The whirlwind of social media algorithm changes this year have left B2B marketers struggling to get their messages heard across all platforms. 

For example, Meta announced in July that Instagram rankings will now favour posts shared via direct messages, and Facebook will continue to boost content from friends rather than business pages. Meanwhile, LinkedIn’s global user base is projected to achieve a 22.3.% Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR), reaching a peak of 942.84 million users by 2028.

To keep pace with these digital marketing changes, marketers will need to adapt both their content and distribution strategies, refining content formats or even exploring emerging platforms like Threads to ensure ROI. 

Here at CopyHouse, we like to keep our finger on the pulse of social media trends, and have compiled a list of digital marketing changes to be aware to ensure your brand’s voice resonates with evolving audiences worldwide. Read on to learn more. 

‍

Long-form videos are making a comeback

While short-form clips are still king on platforms like TikTok and Instagram, longer-form videos (spanning five minutes or more) are seeing a steady resurgence in popularity. 

For B2B brands, this trend presents a significant growth opportunity. Indeed, 2024 research shows that 62% of social media users watch long-form video content to influence their buying decisions and those watching 60-minute videos or more have a 24% chance of converting (double the average conversion rate of those watching product videos under three minutes long). 

These statistics demonstrate that B2B marketers should be prioritising the following types of long-form video content: 

• Educational content: 91% of online shoppers polled by Wyzowl have watched an explainer video to learn more about a product or service. 

• Product demonstrations: The same study found that 82% of viewers have been convinced to buy after watching a product demo video. 

• Client testimonials: Videos of buyers using your product (particularly user-generated unboxing content) attract 10x more views on YouTube than brand-produced videos. Plus, 60% of consumers believe this is the most sincere form of advertising. 

• Webinars and Live Streams: Branded live streams and webinar presentations can capture the attention of B2B buyers in droves. This format enables viewer participation through live polls, and Q&A sessions. Conference-style video contributed 13% of revenue for B2B brands polled earlier this year. To learn more about creating an effective brand webinar, download our ultimate webinar cheatsheet here. 

‍

The meteoric rise of social search

More audiences, especially GenZ and Millenial social media users, are trading Google for social search engines to discover new brands. This may be due to recent social media algorithm changes on a range of platforms, including, 

• LinkedIn: LinkedIn’s social media algorithm prioritises subject relevancy and personal connections over boosting popular posts to help them go viral. Instead, users see targeted content that's highly relevant to them in a bid to encourage greater user engagement over a wider range of topics. This makes keyword optimisation essential for B2B brands hoping to attract social searchers to their message. 

• Twitter (now X): The addition of the For You and Following timelines give platform users two views on the latest news from their networks. The For You algorithm is somewhat of a black box system, utilising machine learning to rank users' preferences, popular posts and timeliness. The Following timeline, in contrast, is less opaque, showing followers their favourite accounts in reverse chronological order. For brands, growth on X will come from encouraging post engagement and community-building, highlighting once more the importance of keyword optimisation in social media marketing. 

• Instagram: The predominantly image and video-sharing platform has changed its algorithm to enhance personalisation and discoverability, by analysing keywords in captions, tags, subtitles and stickers. So, make sure your posts contain optimised alt text so they can be ranked on users' Explore page. 

• TikTok: The site's social media algorithm groups users with similar interests, improving search results and content discovery. B2B brands should, therefore, focus on niche-specific content, industry cross-promotion, and keyword optimisation in captions, hashtags, and video descriptions to boost visibility in the search results.

‍

Nano and Micro-influencers getting the edge over bigger names

Social media trends indicate that nano-influencers (accounts with 1K to 10K followers) and micro-influencers (10-100K fans) are gaining more traction than bigger names in 2024. This change is thanks, in part, to the social media algorithm changes mentioned above. However, this trend may also be attributed to widespread social media pushback against high-profile accounts staying silent on various hot-button political issues.  

From a digital marketing perspective, collaborating with smaller influencers can be much more cost-effective than working with more prominent celebrities. Moreover, research suggests that working with micro-influences can offer brands a 20% boost in conversion rates, and 63% of buyers trust nano and micro-influencer accounts over bigger social media accounts.  

‍

AI and Automation will become B2B marketers go-to tool

Boosting efficiency in digital marketing is becoming evermore vital, as social media platforms expand and incorporate more ways to post, engage and discover new content.

AI and automation platforms like Ocoya and Simplified streamline social media workflows using machine learning (ML) algorithms capable of optimising posting times, analysing audience sentiment, and generating personalised content from scratch. 

The market for AI in social media marketing is expected to rise to $12 billion by 2031, growing at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 28.7%, so make sure you're ahead of the game by investing in your own automation and AI platform. 

‍

CopyHouse: Your trusted partner in Digital Marketing Growth

At CopyHouse, we work with a wide range of brands looking to boost their thought leadership and personal branding performance across all social media platforms. 

Our expert content strategists, copywriters and designers can help you turn the most complex topics into compelling brand messages for LinkedIn, X, Instagram, and even longer-form formats like YouTube video scripts. 

So, if you're looking to keep ahead of the latest social media trends, contact us now for a free 30-minute consultation.