REGISTER NOW: Uncomfortable Conversations: The Skills Crisis

Tell Me More

REGISTER: 8THIRTYFOUR Skills Survival School Founding Cohort

Save My Spot

Follow Us

Linkedin Instagram Facebook Youtube
CLICK ME

There's a New Gen in Town: Social Media Trends in 2018

Share the goods.

Multiple young people hold phones while sitting on a bench with white text that reads, "There's a new audience in town."

As 2017 comes to a close, we’ve covered the latest trends in the worlds of SEO and marketing, so it only makes sense we would continue our streak and cover upcoming trends in social media.
While the social world is always changing, 2018 could hold changes we never imagined, like augmented reality and virtual hangs. If you’re a marketer trying to connect with your audience (or help clients connect with theirs) via social media, here are a few trends you should watch out for.  

Gen Z Is In

Dear Millennials, there’s a new audience in town. While Millennials are now buying houses, having kids and taking over the workforce, Gen Z is 22 years old, graduating college, and entering the labor force. As they begin to work, they will soon be the generation with increased buying power.
So, while we’ve all spent a long time identifying what Millennials want, it’s time to shift our focus to a generation that is all digital. Brands should recognize this and begin to shift their social media strategies accordingly as they look to connect to Gen Z.

Instagram Stories

We already mentioned this when we talked about marketing trends, but it’s worth mentioning again. Instagram Stories is just one year old, and it’s already surpassed Snapchat by 50 million users. Clearly, they’re doing something right. From filters to content editing, Instagram has all the features of Snapchat and more (like live video and Boomerangs!). Brands that have been trying to connect with Instagram users and having poor luck should take the time master Instagram Stories. Instagram can provide a growing platform, a growing audience, and highly engaged users.

More Supervision

For a while, Facebook seemed to be a free for all when it came to ads, fake news, and sketchy clickbait. While it might not be possible to put a stop to all these things, since a series of controversial decisions during the 2016 presidential election, social media platforms are getting serious about governing their platforms.
Facebook just cut thousands of ads that appeared to be connected to Russia, and they’ve also invested in new AI and human forms of monitoring.
Moving forward, Facebook and other platforms will likely put stronger codes of conduct in place and enforce stronger governance to protect themselves from future criticism.

Rethinking Spaces

Since we’re marketing to Gen Z now, we need to consider where these twenty-somethings are hanging out. While Millennials were online all the time, Gen Z is taking online hangs to a whole new level and using virtual spaces to hang out with their friends. Platforms like Houseparty (a video hangout platform) and Facebook Spaces (still in production) are designed to let friends connect digitally.
Live video hangouts are a natural next step in the digital space, and the big platforms are going to be looking for ways to utilize this trend. Marketers should be aware of new opportunities to use these spaces to reach Gen Z.
Have some more questions about upcoming social media trends? We spend a lot of time online, so shoot us an email or tweet.
 

Leave A Comment

Recent Musings

Something on Your Mind?

Let's Chat

Meet our first speaker spotlight: Dr. Karen May, DC, CCSP, CCIP.

Dr. May owns and operates Momentum Health Centers, and she`s joining us for Uncomfortable Community Conversations: The Pause on September 24th to talk about something we don`t talk about enough — her own experience with perimenopause.

Her career has spanned from elite sports medicine, including a stint as team physician for USA Bobsled and Skeleton as well as caring for pregnant moms and newborns and helping women navigate life’s transitions, always grounded in a belief in food as medicine and the body’s own capacity to heal. In 2017, that expertise was tested when a rare surgical complication left her fighting nerve damage in her own body.

Drawing on decades of clinical practice and training, she rebuilt her health from the ground up — and has since helped thousands of people do the same. With over 20 years in holistic health care, she speaks today as both physician and peer: a woman navigating her own perimenopausal years while running a business and raising a family.

Join us for The Pause on September 24th. Link in bio.

2 0
Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18096342422377928
Meet our first speaker spotlight: Dr. Karen May, DC, CCSP, CCIP. Dr. May owns and operates Momentum Health Centers, and she's joining us for Uncomfortable Community Conversations: The Pause on September 24th to talk about something we don't talk about enough — her own experience with perimenopause. Her career has spanned from elite sports medicine, including a stint as team physician for USA Bobsled and Skeleton as well as caring for pregnant moms and newborns and helping women navigate life’s transitions, always grounded in a belief in food as medicine and the body’s own capacity to heal. In 2017, that expertise was tested when a rare surgical complication left her fighting nerve damage in her own body. Drawing on decades of clinical practice and training, she rebuilt her health from the ground up — and has since helped thousands of people do the same. With over 20 years in holistic health care, she speaks today as both physician and peer: a woman navigating her own perimenopausal years while running a business and raising a family. Join us for The Pause on September 24th. Link in bio.

FUN FACT FRIDAY: It’s only fitting for us to own a building where a trailblazing female operated her businesses in 1906. The Phillips family represented one of the longest-running retail tenures in Grand Rapids history; L.E. Phillips Jewelry in the 1365 Plainfield Ave. building from 1906 until 1973.
Dr. Eva Phillips, a certified and licensed optometrist ran her practice out of the jewelry store’s secondary parlor and was an equal partner in the jewelry store.

