Digital media is always advancing, and many clients are wondering where social media is headed next. Considering all the platforms are now available to us at our fingertips, it’s important for us to keep on the pulse of what’s happening next.
TikTok Takeover
TikTok is emerging as one of the primary platforms for advertising so much so, many of the more established platforms such as Facebook and Instagram are addressing these new trends. This is creating a more robust and competitive market for social media ads.
Creative format is becoming more critical than ever. As video ads are becoming more prominent, it is important for each social ad to quickly catch a viewer’s attention. With the hype of influencer marketing, best practices include making ads appear to be from a user perspective, thus creating a more organic experience from the ad. TikTok has been a major component in this style of advertising, emphasizing the importance to stimulate your audience’s senses. The platform also recommends framing your content in a 9:16 ratio while using hi-res footage.
According to TikTok, TikTok is the only platform where ads with sound drive significant lifts in purchase intent and brand favorability. Music or voiceovers can set the tone of your brand’s look and feel while revealing more details or adding surprise elements to your story. Sound can make your content sing, and TikTok’s brand-ready commercial music library and custom music services can put you on the right track.
TikTok Facing Global Roadblocks
Although TikTok is blazing the way for best social media advertising practices, it might be coming to an end just as quickly as it emerged. Countries all around the world including the U.S. are trying to ban the app. Why is TikTok worrisome to governments? It all boils down to phone data being sent to China. India was the first country to ban the app entirely. Following that, countries including Britain, Australia, and Canada have banned the app from all official devices.
As of right now, almost a dozen U.S. states have banned TikTok on government issued devices and many colleges have blocked the app from campus Wi-Fi. Although congress is pushing to ban the app entirely, nothing has been set in motion to do so.
BeReal: The New Kid on the Block
BeReal is another up and coming social media platform. This app is where users post to their close friends once a day when the user receives a notification. Users can only see their feed after they post. What makes this app stand out from the rest? There is currently no form of advertising allowed on this app which makes it one of a kind. BeReal takes pride in not having ads and is not planning on adding them any time soon. Instagram and TikTok have released copycat features but, the intention behind this app is to create a more organic way of social media. No editing, just “BeReal.” Is it a fad or will they become the next big platform?
Overall, the future of social media advertising is set to become more customized to each consumer. EXL Media’s digital team continues to monitor, test, and analyze emerging trends, opportunities, and challenges within social media.
