These developments underscored how constantly the social landscape changes, as we redefine how brands connect with their audience. Of course, understanding what may come next on a strategic level can help your brand maintain relevance and engagement with your target audience, which are key to growth. Twenty-twenty four is here, and it’s important to anticipate the changes and adapt accordingly. Here are six possibilities:

1. The Surge of AI-Driven Content Creation
Content creation driven by artificial intelligence platforms is now a norm that can transform social media marketing. AI enables social media marketers to create personalized and relevant content with unheard-of efficiency, ensuring a larger volume of messaging gets out to the target audience. While this can streamline social media content creation, the key is in how well marketers can prompt AI content-generators to deliver consistently resonant and impactful messaging that’s shaped to fit each target audience in each specific platform. The danger will lie in marketers not intervening enough editorially, which could result in too much published social media content reading in a homogenous “AI-ese” tone. While AI can be a great help in brainstorming concepts and content to be edited, it’s not necessarily a platform from which to simply copy and paste into your social media channels.

2. Increased Regulation and Compliance
Navigating new regulation and compliance measures in social media may become increasingly critical for brands. In 2023, the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA) came into effect, imposing stricter content moderation requirements and transparency obligations on digital platforms. Also, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) was amended to enhance consumer data privacy rights, which can affect how companies collect and use user data. It can be a bellwether for how other states address the issue. In 2024 data privacy regulations are expected to expand globally, similar to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which will require brands to be more diligent in how they handle user data worldwide. On the artificial intelligence front, regulations will likely start targeting deepfake technology to curb the spread of AI-generated false information. Brands will have to go proactive in the face of these evolving regulations, ensuring compliance while maintaining effective and engaging social media marketing strategies. Adapting to these changes will be critical to safeguarding your brand reputation and building trust with your audiences.

3. The Rise of Niche Platforms
Along with alternative general social media channels like Bluesky and Mastodon, emerging niche platforms like Threads, WeAre8, and Supernova are becoming increasingly important in social media marketing. Threads, a new platform that emphasizes more intimate and meaningful interactions, offers a space for deeper, thread-based conversations that can let brands connect more authentically with their audience. Supernova, which empowers users to support brands and causes they care about, can let companies align their marketing efforts with social impact and resonate with socially conscious consumers. WeAre8, a platform focusing on short-form video content, taps into the growing demand for quick, engaging visual stories, perfect for brands that want to capture audience attention in creative and dynamic ways. These platforms can help you explore fresh, targeted approaches to engage with specific communities. By including these emerging platforms in your strategy, you can stay ahead of the curve, and ensure your messages resonate with evolving consumer preferences.

4. Embracing Social Commerce Evolution
2024 is set to witness a significant evolution in social commerce, a trend that seamlessly blends social media engagement with e-commerce capabilities. For example, brands ranging from Nike to home accesorizer Snowe to shoe retailer Allbirds effectively utilize Instagram’s shoppable posts to let users buy products directly from their feed, seamlessly integrating shopping with social browsing. Another example, Sephora, leverages Facebook Shops to create a virtual storefront where customers can explore and buy products without leaving the platform. This integration of e-commerce into social media provides a convenient and immersive shopping experience that encourages more spontaneous purchases directly from social interactions. This approach both simplifies buying and leverages the impulsive nature of social media, turning every post and interaction into a potential sales opportunity. Marketers need to create compelling, shoppable content that resonates with the audience’s lifestyle and preferences. They also need to use social media automation tools to schedule these posts at times that find maximum exposure with the target audience.

5. Focus on Authenticity and Transparency
In 2024, the emphasis on authenticity and transparency in social media continues to be a key trend, as evidenced by the approach taken by brands like Patagonia in 2023. This outdoor clothing company has long been recognized for its commitment to environmental activism and ethical practices. In 2023, they took this a step further by openly sharing their journey towards sustainability. Through social media, Patagonia provided insights into its supply chain, the environmental impact of its products, and its efforts to improve. This level of transparency not only bolstered their brand authenticity but also deeply resonated with their environmentally conscious audience. For other brands, this trend underscores the importance of honest communication and showing a genuine commitment to their values. By embracing transparency, brands can foster a stronger connection with their audience, leading to increased trust, loyalty, and engagement in an era where consumers value sincerity over the sales pitch.

