Overall, 2018 hasn’t been one of

Speaking of data scandals, is it just me or has Facebook become 2018’s biggest villain? After launching in 2004, the social media behemoth has basically dominated the industry, but its public image has not recovered since the Cambridge Analytica scandal broke in the first half of this year when it was revealed just how much of our data Facebook has harvested and used. It has since lost 30% of its value and been called to appear countless hearings – so many that its CEO Mark Zuckerberg has stopped even attending – further cementing his meme status as ‘social media baddie’. Gulp.
But even with all the negativity this year, social media isn’t going to go anywhere.
I firmly believe that 2019 will be the year that sets this change in motion.
According to Social Media Today, one of the key trends of 2019 will be exciting new technologies becoming increasingly incorporated into social media strategies, in
As we see these exciting changes start to shape our use of social media, here are the three resolutions you need to make for the coming year:

Actively engage with your community
As you probably already
(By the way, if you are getting loads of direct messages and it’s getting difficult to respond, however, Instagram now has a ‘Quick Reply’ feature which allows you to write blanket replies to questions you get asked all the time. To do this, click Settings>Business>Quick Replies then click the ‘+’ button in the corner. You will then be prompted to write a message and a ‘shortcut’ – which has to be a single word with no space. When you then receive a message you simply need to type in the shortcut and you will be prompted to use the message you’ve written out – simple as.)
But this kind of engagement isn’t enough anymore. More and more businesses join social media each day, so it’s getting harder and harder to grow your community. That’s why in 2019 it’s crucial that you make sure you are putting aside time each week to seek out and engage with potential customers and followers.

Some ways of finding your community
And it’s not just potential followers you should be engaging with, make sure you take the time to interact and engage with people who already follow you. There are so many new features on stories that make this engagement easy too, such as asking a question, taking a poll or creating a video – that way you build your own little, dedicated community.
Pro tip: Just following or liking one image isn’t enough, make sure you are liking several images and commenting to ask engaging questions or, better yet, interacting with their Instagram stories.
Embrace video content
In 2019, 80% of all web traffic will be made up on video content, so it’s a trend you cannot afford to not get on board with in the coming year. Not least of all because 65% of ad impressions are now a result of video content.
You’ve probably noticed that when you’re scrolling through your news feed your eye is immediately drawn to the videos that automatically play – this is because they are instinctively more
And video content has never been easier to produce or share, Instagram alone gives you to option to post in the feed, use stories, go ‘live’ and now use IGTV, a feature which was launched this year.
As daunting as the thought of creating video is, here’s a few ways you can ease yourself into it:
- Start by incorporating videos into your stories. Stories are only shown for 24 hours and overall have more of a casual feel
- Introduce yourself/your brand in a simple talk to the camera style IGTV video
- Go Live but for something specific (an event, workshop, training), where the focus isn’t necessarily only on you
Check out in more detail just how important video content is going to beand how you can utilise it in your social media strategy by reading my blog: ‘It’s all about video content’.

Above all, be authentic
This is the best advice I can give everyone, both brands
Saying that, I completely understand why you would want to use platforms, especially Instagram which is all about ‘image’, to show off the shiniest, best version of yourself. But if you just post about what’s perfect it’s likely youwill end up with a feed that’s simply monotonous, not to mention one that makesyou feel not-so-good about yourself. Instead, show off you and your brand’s personality and what makes you unique, as well as sharing some of the difficulties you’ve overcome.
I went to see a talk by one of my
If you’re not sure where to start when it comes to showing off

2019 promises to be a really exciting year in social media, and I, for one, cannot wait to see what it throws at us. Of course, I will be constantly changing mine and my client’s social media strategies to keep up with the disruption (and guess what? That’s exactly what I love about working in social media!). And in true social media consultant style, I’ll be keeping you all updated with the changes, as well as giving helpful tips and letting you know how I’m getting on my Instagram (@leilamichelesocial) and Facebook (Leila Michele) pages.
Oh, and have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Best of luck with all the projects you’ve got going on in the coming year, let’s make 2019 ours!
