stories

While major video-sharing platform YouTube has been around for nearly 15 years, the use of video content has become an increasingly preferred method of marketing on social media platforms. Videos are informative for users who want to learn more about a product or service, and the use of visuals is more enticing than reading.

Although users are spending more time on social media, the content they want to see is preferably short and sweet. We see this with Story Time, which became wildly popular on Snapchat and is now on Facebook and Instagram as well. This allows users to make a post that is only up for 24 hours, enticing other users to view it before it disappears. Brands can include product promotions or advertisements, giving users the opportunity to shop without leaving the platform.

Videos with a short duration allow users to scroll through one after another, allowing them to watch more content in a period of time. One video platform that has utilized this concept to their advantage is TikTok, where users can make videos up to 60 seconds. Marketing ties into the trend where users reviewing products and showing how they work, in hopes their video will get on the trending page. So brands are profiting off of this platform solely from users who just want to share what products they like.

Local Targeting and Augmented Reality

A major way brands can get more recognition through social media is from local targeting. Instagram has lots of influencers that get paid to promote locations, clothing brands, or other consumer goods. This creates recognition and demand for other users to want to buy the products advertised, or visit the location if they add a geo-tag. Geo-tagging is a way to reach a target audience by adding the location of a business to a post, so if you want to promote your brand, adding a geo-tag allows people in the area to search your location and check out your product or service.

While geo-tagging works to bring in consumers from social media to actual locations, augmented reality (AR) incorporates a visual reality for consumers to view, creating a more interactive experience. 360 photos are a way for brands to take more interactive photos, where users have to move their phone to see the whole image. Snapchat and Instagram feature popular AR photo filters, where users can choose from various face altering filters to use over their photos. AR videos are useful for brands to show how to use a product through an interactive demo. AR is likely to become more popular for user’s interactive experience, opening more possibilities for marketers.

Personalization for Meaningful Connections

Social media users have created their own communities by having groups -either public or private- to share or talk about common interests. And although brands want to reach to as many customers as possible, this allows for a more direct approach of marketing to a group of people. Brands can advertise more directly and gain customer insights, allowing for a more meaningful connection between brands and consumers.