Social trends

Andy Ball, managing director of Balls2 Marketing, talks about what’s in store for marketers in 2018.

Marketing is one of the fastest-paced industries and there are so many exciting developments, it can be too easy for marketers to try absolutely everything, spread themselves too thin and miss out on the opportunities that will offer the best ROI for businesses.

While we know that Instagram Stories, Houseparty (the video hangout platform), and augmented reality are predicted to be the biggest social trends in 2018, it’s unlikely that window installers are going to see a lot of benefit from investing in these areas.

It’s therefore much more cost-effective to focus on the platforms that have proven to bring in business. Facebook will still be the biggest platform for installers in 2018. It’s the most direct route to their target customer – homeowners over 30, and affluent enough to have the cash for home improvements. Boosted posts are a proven way to bring in leads, so set aside some budget to take advantage of this.

While the top place for the latest news is Twitter, even with the new 280-character limit, it is losing momentum in comparison to the growth of Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn, so we’re likely to see it morph into a different kind of platform in 2018. This is great news for B2B companies as it’s still a popular platform for the glazing industry. It’s likely that they will rethink Twitter advertising too, so watch this space.

For home improvement companies that are working on large projects with orangeries and extensions, visual platforms like Instagram and Pinterest can really help to get you noticed. Just make sure you have some beautiful pictures of the finished job to share with your followers to give them great #homeinspo.

At Balls2 Marketing, we’ll be keeping ahead of new trends with plenty of training, and spotting the opportunities for real business success stories for clients.