Scattered audiences; more diverse, yet fragmented platforms; an ever more competitive environment with marketing efforts that put the days of the TV networks to shame: social media sure is getting complicated! Brands have to be on their toes if they’re going to stay up-to-date with the newest and coolest apps and invest some serious resources to keep up with the trends – and know which ones to jump on and which ones are just a flash in the pan.
Social media searches are becoming more powerful. Pinterest announced a visual search feature, where users can actually click within an image to open a new search. For example, if you’re looking at a picture of a living room and want to see more lamps like the one featured in the picture, you can click the lamp, and you’ll be directed to search results for products like that one.
Next big trend: Live social broadcasts are a thing – and it’s not just for the Red Bulls and Coca Colas of the world. People know the difference between ‘reality TV’ and ‘reality’ and they’re more likely to trust a brand that can show exactly what’s happening as it’s happening. With programs like Periscope and Facebook’s new Facebook Live Broadcasts, this is a strategy to explore for 2018.
Even if you’re not ready to explore live broadcasts, videos are still critical to your social strategy. We’ve said this hundreds of times – but it’s worth repeating that video isn’t a can’t miss-trend for social marketing. Consider that:
- Videos average 62% more engagement than photos
- Video shares increased 43% at the start of this year
- Facebook just announced it sees an average of eight billion views a day from 500 million people.
If you’re not producing short, compelling videos for social, what are you waiting for?
Finally – Inbound messages for social customer service are going up. Sprout Social reports that across industries, brands have received 32% more inbound messages this year than last. The problem is that brands still haven’t figured out a game plan for answering – as 82% of messages that brands receive go without response. Have room and resource for some 1:1 engagement in your social plan to stay ahead.
Remember: Keep social, social. People want to see, watch and hear from real life people. And that’s the whole point of social media to begin with, isn’t it?
1. Real Real-Time Engagement
Social media thrives on real-time engagement, but each year the window for response becomes smaller and smaller. According to Search Engine Watch, 70% of Twitter users expect a response from brands they reach out to, and 53% want a response in less than an hour. That number jumps to 72% when they’re issuing a complaint.
In 2014, consumers complained about brands 879 million times on social media. What’s worse is that in 2015, brands still weren’t responding as 7 in 8 messages to them went unanswered within 72 hours.
One of the key strategies marketers need to implement in 2016 is faster response times. Thanks to advances made to social listening and automation tools, if you’re not quick to respond one of your competitors might be. Social media is moving fast, and if your business has a presence on any of the platforms then you’re expected to keep up.
2. Live Streaming Video
Faster response times aren’t the only thing you’ll want to focus on. Consumers also want faster access to real-time, offline events. Live streaming video is considered to be the next big thing in social media marketing thanks to apps like Periscope and Meerkat, which took the Internet by storm in 2015.
Social media allows for communication between brands and customers, but live stream goes a step further, revealing a much more authentic side of your business. It’s unedited, unfiltered and shows that you’re not just reading off of a cue card. Both Periscope and Meerkat allow you to broadcast a live stream of the world around you.
Periscope:
- Owned by Twitter
- Available on iOS and Android
- 2 million daily active users
- 40 years worth of live video is watched daily
- Available in 25 languages
Meerkat:
- Available on iOS and Android
- 2 million registered users
- More than 100,000 videos streamed
- Available in one language
You can see a more in-depth breakdown of Periscope and Meerkat, including similarities and differences, in one of our previous articles.
Neither video service has completely taken over the live streaming space, so both should be considered when creating your social media strategy. One thing to keep in mind is both apps are expected to play a big role in the 2016 Presidential election, so if you’re affiliated in any way, you’ll want to pay close attention to each apps’ strengths and weaknesses.
3. Social Commerce
The more engaged your customers are, the better your sales. Over the last couple of years, we’ve seen social media play a crucial role in this area. In fact, in 2014, total US sales that could be tracked to social media reached $3.3 billion. More recently, research found social influences more shoppers’ buying decisions than retail websites.
