Focus on the trends likely to shake up the social media landscape in the months to come.

1. The trivialization of the use of AI

Unsurprisingly, generative artificial intelligence tools, already widely adopted by the profession since the emergence of ChatGPT or Midjourney as revealed in our annual survey, will interfere more in the daily lives of community managers, according to vitely. To suggest strategic axes, generate and optimize content, or produce visuals consistent with the visual identity of a brand, but not only that.

A specialist on the issue, Rapidly predicts a commonplace use of AI to fuel strategic thinking. The company explains this phenomenon by the gradual addition of functions allowing AI-powered solutions like Copilot or ChatGPT to ingest and process company-specific content, such as documents, images or videos. AI should also be used more in analysis, in order to “understand what creates engagement” or generate new posts “based on previous analyses”.

In addition, the company provides several tips for fully exploiting artificial intelligence in the field of community management:

• Design and configure custom GPT templates to automate regular tasks, such as creating posts for your brand,

• Adjust its instructions and prompts with each ChatGPT update,

• Carefully monitor progress in the field of image generation

2. The explosion of the long format

“Call format to capture a new audience”, quickly reminds us, snack content, filmed in vertical format and easily consumable, will remain essential in 2024. Because beyond TikTok, which now claims 1 billion users and remains a established “trend generator”, according to vitely, the enthusiasm generated by Shorts, which are viewed 50 billion times daily according to Google, or for Reels on Instagram, offers the possibility to brands and companies to simply decline their content , and thus reach new targets while controlling costs.

However, vitely observes a growing interest in the long format which offers the possibility for brands and companies to adopt an expert approach and fully immerse themselves in a subject. The more expensive approach makes it possible to produce content with high added value and, above all, capable of retaining the audience over the long term. This choice of format also seems encouraged by the platforms, since Instagram is considering extending the duration of Reels, and TikTok is pushing its creators towards longer and, in fact, more profitable video models.

3. Using tools to unite communities

Broadcast channels on Instagram, Channels on WhatsApp: in 2023, the Meta group has increased initiatives so that creators can retain audiences. And it is not impossible to see other features emerging serving the same objective in 2024.

Confidential, one-way, these alternative communication channels, largely inspired by Telegram, offer, as a reminder, new possibilities to creators: share their latest news, show behind the scenes or publish exclusive content (text, photos, videos , voice messages, etc.). But above all, they represent a way, according to vitely, to “connect differently and more deeply” with the audience, with the aim of retaining them.

According to vitely, these discussion channels offer several tangible benefits to brands and businesses. Such as the possibility of adopting a more spontaneous approach, while allowing the sharing of the latest news from the brand, the carrying out of surveys, or the distribution of special offers. Additionally, the company recommends using the voting feature regularly, which is “particularly useful for collecting feedback.”

4. The end of hashtags and SEO optimization

Are hashtags becoming obsolete? And are they doomed to disappear? The question arises, as platforms tend to gradually eliminate them. If no concrete measures have yet been taken in this direction, Elon Musk, owner of the effectiveness of keywords and phrases for SEO. At the same time, the Meta group has been experimenting, since November, with a system of hashtags without the hash symbol on Threads in Australia, which transforms each tag into a hyperlink. Proof, once again, of a progressive disenchantment with the concept.

The consequence ? Brands and companies, already experienced in the exercise since the rise of the “social search” trend, will have to further apply the principles of natural referencing (SEO) on social networks, “taking into account the specificities of each platform” , specifies quickly.

To optimize SEO on social platforms, vitely offers the following advice:

• Examine the keywords frequently used in the search engines of each network,

• Optimize visual elements so that they are analyzed and categorized by the platforms, or integrate alternative texts,

• Improve the titles and descriptions of your profiles (Instagram bio, Twitter account, LinkedIn page, etc.)

• Refine your post captions.

5. The multiplication of collaborations with micro-influencers

Recognized for their authenticity and their ability to generate consumer trust, user-created content (UGC), which extols the merits of a brand or product, will remain a central element of social media strategies in 2024. However , in parallel with efforts to encourage the audience to produce original content, vitely predicts that brands and companies will seek more micro-influencers. For a simple reason: close to their audience, they enjoy increased trust and are, as such, “very powerful prescribers”, judges the company.

To succeed in generating content that arouses consumer confidence, vitely makes several recommendations:

• Select micro-influencers based on their affinity with your audience,

• Do not hesitate to contact accounts that do not explicitly consider themselves influencers,

• Identify what motivates them to participate, whether it is access to a product, an exclusive community, or a financial partnership.

6. The revival of textual content

The difficulties encountered by Twitter, now renamed a handful of platforms like Twitter, which despite everything retains a base of followers, or its decentralized rival Mastodon.

To take advantage of the unstable situation of the network owned by Elon Musk, competing platforms have increased initiatives in 2023. The Meta group, for example, introduced Threads in July, a text-focused extension of its Instagram application. And the success was immediate: less than a week after the launch, Threads claimed to have crossed the milestone of 100 million users. Although the application, still absent from European territory, has since recorded a significant loss of users, its successful start demonstrates a void to be filled. The engagement generated by written content on LinkedIn, the curiosity aroused by BlueSky or the deployment of a functionality authorizing the sharing of textual content on TikTok also reinforce this observation.

To fully exploit this trend, vitely advises focusing on the creation of threads, remembering that these must include a powerful hook, reveal key information in each message and integrate a call-to-action. The company also highlights the importance of capitalizing on popular types of posts, such as educational content, storytelling or memes.