Social media, since its inception, has moved through phases—especially when it comes to B2B marketing. No doubt, your social media marketing strategy has shifted and evolved in recent years, as it should!

We all know how important it is to keep up with the trends (and the algorithms) to ensure our content not only resonates with our followers but actually reaches them in the first place. But we get it… following these trends and algorithms is challenging, especially when there are so many social media channels to manage and monitor today. 

Globally, there are “15 social media platforms [that] have at least 400 million active users” as of July 2023. That’s a lot of data, insights, and algorithms to keep up with! So we’re making it easy for you. In this blog, we’re dialing in on the top social media trends we predict we’ll see this year. 

Take a look! ⬇️

1. Video is a Non-Negotiable (No Surprise Here)

Don’t lie and say you haven’t lost yourself in a rabbit hole of social media videos once or… 500 times. Whether on personal time scrolling through Instagram Reels, or at work catching up on viral Ted Talks on LinkedIn, we’ve all become enamored with social videos. This means your target audience has too. 

This year, your social media marketing strategy can’t simply have video as a “nice-to-have” add-on. No, video content needs to be a staple in your social media calendar. As a matter of fact, video counts for over 80% (!!) of internet traffic. 

Here’s what we know about video marketing in 2024:

• Vertical videos will dominate as the majority of smartphone users hold their phones vertically.
• Most people watch videos without sound, making captions a must-have.
• Short-form videos (3 minutes or less) will generate the highest ROI, as 51% of marketers report tracking social media ROI based on views and 62% track ROI based on engagement.

2. User Generated Content will be Crucial for Social Media Growth

User generated content is defined by Hootsuite as “any content—text, videos, images, reviews, etc.—created by people, rather than brands.” While user generated content produced by influencers is typically best suited for B2C brands, there are two ways B2B marketers can improve their social media marketing strategy to leverage user generated content:

1. Share your customers’ voice: Record and share your customers as they provide a testimonial and/or review of your brand, product, or service. This will not only arm you with user generated content, but will also add credibility to your brand.
2. Turn your employees into influencers: While your company’s LinkedIn account may have a decent following, your employees’ personal LinkedIn networks could provide you with greater reach than ever before. Incentivize your employees to share company content on their own LinkedIn profiles to get your content seen by their followers.

The results:

• User generated content increases engagement by 50%
• Campaigns leveraging user generated content achieve 29% higher conversion rates

3. SEO on Social Media will Reign Supreme Over Hashtags

While hashtags have long been the go-to tool for enhancing discoverability, search engine optimization (SEO) is set to reign supreme across social media channels. Today, your social media marketing strategy needs to prioritize keywords and phrases over hashtags. Here’s why:

Platforms are increasingly prioritizing content based on relevance, user engagement, and keyword optimization. As algorithms become more sophisticated, incorporating SEO best practices into social media content will help boost your brand’s visibility and enable you to better reach target audiences. In fact, Hootsuite found social media posts that focus on SEO best practices perform 30% better than those focusing on hashtags!

4. People will Use Social Media for Search Queries

Here’s something that may shock you, but not totally surprise you: 40% of people aged 18-24 use social media as a search engine. For instance, instead of typing a search query into Google, they’re searching Instagram, TikTok, or even LinkedIn for an answer. 

Which, in retrospect regarding the previous trend, makes sense. 

If more people are turning to social media platforms to find answers to their questions, implementing SEO into your strategy is going to be crucial to boosting engagement. 

The key here is to, yes, leverage SEO in your social posts, but also make sure your posts are answering key questions for your target users. If your company sells IT automation software, ensure your social posts answer questions that match a searcher’s intent. Below are some examples:

• What is IT automation?
• Which platforms are best for IT automation?
• How can I get started with IT automation?

5. The Best Social Media Strategy will Involve Collaboration 

You’ve likely heard the old expression “There’s strength in numbers” right? Well, the same goes for amplifying your social media presence. 

In 2024, we predict more social media marketing strategies will be fueled by the power of co-marketing and collaboration. 

Recognizing the power of collaboration, brands can embrace partnerships with other businesses to create co-branded campaigns that resonate with and reach wider audiences. Co-marketing not only diversifies content but also expands reach by tapping into the existing followers of collaborating brands. 

By combining forces, brands can pool resources, share expertise, and co-create content that is both engaging and mutually beneficial. Try boosting your social media marketing strategy by:

• Creating co-branded experiences such as webinars or events
• Building co-branded white papers or research reports 
• Tag your co-partners in your social posts to reach their followers as well

6. Artificial Intelligence (AI) will Enhance Social Media Productivity

AI is streamlining processes in all industries and business sectors. We expect that AI will drive productivity and improve the overall efficiency of social media marketing strategies. 

According to Sprout Social’s The CMO’s Social Media Marketing Agenda for 2024, “More than 80% of marketers say AI has positively impacted their efforts, citing benefits like more time for creativity and increased efficiency.” Even HootSuite reports that 61% of organizations’ primary reason for using AI for social media is to reduce staff workload. 

Taking these thoughts into consideration, we expect AI to be a continued driving force in enabling social media teams in 2024.