6. More User-Generated Content (UGC)
User-Generated Content will continue to wield impact going forward a powerful way to build community and authenticity. UGC refers to any content—be it text, videos, images, reviews, etc.—created by people instead than brands. Users perceive it as more genuine and relatable, often leading to higher engagement rates. Brands like GoPro have excelled in this area by encouraging their users to share their adventure experiences using GoPro cameras. This provides the brand with authentic and diverse content while it fosters a strong sense of community among its users. Brands that want to work with UGC need to create campaigns that motivate and reward users for sharing their experiences with the brand. This approach enhances content authenticity and significantly extends the reach and impact of brand messaging, as users tend to trust and value the recommendations of their peers over traditional advertising.

7. Interactive Live Streaming Expands
The explosion of interactive live streaming on social media platforms has emerged as a significant trend that offers your brand a new way to engage in real time. In the post-pandemic era, people are tuning in to live video streams regularly, interacting directly with hosts, participating in Q&A sessions, and even influencing the content as it unfolds. A prime example is the rise of live shopping events on Instagram and Facebook, where brands showcase products through live demonstrations and directly engage with prospective customers, answering questions and offering exclusive deals in real-time. Going further, brands like L’Oréal have utilized AR filters during live streams to let viewers virtually try on makeup products, significantly enhancing user engagement and personalizing the shopping experience.

Getting to More Future-Ready Social Media Strategies
Lots of these developments signal a shift towards more personalized, authentic, and interactive brand experiences. Building those experiences takes the most precious resource we’ve got—time. There’s never enough. But tools like social media automation can help increase the agility, efficiency, and time you need to leverage these developments effectively. Automation can help make your social media marketing strategy more adaptable and attuned to the evolving preferences of your target audience, and set the stage for better growth and engagement in 2024.

The post 7 Social Media Marketing Trends to Watch in 2024 appeared first on dlvr.it | blog.

Start With What You’ve Got: Instagram and Tik Tok In-App Editors

Your best bet might reside in your Instagram and Tik Tok accounts themselves. The in-app editors of Instagram and TikTok can be powerful tools as you build your brand. Instagram’s in-app editor offers a convenient array of intuitive tools right where you need them, enabling you to create and publish content swiftly. It’s got features like a vast audio library, diverse stickers, and VR filters, so it’s designed for speed and ease, which lets you jump on trending topics that can engage your audience.

TikTok’s editor is a pretty creative resource as well. Its user-friendly interface helps you simplify your video content creation process, giving you time to potentially post multiple times a day. With unique effects, easy-to-add soundtracks, and a range of filters, TikTok’s editor enables you to craft videos that resonate with your audience.

Both editors streamline your process and help ensure that your videos align with the latest social media trends, which can make them indispensable to your digital marketing arsenal.

Four Free Video Editing Apps for Social Media

1. Canva sports a versatile, user-friendly video editing app as part of its web-based graphic design toolkit, with a drag-and-drop interface that makes it accessible to users of all skill levels.
Benefits:

• Wide range of customizable templates for social media
• Intuitive design tools for adding text, animations, and branding elements
• Huge library of free images, videos, and music tracks
• Easy sharing and downloading options for various social media platforms

2. InShot is a popular downloadable choice for quick and effective video editing. It offers a suite of tools that are designed for social media content, specifically Instagram and TikTok. InShot also features a Pro Unlimited subscription tier for access to premium editing features
Benefits::

• User-friendly interface for trimming, splitting, and merging videos
• Rich collection of filters, music, and sound effects
• Speed control for creating dynamic video effects
• Aspect ratio adjustments suitable for different social media platforms

3. CapCut stands out for its comprehensive editing features that let you create professional-looking videos quickly. The downloadable app also features a text-to-speech function that’s compatible with nearly 93 languages, along with an encrypted secure editing environment.
Benefits::

• Advanced editing options like frame-by-frame trimming and merging
• Extensive library of music and sound effects
• High-quality filters and effects, including Chroma Key
• Easy export and sharing options for social media

4. Adobe Express (formerly Adobe Spark) offers quick and efficient video editing solutions that help you create impactful social media content on the go.
Benefits::

