Social media in 2017. What to expect?

Social media has become so commonplace that any company, be it a startup with a minimum number of employees or a large global brand, views this communication channel as mandatory. But the ubiquity does not always mean efficiency. Should we expect innovation in this area, and how effectively can SMM channel be used by companies in today's release?

Lee Oudden, executive director of TopRank Marketing and editor of the Online Marketing Blog , best known for his work experience in The Economist, Forbes and the Wall Street Journal, and author of Optimize , an international specialist in content, search, social media and influence marketing, in his recent The publication cites nine trends in Internet marketing in general and social media in particular, which will be relevant in 2017.
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Social media is a constantly evolving platform of modern Internet marketing. So what awaits us next? The virtual reality? Internet of things? Further development of Facebook functional?

The most important thing in the development of social media, as Lee Odden notes, is not always technology. The main component is people.

What are today's marketers paying attention to first? Most often these are new applications, networks and the latest features on the main social media platforms. But the essence lies not in technology, but in how “deeply” and qualitatively people use these technologies.

Social media is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it is the consumer behavior that dictates the further development of social technologies. On the other hand, the development of social technologies is changing consumer behavior. In any case, this is a very interconnected mechanism. Therefore, it is very important for brands to pay attention to the “atmosphere” in social media in order to properly track the dynamics and development trends among customers and the general public.

Consider the prospects.
1. Facebook

Facebook today is the dominant social platform according to the criteria of popularity among users, the distribution of video and advertising. And in the near future, as Lee Odden argues, this position is likely to continue. In the same row, you can put communication in WhatsApp chats and the development of Instragram as the second largest social platform (according to Computerworld's IT technology news portal).

2. Merge networks

This trend is actively gaining popularity and helps to isolate the maximum benefit from each social platform. As an example, the editor of Online Marketing considers the merger of Microsoft and Linkedin, which can bring new interesting features to the marketing world with a focus on the professional field. In the same category, Odden classifies the possible purchase of Twitter as one of the largest players in the global IT market such as Apple, Google or Facebook.

3. Live webcasts

Now brands have the opportunity to effectively engage consumers with previously unknown tools. This includes Live-Broadcasts via platforms such as Snapchat, Facebook Live and Periscope. Facebook owner Nicola Mendelson says that over the next five years, this social platform can completely go into video format.

4. Paid social advertising

Social advertising will continue to grow, bringing more and more opportunities to advertisers. Advertising in social media, by 2017, will generate $ 11 billion. This is a very impressive figure, compared with only $ 6.1 billion in 2013. Other social networks and applications will also expand their promotional offers.

5. “Dark Social”

The essence of this definition, which is quite difficult to find Russian analogues, is that the social platforms are increasingly “shering” the information in a “dark” way - in personal messages, rather than through repost on their profiles page. This activity of users accounts for 84%, and it is becoming increasingly important for companies. The difficulty in this case lies in analytics - metrics that are standard for other social platforms are not suitable for such activity. And marketers should move in a direction that will help ensure the interconnection of applications, networks, platforms and “dark social”, which will provide for this kind of communication great significance.

6. Social chat bots

Facebook has brought another important functionality for brand interaction with customers, their involvement and satisfaction of expectations. The so-called online robots can provide customers with the necessary basic information, thus ensuring their continued interaction with the company. Brands should invest in the development of as much as possible adapted social communication. Perhaps the emphasis will be placed on neural networks.

7. Mobile First

Readers of our blog more than once met this definition. Why? Because this trend is becoming more relevant every day. Mobile traffic today exceeds desktop, and it is expected that in the current 2016 the number of smartphone owners around the world will reach two billion. It is not worth talking about the importance of mobile applications and adapted mobile formats - this is so obvious for any progressive brand. It is necessary to focus only on the fact that ignoring social media can lead to the development of a company with dramatic consequences.

8. Automation of social media

Lee Oden identifies this perspective in a separate category. In the near future, an increasing emphasis will be placed on the possibilities of automated social communication, which will simplify the company's business processes. Special attention will be paid to targeting, timing and work with customer involvement.

9. Participation in social content

Consumers are most interested in communicating with a brand when they are directly involved in its creation. Such an opportunity is in the mutual interest of consumers and the company. Such a symbiosis will lead to the ubiquitous distribution of user-generated content. This principle today adhere to many brands. For example, the iFunny application is completely built on this kind of content. And his popularity speaks for itself.

The presence of personal mobile devices opens up a huge field for users and brands to create joint content in any format, taking into account the interests of each potential consumer. Attracting interested people to create a context is a great opportunity to significantly increase audience coverage with minimal investment.

Summarizing all the above, it is worthwhile to dwell on the fact that the brand has every chance of success with proper use of social content. And it lies in the harmonious fusion of technology, progressive tools and the human factor.

Involving users in the social activity of companies effectively affects not only the increase in audience coverage, user loyalty, but also the quality of the content itself. By regularly analyzing user preferences through active communication with consumers, the brand can achieve the most adaptive and interesting content for customers, which will lead to new high-quality conversions.



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