What Social Media Marketers Should Expect in 2017
It’s been more than ten years since Facebook stole us from the real world and transported us into the interesting and diverse cyberspace. Today, social media is unlike it used to. It’s bustling. It’s hot. It’s where people, particularly the young ones, spend much of their waking time. Everyone seeks an opportunity to snap that selfie or share that lunch photo or talk about their political views.
So it looks like companies can still capitalize on people’s social media obsession, which basically comes from our innate need to bond with others. You should pay attention if you want to streamline your social media marketing efforts to get more results.
People will crave for live streamed videos.
Although YouTube is still quite a sensation, new ways of delivering footage are finding their way into people’s feeds. Recently, live video broadcasts have become a thing, and experts are saying it’ll be a phenomenon in 2017. Twitter already began with live streaming through Periscope. Facebook has its own live video broadcast feature as well.
No, people aren’t tired of playing prerecorded videos. They just find live feeds more exciting. Live streams make them more involved and engage them better than edited clips. Does this mean you will have to put up live product demos and reviews?
Expiring content will create a sense of urgency.
Snapchat is a trailblazer. It changed the way we consume content. While Facebook allows saving posts, Snapchat does the opposite. You can upload 10-second videos that are gone as soon as you’re done watching. Snapchat added a feature that allows stories to last for 24 hours. Instagram followed suit. It all means a new way of presenting content. Expiring content adds urgency. With clever captions and presentation, you can make intriguing clips that’ll keep viewers begging for more.
Social media alliances will be a norm.
There used to be a time when individual social media networks existed independent of the others. There were different empires, colonies distinct from each other. But that all changed. Facebook bought Instagram, while Twitter partnered with Periscope. The social media universe is becoming a realm of conglomerations. Different networks are coming together to build larger and stronger empires.
Marketers will have to be observant. Keeping an eye on key changes allows one to spot where the drift is headed. The first to spot these changes is the first to adapt to these shifts and make the most out of the situation. For instance, the rise of micro-influencers has prompted mindful entrepreneurs to invest in influencer marketing.
Getting organic engagement will be more difficult.
This is a sad reality for business people. Back in the day businesses can just put up pages on Facebook or Twitter, and they can quickly gain followers. Visibility algorithms have changed. On Facebook, the visibility of your posts depends on interest, the performance of the post in relation to others, the performance of the past posts of the creator, type of post (whether it’s a photo or text), and recency.
Marketers will have a harder time competing with average users, particularly those with huge networks, as social media favors these entities. That’s on top of them having to compete with other marketers.