• Streamlined interface for fast and easy video editing
• Thousands of professional-looking templates and design assets
• Integration with other Adobe products for enhanced flexibility
• High-quality export options for clear and crisp video output—plus instant GIFs

Four Paid Video Editing Apps for Enhanced Branding

1. Adobe Premiere Rush offers a comprehensive set of editing tools, ideal for marketers seeking advanced control and creative flexibility. Its cross-device functionality can help make your workflow more efficient.
Benefits::

• Multi-track timeline for complex editing projects
• Built-in camera functionality for high-quality video capture
• Extensive collection of motion graphics templates
• Seamless integration with Adobe Creative Cloud services

2. KineMaster is a robust app designed for detailed and professional-grade video editing, offering a wide range of advanced features like color grading, blending modes, animation, and more.
Benefits::

• Multi-layer editing for videos, images, stickers, text, and handwriting
• Instant preview feature for on-the-fly adjustments
• Voice recording and background music options
• Keyframe animation tool for adding motion to layers

3. Filmora is known for its intuitive interface and powerful editing capabilities, making it suitable whether you’re a beginner editor or an expert cutter. It renders video extremely quickly, and sports a very competitive subscription rate.
Benefits:

• Advanced video effects, including filters, overlays, and transitions
• Audio separation and noise removal tools
• 4K support for high-resolution video editing
• Dual timeline for easy navigation and editing

4. Pinnacle Studio is for you if you want a set of precision and professional-level editing tools, with sophisticated features for high-quality video production.
Benefits:

• Precise frame-by-frame editing with a timeline-based interface
• 360-degree video editing capabilities.
• Wide range of effects, transitions, and templates
• Multi-camera editing for combining footage from different sources

How Social Media Automation Can Be Part of the Mix

Integrating video editing with social media automation represents a strategic approach to amplify your brand. The synergy between refined video content and automated social media scheduling can help you take your online presence to the next level. When you use automation to schedule and distribute your video content, it ensures consistent engagement with your brand and helps extend your reach to your target audience. Automation platforms like dlvr.it let you schedule posts at optimal times to help you maximize your brand’s visibility. This combination of simple video editing and automated posting both streamlines your content creation process, and leverages analytics to understand your audience’s preferences, which can help you produce more targeted and effective campaigns. Ultimately, this integration is key to building a strong digital footprint, driving engagement, and fostering brand loyalty.

The Bottom Line

Establishing a good, quick video editing workflow can be essential to executing on your video marketing strategy. When combined with the efficiency of social media automation well-crafted videos represent a formidable tool for boosting your brand presence and engagement.. Using an agile video editing app can help you produce content that resonates with your audience, tells your brand’s story effectively, and stands out in the crowded social media space. When you add strategic scheduling and automation to the mix, you ensure that your content reaches the right audience at the right time, making video editing an indispensable part of your social media marketing strategy. Learn how dlvr.it can help you boost your video strategy on your social media platforms.

The post 8 Video Editing Apps That Help You Raise Your Game on Instagram and Tik Tok appeared first on dlvr.it | blog.

Learning how to make a GIF

Creation of a GIF can be accomplished in many ways. The Adobe Photoshop suite will allow you to create GIFs with a set of steps, but there are also many web tools that will permit GIF creation with a few simple steps. Fortunately, there are many applications that can help you create these GIFs and do not cost anything to operate and don’t even require an installation on your computer.

GIFPAL

GIFPAL is a tool that is web based and provides quick and easy GIF creation. GIFPAL will allow you to use your webcam to capture images, or will let you upload already existing photos. Don’t know where to start? No problem! Our friends at GIFPAL have provided links to YouTube tutorials made by some resourceful users. Not only does GIFPAL allow you to create quick and easy GIFs, but it also allows you to draw on and adjust images within your GIF with a few simple mouseclicks. Learning how to make a GIF couldn’t be faster or easier.

imgflip

imgflip is a tool that can help you create both GIFs and memes of your very own. You can upload your own images, link to web images, or link to a YouTube video to create your GIF in this easy to use tool. If you can’t think of any videos to use or images to link, imgflip has suggestions for you to choose that are currently trending. imgflip supports a host of video formats, which includes mp4, wmv, mov, and many others. The downside to this service is that the free version of this service doesn’t offer unlimited upload capacity if you are trying to upload a longer video to edit into a GIF. You are limited to a 35MB file for free GIF creation.

