Where is social media heading in 2017? What will stay the same and what are the biggest trends to watch?
We've collected a list of some of our favorite predictions, along with our opinion, for the new year. So how will social media and the internet change in the New Year? Check out some of our predictions for 2017.
Response time
We’ve seen a lot of tools roll out on Facebook in the last year that makes is easier to be more responsive to your audience. Facebook now lets people know how responsive a business is when they are contacted via messenger and ranks companies based on how quickly they respond. Experts are predicting this is going to continue to be a huge trend. As more people expect to communicate with you on your social platforms, they want to know you’re going to get back with them promptly. If they have a quick question that needs answering, but you’re not going to respond as soon as they require, they may choose someone else over your business.
Most consumers want a response within 30 minutes to an hour. There is not a lot of room for grace when it comes to response times on social media.
Chatbots
That brings us to chat bots. With response time becoming such a crucial factor in social media, a new tool has popped up to make it a little easier for rapid communication. Chatbots simulate intelligent conversation without the need for a real human being, or in other words, artificial intelligence answering your customer's questions.
We’ve already begun seeing this trend rise; Facebook introduced automatic messaging earlier in the year through the Messenger app. It aims to improve real-time engagement, which is necessary in a world that demands a prompt reply. Chatbots are designed to answer your most frequently asked questions. Tougher questions may still need a human reply -- for now!
Virtual reality
2017 is going to be the time to experiment new trends with your business. Early adoption will ensure you don’t get left behind. One of the biggest trends coming to 2017? Virtual reality. One of the best things to start with in 2017 would be incorporating 360-degree video or image somewhere into your marketing or business. It’s pretty simple to do. Add a 360 photo to a Google listing or take a tour of your facility or office. Try it out at least once and see how it does. We’re positive this is a trend that will stick it out far longer than just 2017. Facebook, YouTube, and now even Wordpress, have seen how huge of a trend this will be and have already jumped onboard.
Live Video
A trend that blew up in 2016 is going to continue to be huge in 2017. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and other social platforms have all added the capability for live videos, and we’ve watched as people have incorporated them into their lives and businesses. In fact, people have gotten more obsessive about live video. Most experts are pretty confident, and we agree, that live video will continue to be a huge trend online and on social media.
Expiring Content
Much to everyone’s surprise, Snapchat saw huge success in 2016, leading many of its competitors to introduce similar features. One such feature is disappearing or expiring content. That is, content that has a time limit or is gone after you open it. Most people are guessing this will become more popular in 2017.
Increased Personalization
Many of these trends are interesting when looked at as individual trends, but it’s more fascinating to look at them as a whole. What are we ultimately trending towards in 2017? It’s simple: more personalization and more relationship building. We’re able to connect better than ever with the right people at the right time, both online and on our social networks. The more real and personable you can get with your content, the better.
Quality Content
There is now more content being published online than ever. But that doesn't mean all that content is great. In 2017, we’re going to see a push for quality content. Quality content means longer blog posts, richer white papers, and ebooks. It also includes better videos and downloads. To make sure content is getting better, many companies will be opting to hire for the role of content managers and PR specialists. There will be a mix of writing great content resonates with your audience but also making sure that content is getting viewed. That's where public relations specialists will become big. The role of the PR manager will be to share your stories with the media.
Micro-Influencer Marketing
In an effort to reach more people, many brands have turned to influencer marketing, and in 2017 they will be turning to micro-influencers. These micro-influencers are made up of minor celebrities, such as YouTube stars, social media kings/queens, and bloggers. A recent study shows that micro-influencers hold a great deal of social media power and are the best way to garner high-quality, word-of-mouth results. The study, which was funded by Expertcity, found such micro influencers have 22.2 times more conversations per week than the average consumer recommending a brand to other people. Our big take away from the study was that 82 percent of respondents were “highly likely to follow a recommendation” made by a micro influencer! That is a powerful example of word-of-mouth to world-of-mouth marketing!
Mobile first
Mobile first has been a huge push for the last two years and will continue to be big in the upcoming year. Mobile traffic has officially taken over desktop traffic on the web this last year, and Google is busy working on a mobile-first web index. If your website isn’t mobile friendly or responsive, you’re going to be missing out on a huge audience, not to mention getting dinged by Google. In 2017, you’ll want to think mobile first and make sure your visitors get the best experience they can on their mobile devices.
While there is no shortage of opinions about what’s to come, here were some of our favorite prediction blogs:
https://www.brandwatch.com/blog/social-media-trends-2017/
https://www.jeffbullas.com/2016/09/19/0-top-social-media-marketing-trends-to-look-out-for-in-2017/
https://www.firebellymarketing.com/2016/12/2017-social-media-predictions.html
Those are just a few of our favorite predictions for the upcoming year. What trends do you see blowing up? Let us know in the comment section below!
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