In the world of social media, everything is constantly changing.

If you’re not proactive in staying up-to-date on the latest trends, technology, and software, it’s easy to fall behind. In one day your entire social strategy can change. As such, it’s critical to remain adaptive and flexible.

Here are the top ten new tech toys for social media pros to integrate into their campaigns this year.

10. Chatbots

Incoming messages to your brand’s social channels need a response. What if your organization receives an overwhelming amount of inquiries that an individual or small team is ill-equipped to handle? The answer is chatbots. Chatbots are artificially intelligent programs that carry a conversation via text to answer basic questions or guide users to helpful information.

9. Social listening

New and updated versions of social listening tools are constantly coming out. Social listening tools are a key component of audience research and allow you to track, analyze, and respond to conversations about your company or brand digitally. A few of our favorites include Awario, Tweetdeck, Brandwatch, Zoho Social, and Meltwater.

8. Stories

Whether on Instagram or Facebook, stories are still going strong. Stories, or a collection of images or videos that disappear after a certain amount of time, are a unique way to connect with your audience on social platforms. Think of this method of content sharing as a brief, engaging moment to connect with a potential consumer in order to draw them further into your brand.

7. Filters

Everyone loves a creative face filter or augmented reality overlay. These are fairly easy to customize, for instance Snapchat geo tags and filters are marketed to organizations and individuals with upcoming events. When users choose to use and share your branded filter they’re essentially giving you free promotion to their followers.

6. Video software

Visual-first is a fresh trend that’s proved it’s here to stay. This makes sense given how the aesthetics of content creation are one of the primary driving forces behind increased engagement on social platforms. If you need proof, just look at how successful Instagram, a visually-centered app, has become. Video marketing is appealing for both brands and users who appreciate stand out content. Now is the perfect time to invest in high-quality video equipment and software.

5. Live video

In a similar vein, live video is projected to become a dominant social media trend for 2019. Live video is a more spontaneous, genuine interaction with audiences that promise a lot of return for brands when done right.

A good place to start is with OBS Studio, a free software that allows users to broadcast live to YouTube. Start simple and then explore the customizable options that will truly set your live video clips apart from others.

4. Influencer marketing tools

Influencer marketing is a well-established element of campaign creation and brand sponsorships. However, with a growing market for the top influencers, the prices also keep increasing. To combat this, small and medium-sized brands should consider tapping into the micro-influencer market. Micro-influencers have just as much pull on their smaller followers as some larger celebrities, so long as they’re targeting your core audience.

Search for influencers based on their bios, reach, and other important stats by using influencer marketing tools like BuzzStream, BuzzSumo, Upfluence, and FollowerWonk.

3. Augmented reality

It’s only a matter of time until we see augmented reality (AR) more widely used in our day-to-day lives. AR is a unique way to facilitate the customer experience by making it more engaging, fun, and actionable. In fact, brands are already tapping into this new avenue of marketing to increase sales, such as clothing stores allowing virtual try ons.

2. Social ads

Social media advertising allows brands to create social ads in multiple channels to serve varied purposes in campaign and promotion efforts. For 2019, increase your social ad spend, but make sure not to rely too much on a single platform for organic or paid growth. Spread your budget over several platforms, like social networking or microblogging.

1. Data breach prevention

After a turbulent year of data breaches and compromised information sharing, a large portion of the population is growing disillusioned with social networks. Privacy concerns have made everyone realize that trust is crucial to maintaining loyal consumers. Make sure to proactively protect the information of your customers by creating a privacy-centered strategy and investing in early detection software.

by Catalogs.com Info Guru Samantha Rose