Together, they offered a unique one-stop shot which expanded to include appliances, record players, and more. The couple operated the shop through two World Wars and the Great Depression, acting as the neighborhood matriarch and patriarch.

@crestongr @crestoncorridor @crestongrandrapids @citygrandrapids @grandrapidspubliclibrary

1 0
Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 17898983202545176
FUN FACT FRIDAY: It’s only fitting for us to own a building where a trailblazing female operated her businesses in 1906. The Phillips family represented one of the longest-running retail tenures in Grand Rapids history; L.E. Phillips Jewelry in the 1365 Plainfield Ave. building from 1906 until 1973. Dr. Eva Phillips, a certified and licensed optometrist ran her practice out of the jewelry store’s secondary parlor and was an equal partner in the jewelry store. Together, they offered a unique one-stop shot which expanded to include appliances, record players, and more. The couple operated the shop through two World Wars and the Great Depression, acting as the neighborhood matriarch and patriarch. @crestongr @crestoncorridor @crestongrandrapids @citygrandrapids @grandrapidspubliclibrary

Have you tuned into The Happy Hour Hustle Podcast yet?
If not, a) you’re missing out and b) you need to follow immediately. Hosted by @bodespeaks, episodes drop every other week, and feature some pretty bada$$ guests if we do say so ourselves.

This week, Kim sits down with @kelsey_orchard , VP of Marketing and Communications at @fifthwheelfreight to chat building a personal brand, Gen Z entering the workforce, misconceptions about logistics, spotting fake LinkedIn profiles – oh and why your GPA doesn’t matter anymore.

Grab a watermelon margarita, sit back and enjoy for lots of laughs and real talk.

Listen now at the link in bio.

5 0
Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18112263326023209
Have you tuned into The Happy Hour Hustle Podcast yet? If not, a) you’re missing out and b) you need to follow immediately. Hosted by @bodespeaks, episodes drop every other week, and feature some pretty bada$$ guests if we do say so ourselves. This week, Kim sits down with @kelsey_orchard , VP of Marketing and Communications at @fifthwheelfreight to chat building a personal brand, Gen Z entering the workforce, misconceptions about logistics, spotting fake LinkedIn profiles – oh and why your GPA doesn’t matter anymore. Grab a watermelon margarita, sit back and enjoy for lots of laughs and real talk. Listen now at the link in bio.

National Perimenopause Month starts today. We have a LOT to say, and we’re not going to be quiet about it, especially this month, so buckle up.

We were not prepared for perimenopause, much like our periods, sex, or anything else to do with our bodies. God forbid we talk about it openly.

We were taught to be ashamed, keep quiet, and to accept that it is just part of being a woman. We reject that narrative. In fact, like @bodespeaks, we want to bring it up in every conversation.

When we normalize perimenopause and the conversation around it, we stop isolating, and we’re all more prepared.
Join us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Pause on September 24th — a powerful conversation hosted alongside the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan
Women’s Business Council, featuring some kicka$$ experts who will give you the real talk on perimenopause (more to come on them later).

Register at the link in bio.

3 0
Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18132641716644887
National Perimenopause Month starts today. We have a LOT to say, and we’re not going to be quiet about it, especially this month, so buckle up. We were not prepared for perimenopause, much like our periods, sex, or anything else to do with our bodies. God forbid we talk about it openly. We were taught to be ashamed, keep quiet, and to accept that it is just part of being a woman. We reject that narrative. In fact, like @bodespeaks, we want to bring it up in every conversation. When we normalize perimenopause and the conversation around it, we stop isolating, and we’re all more prepared. Join us for Uncomfortable Conversations: The Pause on September 24th — a powerful conversation hosted alongside the @smallbusinessassocofmichigan Women’s Business Council, featuring some kicka$$ experts who will give you the real talk on perimenopause (more to come on them later). Register at the link in bio.

You asked, we delivered.

Introducing the Women`s Owners Network - a new program built for what comes first, joining our proven Fellowship model to support Michigan women at every stage of business ownership.

Whether you`ve got a team of 10 or it`s just you and your laptop, you deserve a room full of women who get it.

Six months of leadership, finance, operations, capital access, paired with real support for the isolation, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue that come with owning your own business.

You`ll have your own board of directors in your corner, including @bodespeaks plus a group of mentors, instructors, and coaches who`ve been exactly where you are.

Applications due October 1. Apply now at the link in bio.

10 3
Open post by 8thirtyfour with ID 18089775152664042
You asked, we delivered. Introducing the Women's Owners Network - a new program built for what comes first, joining our proven Fellowship model to support Michigan women at every stage of business ownership. Whether you've got a team of 10 or it's just you and your laptop, you deserve a room full of women who get it. Six months of leadership, finance, operations, capital access, paired with real support for the isolation, emotional volatility, and decision fatigue that come with owning your own business. You'll have your own board of directors in your corner, including @bodespeaks plus a group of mentors, instructors, and coaches who've been exactly where you are. Applications due October 1. Apply now at the link in bio.
Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.