According to Edelman’s 2018 Trust Barometer Report, 60% of people do not trust social media companies. What does this mean for advertisers? Brands now, more than ever, need to earn trust and value in order to not only acquire but to also retain their most valuable customers.

Be authentic.

Authenticity comes in many forms, but this truly serves as the backbone to your brand’s story. If your advertisements don’t feel or aren’t perceived as “real”, your next customer won’t be intrigued or curious about your brand or your products. 2019 is the time to share your brand’s genuine story and values, and make sure to drive your story through some of your customers’ favorite platforms and channels.

Be personal.

Don’t think of your next customer as an audience – think on the individual level. “64% of Hootsuite’s survey respondents have either implemented Instagram Stories into their social strategy or plan to do so in the next 12 months.” As Instagram Stories are much more ephemeral, consumers are preferring to absorb content that are immediate, in-the-moment or personal. Integrate various types of content, such as videos, text, images, photography into the mix.

Be mobile-first.

Mobile has been the shift for the past few years, and in 2019, mobile is predicted to account for 72% of digital ad spend (eMarketer). With escalating mobile consumption, all of your ads should primarily be designed with mobile in mind. If you’re in the creative or marketing field, make it easier for yourself by starting with mobile design and then shifting to other formats.

Be strategic.

According to Facebook Data Analysis, there are 293,000 status updates, 136,000 photo uploads and 510,000 comments posted per minute on Facebook. So, it’s imperative now than ever that your ad is not missed or lost on the feed. But, how can you strategically stand out? How can you speak to your consumer in a way that doesn’t feel repetitive, disturbing, or irrelevant?

First, rethink your content and messaging sequencing strategy. Do not serve the same content and messaging to all of your users. Just as you would create audience buckets, come up with unique concepts, messaging, and designs for specific types of individuals. Make sure that you’re taking the user telling a full story, rather than just the first chapter. Alter your content and messaging at different paths of their journey.

Also, tailor your ad content for different channels. For example, for native ads, come up with a more natural or original creative strategy and storyboard than for YouTube or Twitter. Know how to differentiate content and messaging strategy for every single channel to ensure that your customer on a specific channel will react positively to your ad.

Your consumers are digitally sophisticated.

They want to be treated as unique individuals, not on the audience level.

Our Creative Team at Direct Agents continuously strives to take each brand to the next level. For more information on how our Digital Content Lab can further your brand’s social media experience, feel free to reach out to us directly at [email protected].