Compelling stats like the one above has led to the creation of more commerce-focused features for marketers and advertisers. For example, in 2015:
- Facebook introduced 360 Ads for immersive experiences.
- YouTube added 360 Ads for more impactful visuals.
- Instagram rolled out its action-oriented ad format.
- Pinterest announced the limited rollout of its Buyable Pins.
- Twitter continued testing its Buy button.
In 2016, you’ll want to explore more ways how you can integrate these features into your social media and content strategies. For inspiration, keep an eye out this holiday season to see how businesses use them.
4. SEO
Let’s get one thing clear: content is still king. The mediums might be changing—in 2015 we saw a massive shift from text to media—but the competition for visibility has never been stronger. With more businesses building out their content strategies and the rising advertising costs, optimizing your organic content is at its highest demand.
Although social media doesn’t directly influence your search ranking, greater social signals (such as people sharing your content and sending more traffic to your website) can help you rank higher. Why is this important? Because 33% of traffic from Google’s organic search results go to the first item listed.
Not just that, but social content is becoming increasingly more visible in search results. Google already has deals in place with Facebook and Twitter—you’ve likely already seen a Tweet or two appear in your search results. In 2019 we’ll see more platforms added to the index, further blurring the line between Web and social media.
Your posts on Facebook and YouTube should also be optimized for search. Today 88% of consumers are influenced by reviews and online comments, and they’re turning to these platforms for just that. Searching on Facebook can now turn up public posts, so make sure that yours include relevant keywords and take advantage of character limit and hashtag best practices.
5. Mobile First
What was once considered a bonus is now a necessity. If you’re not thinking mobile first, then you’re already behind. Mobile devices have become the primary (not secondary) screen for most social media users. In 2015, mobile traffic finally overtook desktop traffic in 10 countries, including the US and Japan.
As of January 2015, 80% of Internet users own a smartphone. An estimated 2 billion consumers worldwide are expected to own a smartphone by 2016. Additionally, devices like smart TVs and smartwatches saw a spike in popularity, and we’ll continue to see their adoption rise in the new year.
What does this mean for marketers? Mobile devices—especially smartphones, tablets and smartwatches—should be a big part of your focus. This is crucial if you’re targeting millennials, of which 87% admitted to never being without their smartphone. More importantly, 14% wouldn’t do business with a company that doesn’t have a mobile site or app.
6. Data-Driven Decisions
By now much of the guesswork is disappearing from social media. You know who the key players are in the industry. If you’re a highly visual brand, then Instagram and Pinterest are already on your radar. You’re familiar with character limits and image specs. The basics are taken care of, and now you’re ready to refine your strategy so you can really hone in on quality connections. That’s where social media analytics come in.
Data is already a big part of how you measure social media success, but it’ll play an even bigger role in your 2016 strategy. Marketers have never had this much access to information about consumer preferences before. This data can help you personalize your message and focus on building stronger loyalty and long-term engagement—rather than short-term acquisitions and individual sales.
Using Social Media Analytics
The mass-target approach is on its way out, and personalized, data-driven marketing plans are in. Sprout’s robust suite of social media analytics and reporting tools will help you dig deeper into your strategy and get the most out of your efforts. Gain valuable insights around platform-specific strategies, what’s trending or your team’s performance as a whole. Then you can use that information to craft unique, personalized experiences for your customers.
But let’s be clear about something. Making data-driven decisions doesn’t mean you should let things like follower counts and the number of Likes your posts receive drive all of your business decisions. More importantly, numbers shouldn’t replace creativity. Relationship building is fluid and unique to the individual, whereas number crunching is purely analytical. You need to create a balance between these two approaches in order to be successful.
Moving Forward
As 2019 begins, it’s important that you and your team take some time to reflect on the past year and all of the changes that it brought. We expect a lot of great changes to come in 2019, but it’s helpful to know what has worked and what hasn’t so you can carry those lessons with you in the new year.