Giphy

Giphy is one of the most popular creation tools for GIFs. This tool already hosts a huge collection of GIFs that are available for use on Social Media accounts. Giphy is a completely free service that has a host of content available to search and share. Not only can you search and share, but by creating an account, you can upload your own images and create your own GIFs that you may keep private until you choose to share them. Of course, as with everything, there are limitations. Giphy will only allow a maximum file size of 100MB and only accepts about 4 video formats as uploads. However, as a web based application, there is no necessity to install any bulky programs on your computer, and with a built in Facebook and Twitter integration, you don’t have to download any files to your computer.

EZGIF

EZGIF is an online image editor and GIF creator. This is an application that helps you to trim and edit your GIFs to appeal to the widest range of users. This toolset is essentially combining the best of all worlds to bring you an all-in-one solution for photo trimming, cropping, resizing, and even more! The toolset includes optimization tools and conversion tools. It is 100% free, but will only allow you to process 60MB worth of video at once, and cannot host these images. Because this tool cannot host your images, you will need to make sure to download any GIFs you create in the tool before you close the page or shut down your computer.

makeagif

makeagif is a web based tool as well. This tool sports many easy to use features that will allow you to inform the tool as to what you’re creating before you even start. The site has tiles that will allow you to upload a video to create a GIF, search YouTube for video to create a GIF, or even use a cool video from Facebook to create a GIF. Our friends at makeagif also allow you to create an account to host your GIFs. That’s right! No need to use up valuable hard drive or server space with large image or video files. You simply create an account with makeagif and they will retain your GIFs for you. Like Giphy, they also have a large database of popular GIFs as well that you can use for your posts.

MemeCenter

MemeCenter is a GIF creator that provides a very barebones suite. However, it is probably the easiest to use tool in the entire bunch. Because it is so simple, there is very little learning curve that occurs with this tool. MemeCenter also allows your GIF or meme to be shared by others, turning you into an amateur GIF artist in mere minutes. If your GIF is intended to spread your brand, this is more than you could ask for. If your memes or GIFs become popular, they will be featured. Get a featured GIF and you’re simply marketing for free on MemeCenter’s website.

Wrapping it up

So, why would you create a GIF? Because you want your audience to relate to your message! Your message will be so effectively communicated with this format that you will see more and more individuals connecting with your brand. Not only are you able to communicate, but if your GIF becomes popular, you can market at no cost. Remember that these aren’t the only tools for the job. There are so many tools out there, but these are by far the best that we’ve encountered. And remember, dlvr.it can pick up your blog posts and Twitter posts and share your GIF to the furthest corners of the internet.

The post How to Draw a Crowd Using FREE GIF Creators appeared first on dlvr.it | blog.

Before you say, “I’m not a graphic designer. I don’t have the time, experience or talent to make an animated GIF,” don’t panic! They are super simple to make.

What are animated GIFs?

An animated GIF is just a series of still image frames mashed together into a single image. The image continues to loop.

The three static images are combined to create the animated GIF you see below.

Why animated GIFs?

Your fans and followers scroll through endless streams of “sameness” on social media hoping a compelling headline, image or video captures their attention. With a bit of easy animation, you can stop your readers from scrolling and get them clicking on your content. Our eyes naturally are attracted to things that are “alive”.

A few benefits of using animated GIFs:

• Your updates become more visible to your readers
• They make a lasting impression. The brain continues to process an image for an additional period of time after we see it.
• Animations are quickly consumed by your readers vs. a video which requires a bigger time commitment

Word of caution: Don’t overuse GIFs or you risk reader fatigue. Strategically sprinkle them into your social media visual strategy.

How do I create an animated GIF?

You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create your own animated GIF. All you need is one of these handy tools and a bit of imagination.

• Makeagif.com: Free (a small watermark is added).
• Giffysnap.com: Free
• Picasion.com: Free

The GIF below is an example of how to make an animated GIF with makeagif.com. GIFs can be created in 3 easy steps.

