What are the latest social media trends that impact corporate communications?

On 4 February 2004 the Harvard University’s student Mark Zuckerberg introduced Facebook – a social networking website intended to help his fellow students connect easier. Twenty years later we have several platforms like Facebook which managed to create an immersive social interaction experience that allows people to connect in quite a different way. Through this newly found form of communication, people were also able to develop a lot of digital and creative skills.

The emergence of social media was also a breakthrough moment for corporate communications as well. Social networks provide an easily accessible platform to share news and updates, show off their brand benefits, attract and engage people, and even advocate for social causes. Moreover, it is thanks to digital communications that employees started to actively engage in shaping the employer’s reputation both as an employer and provider of either services and/ or goods.

Two recent changes shaped the domain of social media in regard to corporate communications. The first one is the increased use of AI based tools which enhance the interaction experience between brands and customers by providing further analytics on users’ behavior. This has allowed organisations to target their communication by conveying messages tailored to their audience’s preferences (either photos, or interactive videos). The second one is of no less importance, and it is related to the growing importance of online influencers – a new and quite popular profession. Companies can use them as brand ambassadors thus improving both their online image and audience relation.

Does your company or organisation already use any of these?