Social media took a hit last year, thanks to the Cambridge Analytica scandal centered on Facebook’s security and transparency, along with other privacy and security incidents that users experienced throughout 2018. All this put almost every social network in a vulnerable position. Six months ago, studies were already showing how people’s trust in social media was decreasing and now, according to Hootsuite’s Social Media Trends Report for 2019, research shows that 60% of people don’t trust social media networks anymore.
Social Media Will Be Key for Businesses to Rebuild Trust in 2019
With this in mind, businesses need to start thinking of being transparent on social media and generating quality engagement based on that, instead of just maximizing reach. Because, even though reaching out to lots of people is essential, it’s more important to know that your audience —however big or small it may be— truly trusts you. Trust is the core of every relationship, and it is undoubtedly an important element of marketing.
Promoting Authentic Engagement
These days people are much more aware and careful of whom they are interacting with on social media and also, what sort of information they may be sharing, so building trust is essential to keeping them coming back to the conversation and promote authentic engagement —based on tangible behaviors, not just a few clicks here and there.
Content is still important. However, context is also essential to be able to deliver content that is relevant to your audience while remaining true to your brand. Creating communities is an excellent way to share insightful information with a specific audience that will find it useful, which makes dialogue easier and more likely to occur.
The adjustments you may need to do to your marketing strategy will depend on the kind of business you run and the type of audience you’re trying to reach. There’s no one size fits all. Tailoring your social media marketing efforts to your needs is the best way to go. Contact Impressions Agency today to find out how we can help.
