As the king of social media platforms, Facebook is unbeatable when it comes to content variety. From text and image posts to news and short- and long-form videos, there’s just about every kind of content format on the platform, and every year, new Facebook trends shape this content landscape.
With its large user base, maintaining relevance on Facebook is crucial for brands and businesses looking to grow their online presence. One way to do this is to stay ahead of trends and know how to utilize them in your social media strategy.
In this article, we’ll cover the top Facebook trends you need to know in 2024 to help you gain a competitive edge.
Let’s jump in!
11+ Top Facebook Trends To Look Out For in 2024
As user priorities and interests change over time, brands on social media must also adapt to retain their audience. With a significant decline in user interactions on social media predicted for the following year, it’s crucial to know what trends are relevant for users in 2024 and how you can leverage these to build a loyal following.
Let’s look at some of the leading Facebook trends for today’s social media users.
#1. Augmented Reality
Since its popularization in 2016, augmented reality (AR) has been used several times in various games. But social media’s first foray into AR was through Snapchat Lenses. Facebook followed suit in 2016 and has recently expanded AR use on the platform in its ads.
The introduction of AR ads on Facebook is a hot topic among marketers and consumers alike. AR ads allow brands to promote their products in a new and engaging way by letting their audience experience the product before making a purchase.
One great example of this Facebook trend is the Hyundai ad for their new vehicle launch, where users could virtually step inside the car and explore its interior using AR. This resulted in over 3.3 times higher brand familiarity compared to using traditional ads.
You can experiment with AR yourself using Facebook’s Meta Spark Studio to see how you can incorporate this into your social media strategy. You can create various AR filters and interactive ads to showcase your products and promote your brand.
This form of advertising is more effective at catching users’ attention and leaves a longer-lasting impression than normal ads. Just remember to test your ad or filter before making it public to ensure that there are no issues and that it works optimally on all devices.
#2. Growth of Online Shopping
Online shopping isn’t exactly new on the platform, as Facebook Marketplace has been around since 2016. However, in recent years, Facebook has expanded its online shopping experience to brands and businesses with the introduction of Facebook Shops.
With a Facebook Shop, you can create an online storefront on the platform where you can promote and sell your products. This way, users won’t have to leave the site to make a purchase. Now, why is this an important Facebook trend?
A Bankrate survey revealed that at least 48% of social media users make a purchase after seeing a product on social media.
For the remaining half, a study by Daroch et al. (2021) published in the Rajagiri Management Journal found that convenience and customer experience can limit them from making an online purchase. They may also hesitate to shop online, as the information about products provided in online stores is not sufficient to make a buying decision.
You can address these concerns by establishing a Facebook Shop. Casual users can easily find all the important information about your products and make their purchases all in one app. If they have any questions, they can conveniently contact your brand through Facebook Messenger.
The aforementioned study also found that the online shopping experience can be enhanced by adding more pictures, product videos, and three-dimensional (3D) images, which will further help consumers in the decision-making process.
Plus, with AR ads, potential customers can even try on clothes and makeup to replicate a regular shopping experience and influence them to make a purchase.
#3. Chatbots For Customer Service
In line with the improvement of the online shopping experience, chatbots are another Facebook trend expected to rise in 2024.
Since launching in 2016, chatbots have been crucial for businesses looking to improve their social media response times. They allow businesses to create automated responses to FAQs so users can get immediate answers to their queries.
However, because these are templated responses, they can sometimes be hit or miss. The lack of helpful answers can frustrate users and leave a negative impression. To combat this, Meta plans to update its chatbots with a generative AI that allows it to hold conversations with customers, resulting in more accurate responses and better service.
#4. Reels Are Not Going Anywhere
Meta released Reels after seeing the success of short-form video content on TikTok. And since 2021, Facebook Reels have been one of the most popular content formats on Meta. In fact, Instagram and Facebook trend analytics show that Reels receive over 200 billion views a day across both platforms.
Reels are a great way for businesses to improve their engagement and discoverability. So, if they still aren’t part of your content strategy in 2024, now is the time to jump on the bandwagon.
Regardless of your niche, there are several ways to utilize Reels for your brand, such as:
- Creating ads
- Participating in viral video trends
- Offering tutorials and how-to’s
- Promoting products
- Showcasing behind-the-scenes content
#5. Rise of User-Generated Content
One look at the Facebook trends search results will show an increasing number of user-generated content (UGC). UGC, as the name suggests, is content from users or customers that you share on your official feed. This can come in the form of customer reviews and testimonials, images, or video posts at no cost to the brand itself.
While overly-polished content used to work for ads in the past, social media users now prefer content from fellow consumers as they view it as more authentic and trustworthy. They don’t want to see a perfect model try on clothes or products but rather someone they can relate to.
And, with over 56% of consumers wanting UGC from brands, it’s safe to assume that this trend will remain relevant for years to come.
If you’re looking to incorporate UGC into your content, a great way to do this is by creating a hashtag that customers can use on their posts. This way, when people click on the hashtag, they’ll see a mix of your branded content and UGC.
