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Looking for ways to upgrade your marketing efforts this summer? Social media is a great way to boost your marketing outreach and get the most bang for your buck. Although we can’t all go viral with a Chewbacca mask, these trends might just be what your need to get your audience talking.

Snapchat
Have you checked into Snapchat recently? Snapchat has evolved from the photo sharing app parents were shaking their head at to one of the fastest growing social networks (it now has more users than Twitter). There’s no longer a question that Snapchat is here to stay and marketers that want to stay ahead of (or just keep up with) the game, need to get involved. Check out this article for a list of the best brands to follow on Snapchat and a quick guide to getting started.

Live Streaming
Recently the live streaming trend has taken off. Many brands, celebrities and ‘common folk’ are live streaming events as mundane as brushing their teeth to the unveiling of Microsoft’s Surface 3 and the coverage of Mohammad Ali’s death. Take advantage of live streaming at tradeshows and events, feature exciting things going on at the office or use it as a way to communicate directly with your audience. Apps like Periscope and Meerkat can be plugged in to Twitter or Facebook, allowing your current followers to catch up on the action while you add a few new ones.

Direct Access
In today’s world, when we want something we want it now. This applies to customer service too. More and more users are turning to social media to get their voices to be heard by big brands, vent their frustrations with your company or express their gratitude for your services. It’s no longer good enough to have great customer service over the phone, you need to be ready to effectively answer questions and handle situation in the public eye as well.

Fun Content
I once read a quote from a Tech.Co article stating that, “no niche is boring unless you define it as such,” and this couldn’t be any truer. Just because your industry is technical or difficult to explain, doesn’t mean you can’t have fun with it. Draw in your followers this summer with creative ideas, relatable content and problem solving hacks, which brings me to my last point.

Helpful Hacks
I’ve always been taught that the golden rule of social media marketing is providing three pieces of helpful content for every promotional piece. This means you should only be talking directly about your brand 25% of the time. Fill the other 75% with helpful tips, interesting statistics, funny videos or shared posts from your followers or peers, all centered around making your audience’s life a little easier.