Social media usage is higher than it’s ever been—which means there’s a great opportunity to connect and cultivate your customers and prospects on social.

Like everything else these days, the social landscape is changing quickly, so it’s important to know the most current and important trends and how they affect your business.

Since we love being social with and for our clients, we’re constantly immersing ourselves in new ideas and ways to build social audiences. We’ve gathered the top five latest and greatest tips for you to know right now to ensure that your business shines online!

1. Be ready to pivot.
This year has been unprecedented with its changes and challenges. It’s important to have a solid content strategy planned out for your social media channels. However, you must remain nimble enough to change quickly in response to what is happening in your industry, community or throughout society. Seeming to appear tone deaf on social media can upset your audience, make you seem out of touch and lead to a mass exodus of fans.

2. Organic, or unpaid content, is harder to get through to your audience.
While it’s great that more people are on social media, that also leads to cluttered news feeds. Channels like Facebook have sophisticated algorithms that determine what content shows up on our news feeds to keep them uncluttered. The algorithm favors things like personal connections and video content, which means businesses have to be even more creative when developing a content plan. Furthermore, purchasing paid content has gotten less expensive (at least for now), so with a small budget and smart targeting, you can reach your exact audience without breaking the bank, and see the exact ROI of your investment.

3. The top social media channels are shifting places.
While Facebook still remains the #1 social media platform, its use by marketers is starting to decline. Increasing in popularity are Instagram and YouTube. Also on the decline are Twitter and Pinterest. LinkedIn is still a great niche platform for B2B communication. Early adopters and innovative brands are turning to platforms such as TikTok. The noise from advertisers is very limited, and businesses are employing super fun and creative campaigns. Chipotle, for example, is a TikTok trailblazer, using the platform to fire up their customer base and sales, by using campaigns such as The Lid Flip Challenge.

4. Facebook Live is the most popular platform for delivering video content.
Your fans and followers want to hear from you—yes, the REAL you! Nearly 65% of marketers named Facebook Live their channel of choice for live video. Here’s why: it’s very easy to shoot from your own computer or cell phone, your followers will receive a notification that you’re live, and the live video will automatically be saved on your News Feed for later viewing. Facebook’s algorithm prefers video content so it will be more likely to get shared and seen more, plus your audience LOVES to see and hear you in person. It’s a WIN-WIN and a solid way to make a personal connection with your social family. You don’t even need a script—just be you and speak from the heart!

5. Partner with authentic influencers who can raise the profile and perception of your brand.
Whether it’s a celebrity or leader in your industry, having influencer partnerships can be powerful. However, they must be authentic. How to find them, you ask? Look at your industry and identify thought leaders, event speakers and active social media users who align with your business and brand message. Also, take a look inside your organization. Identify employees who can naturally step into thought leadership roles and become the voice of your organization and subject matter expert in their field. Not only will your business shine, but your employee morale and impetus to share your social messaging will skyrocket.

Want a handy download that outlines our key steps to starting out successfully on social media? Download it here.