Eighty-four percent of millennials do not like advertising and are more trusting of information sources that are not actively focused on selling messages, according to a study by The McCarthy Group. It’s an alarming stat, but it seems the modern consumer is blind to billboards and deaf to commercials. Instead, millennials are turning to social media to research products and engage with brands–so it’s vital that you keep on top of the latest trends.
If you’re thinking to yourself, “Is Facebook still cool? What’s the next big thing?” you’re not alone. The world of social media is moving at a staggering pace and keeping up with new developments can feel like a full-time job.
But don’t panic. I’ve got you covered. Here are the social media trends you need to know right now:
1. Mobile is taking over.
Mobile phones account for over 30 percent of all web traffic, and there are now 1.65 billion social accounts accessed by mobile devices. This will continue to rise year on year as consumers habitually turn to their smartphones in what Google calls “micro-moments.” This means mobile-optimised social networks offer marketers a truly powerful channel for reaching customers.
Targeting mobile phone users will become indispensable to companies’ marketing strategies in the not-so-distant future.
2. Video is dominating.
Video generates the best engagement on Facebook and Twitter, and visual-centric social networks such as Instagram, Snapchat, and Vine are becoming more popular than ever. Three-hundred hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every single minute, and it’s estimated that video will account for 80 percent of all consumer Internet traffic by 2019.
In five years time, will you be watching this article instead of reading it? It’s an interesting thought, but either way, now is the time to start thinking about how you can include video in your strategy.
3. Social commerce is rising.
Today’s consumer reads reviews before making a purchase decision, and social media is becoming a primary source of such information. To capitalise on the movement, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest have started rolling out “Buy” buttons that allow users to make e-commerce purchases directly from their social accounts.
4. Content marketing is becoming more social.
Marketers have started to realise that promotion is just as important, if not more important, than content creation itself. Social media is the most effective way of increasing reach and amplifying content, and as a result has become a core element of the content marketing process.
When content is shared on social media it spreads like wildfire; it can be the difference between 100 readers and 100,000 readers, so achieving virality is the stuff marketer’s dreams are made of.
5. Analytics are advancing.
Social media analytics are getting smarter, allowing marketers to gain better insights into their audience and performance. These insights will allow marketers to align their social media strategies more accurately with their target customers, and optimise their activities for better results.
With better tools and greater insight, we are reaching a point where social media activity can be directly linked to sales. That means proving ROI on social media marketing will start to get easier.
6. More social networks are emerging.
Several issues have been raised about the major social networks, mainly in terms of privacy, data collection, and pervasive advertising. This has led to the emergence of several new social networks that provide an alternative experience.
One such network is Ello, which promises to provide a forever ad-free platform for users. The next big thing hasn’t arrived yet, but social networks that give users a better sense of community in niche markets have started to pop up more frequently.
7. Customer service is going social.
Social media has transformed customer service. In 2015, 41 percent of companies successfully responded to customers, according to Eptica. This number will continue to rise as more and more customers take to Twitter to raise issues with brands, due to its transparency.
Brands can gain instant recognition for dealing with customer complaints publicly, while a more personalised and faster response improves customer satisfaction.
A new tool from Hootesuite even allows companies to tweet customers a unique phone number that directly connects them with someone who can handle their problem. This is a game changer for instances where customer information is too sensitive to discuss openly.
8. Facebook organic reach is still falling.
Facebook has been pushing its promoted posts feature for a while now, in order to further monetize the platform. As a result, organic reach for brand posts has continued to shrink to around 5 percent.
It looks like this figure will only be heading in one direction, and even though it’s still possible to create shareable content, it looks like most businesses will have to start paying to make a real impact on Facebook.
Written by: Greg Miles Source: www.AllBusiness.com