Tip: If you are using images to create a GIF, it is advisable that all the images be the same size. Your GIF will look more professional.

If you need some inspiration, Marketing Land put together an extensive list of the best-animated GIFs created by brands.

What social networks support animated GIFs?

You can add animated GIFs to your blog in addition to the following social networks:

• Twitter
• Pinterest
• Google+
• Facebook

UPDATE: Facebook now supports animated GIFs.

Facebook and Instagram does not support animated GIFs. You will need to convert a GIF to a video. With makeagif.com, the tool mentioned above, you can also export your GIF as an MP4, which can then be used to share on Facebook or Instagram.

Pro Tip: Share your animated GIFs using dlvr.it. Just upload your animated GIF and share across social media. There is a GIF for that too:

The post Animated GIFs: A Quick Way to Boost Social Media Engagement appeared first on dlvr.it | blog.

dlvr.it’s new automated photo posting makes it simple to share beautiful, visually rich posts with your friends and followers.

What Does Instant Image Sharing Look Like?

Here’s an item shared as a standard text post on Twitter:

Here’s the same item, shared as a photo post:

We think sharing photos is a pretty stunning improvement over standard text posting!

Needless to say, we’re pretty excited about our new features. Let us know what you think!

• Start posting photos from RSS

• Connect Instagram and dlvr.it

• Connect Pinterest and dlvr.it

The post How to Scale Image Sharing Across All Social Media appeared first on dlvr.it | blog.

The results speak for themselves.

• According to TrackMaven, tweets with images receive engagement rates 2x over tweets without images.
• A Kissmetrics study found photos on Facebook receive 53% more likes, 104% more comments and 84% more click-throughs on links than text-based posts.

Facebook Takes Photo Sharing Seriously

How serious is Facebook about images and photos? PandoDaily’s Sarah Lacy summed up Facebook’s craving for photos,

Facebook has become the world’s most dominant, and resilient, social network by ensuring that it “owns” photos.

Facebook paid $17 billion to buy two companies

• Instagram ($1B)
• WhatsApp ($16B)

Combined they process over 550 million photos per day. Facebook takes photo sharing seriously.

Photo Sharing Extends Twitter’s Character Count

Photo sharing extends Twitter’s character limited beyond 140 characters. No truer words were spoken when Horace, the Roman Poet beautifully said,

A picture is a poem without words

I bet if Horace used Twitter, his stream would be filled with images. With the ability to share animated GIFs, your Twitter stream, like a poem, can convey experiences, ideas or emotions in a vivid and imaginative way.

Power of Photo Sharing on Pinterest Can’t be Ignored

Visual content is a critical piece of any solid social media strategy. Every day, 5 million times per day, Pinterest users are pinning bites of inspiration, recipes, hopes, dreams and more. Because of this, businesses, bloggers and publishers are becoming more mindful about the ‘shareability’ factor of photos on their websites and blogs.

What should be your goal with social media?

• To make your audience see what you see, feel what you feel.
• Evoke emotion from your audience.

 and that’s why we are introducing…

Automatic Photo Sharing from Instagram, Pinterest, RSS and more

We are excited to announce the arrival of a much requested feature: Automatic Photo Sharing. In a just a few clicks,  instantly share your Instagram moments to Tumblr. Extend the reach of your Pinterest Pins to Facebook. Turn your Twitter stream into a colorful and engaging playground.

Photo sharing inputs include: Instagram, Pinterest and RSS feeds with shareable images.

This new dlvr.it photo sharing feature makes it simple and easy to take advantage of the photo-first social streams. Our goal is to make photo sharing on social media a smoother, simpler, and all-around better experience for you.

• Connect your photo feeds to dlvr.it, and we’ll automatically post your photos to your social networks – the visual content is emphasized in the social feeds. Followers no longer have to click a separate link to see your images (see below).
• Connect Instagram and Pinterest and start sharing instantly – expand your reach to all your followers.
• Create photo posts on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr and more – improve follower engagement across social media.

Learn how to turn on Photo Posting on for your dlvr.it account.

If you need a bit of inspiration or tools to create images for your stream, read 15 Resources to Create Images for Social Media.

The post A Simple Photo Sharing Hack that Cuts Hours of Time appeared first on dlvr.it | blog.