2018 was an important year for all social networks, filled with many positive and negative events that changed the way brands should use them.

We've learned our lessons and are sharing with you the new trends for 2019 to keep in mind when planning your marketing strategy this year:

Influencer Marketing: Micro and Nano Influencers

Influencer marketing is becoming an essential part of the marketing mix and for this reason companies are increasingly researching and selecting the right social media influencers to be their brand ambassadors. As influencer marketing grows, however, "big" influencers often become too expensive for most small and medium-sized businesses. That's when micro-influencers come to the rescue, balancing interest in influencer marketing with the right budget.

And even though micro-influencers don't have the reach of the stars, they still have a big impact on their followers. And because of this, if you've chosen the right influencer, even 40,000 followers can be an audience that's quite sufficient for your business. For example, a food brand can achieve very good results with a food blogger who has gained popularity as an online chef, who has 30,000 followers and for only one-twentieth of the price you would spend on a top chef on social media.

And while micro-influencers are cementing their place in the business, the same is happening with nano-influencers or influencers who have under 10,000 followers. They may have a small number of followers, but they still have a big impact on them - through their work, their online presence, or their passion for a particular industry or topic.

Nano influencers don't have the claim of a big budget because they are still new to the world of influencer marketing and are looking for partnerships that respect their values and could exist for the long term, and besides, you can reach them easily because they aren't inundated with thousands of messages daily.

Social networks and sales

Social networks are increasingly helping consumers understand and become familiar with a particular product. Today, everyone knows that companies that invest in social networks to showcase their products and services are much more successful than those that choose not to. According to Mary Meeker's report on internet trends in 2018, 55% of respondents have checked out a product on social networks that they later purchased, with Facebook being the network where most people discover new products, followed by Instagram and Pinterest.

Don't tell stories, post them!

Stories are everywhere! Visual content in a vertical format, usually only visible for 24 hours, was popularised by Snapchat and was soon copied first by Instagram and then by everyone else to finally become a global trend. Currently, more than 400 million people post stories on Instagram every day, while Facebook is still trying to integrate them into our daily lives.

And what makes stories successful?

• They're easy to create
• They're captivating
• They don't need to be processed or planned before they are posted
• They rely on authenticity
• They're fun
• Aren't particularly long (which is one of the main reasons for Snapchat's success)

Videos, podcasts and live stream

The content, however, goes far beyond what is described above - videos and podcasts are also a huge success. From the rise of YouTube to the advent of IGTV, videos have become an increasingly popular method of communication. So much so that Facebook even tweaked its algorithm so that videos appear more prominently in our feeds.

Video marketing is beneficial for both brands and consumers, who find videos to be far more attractive content than photo posts, and it's only a matter of time before they take over the social networking world completely. That's why 2019 will be the year that more and more brands experiment with a different experience in terms of their video presentation.

Virtual reality

Virtual reality can make brand messaging more engaging, fun and effective. For example, if you want to try on a pair of glasses online before you buy them, it's possible thanks to virtual reality. Facebook has invested a lot of money in this technology to make the web more realistic. Looking forward to it!

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