An excellent example of this is GoPro’s #GoProHERO12 hashtag. The hashtag currently has over 38,000 posts from people who are using the product, as well as more polished and targeted content from the official GoPro page.
Despite the huge difference in production value between these content types, users can see that the quality of the actual videos isn’t that different. This is a great testament to the quality of the product, which can help build trust between the brand and its consumers.
#6. Higher Emphasis on Groups
In 2020, Facebook started putting a higher emphasis on groups and even ran a Super Bowl ad to promote this feature. This is to help create a safe space for online communities to interact and connect with like-minded individuals. And in 2024, groups will become even more prominent on the platform.
But how is this Facebook trend relevant to businesses?
Aside from suggesting content, the Facebook algorithm will also start recommending groups on the feed. This will be largely based on the user’s interests and activity on the platform, as well as their demographic.
This means that it will be easier than ever for brands to connect with their target audience and foster a connection with their community.
Groups are also great for:
- Communicating with followers to improve relatability
- Getting feedback on products and services
- Generating brand awareness to attract new followers
If you have a large following, you can create your own Facebook Group or join relevant groups to connect with the community.
#7. Live Streaming is In
Lives are one of the most overlooked features on Facebook. However, despite their initial popularity, the appearance of Twitch and YouTube has caused creators to move to a more livestream-dedicated platform.
That said, live streams are still one of the best video formats on the platform. In fact, Facebook Lives get more views, watch time, and interactions than normal videos. And with Facebook trends focusing on video content in 2024, this is the year to get into live streaming.
Brands and businesses can use Facebook Lives for product launches and real-time event coverage. Unlike edited videos, this content format is seen as more authentic and, therefore, more appealing.
Facebook has also implemented updates, such as professional mode, to improve the live streaming experience. This allowed creators to place in-stream ads and users to send Facebook stars to support their favorite creator. And while Facebook live shopping is gone, you can still promote your products via external links during your broadcast.
#8. Facebook Stories
Facebook launched Stories in 2017 to compete with Snapchat’s feature of the same name. Despite being a clone, Facebook Stories performed much better than the pioneer and now dominates social media platforms, with over 1 billion stories shared each day.
Stories are great for sharing real-time events and personal experiences, but we find that there are several reasons why they will continue to be relevant to Facebook trends in the coming years.
For one, their authenticity makes them more appealing to users, while their limited availability can encourage them to view and interact with the post for fear of missing out. This means that content posted on stories will likely generate views and engagements.
Facebook also offers several features for stories, such as stickers and polls, that make them more versatile and engaging than other content formats. You can even share your stories on Instagram to get even more interactions.
#9. Meta Verification
Facebook launched a verification system for individual users in 2023. Similar to Twitter’s verified badges, this allows brands to distinguish their profiles from regular user profiles on the platform. And in 2024, this feature became available for businesses as well.
Anyone can create a copy of a Facebook page, so it’s easy for non-discerning users to be fooled into dealing with a fake page. This can negatively affect a business’ image and credibility online.
With Meta Verified, users can easily determine if a business is legitimate and avoid falling for common tricks and scams. Verification also makes it easier for businesses to find the official accounts of brands and creators so they can reach out to them for collaborations.
#10. AI in Content Creation
Artificial intelligence has improved at a rapid pace, coming a long way from simply generating texts for posts. Nowadays, AI can be used to predict user behavior and improve the social media experience. Unsurprisingly, AI technology is also largely present on the Facebook platform.
Aside from chatbots and the algorithm itself, the current Facebook trend also shows more and more brands using AI tools to simplify their content creation process. From generating captions to creating images and videos for posts, there are several ways that AI can improve your content strategy.
Meta also recently announced its plans to incorporate AI-based image generation into Facebook. This means you’ll be able to create branded content, such as stickers and images, that can help boost your visibility on the platform.
#11. Facebook Hashtags
While hashtags were originally only a Twitter feature, they have long since been integrated into other social media platforms. Users can discover new content and current Facebook trends through hashtags, making them an essential tool in your content strategy.
In 2024, hashtags will continue to play a key role in shaping conversations and driving engagement on the platform.
Here are some effective ways you can use hashtags to improve your discoverability on Facebook:
- Categorizing posts to help users find all related content on a specific topic
- Creating branded or event-related hashtags to encourage UGC
- Searching for similar hashtags to find relevant and trending content in your niche
#12. Influencer Marketing
Influencers can sometimes get a bad rep due to product overpromotion, but as UGC continues to gain traction, partnering with micro-influencers and creators will be one of the leading Facebook trends for 2024.
Smaller influencers often have stronger connections with their audience and are viewed as more authentic than celebrities, which can make them more effective for influencer marketing. By partnering with the right creator, businesses can leverage their influence to build brand credibility, expand their reach, and engage new audiences.
Key Takeaways
- The use of artificial intelligence, the rise of video content, and the increasing importance of brand authenticity are among the top social media trends for 2024.
- As Facebook expands the online shopping features on its platform, brands can utilize their verification feature to protect both themselves and their customers.
- Other important Facebook trends in 2024 include the use of hashtags and Facebook groups to improve discoverability and community-building on the platform.
Ervin Kalemi
