May reasons point to social media as one of the most important aspects of digital marketing. When incorporating social media into your online strategy, you may wonder how to best use social media. This can be a tough question to answer with the ever-changing nature of the digital world.
To help you stay on the most up-to-date path, it’s important to know which trends will prove most popular and successful. With that in mind, here are the hottest social media marketing trends of 2017.
Live Video
A few months ago, live video began popping up on some of your favorite social media sites. Well, it looks like live video is here to stay! Not only that, but you can expect it see it on more and more social media sites. But just what should you use live video for? Try live streaming an event that some from your target audience may not be able to attend. Hosting a Q&A is a great way to engage consumers; you can receive direct feedback, answer questions, and overall build a better relationship with your audience. Along with live video, you can also utilize 360 images and 360 video to help put your audience in the moment.
Stories
When it comes to stories (photos and videos that are available for viewing for just 24 hours), many users are expected to switch from Snapchat to Instagram. One reason or the switch is that Instagram just has so many more users. And Facebook just released its own version of stories! While it looks like Instagram may be the leader in the social media site to post stories for now, it’s going to be an interesting year to see how Facebook falls in line and if any other sites begin to dominate.
Advertising
It’s not just users who are using social media in more ways; advertisers are taking advantage too. One new trend you’ll see more of in 2017 are increased advertisements on social media. This means digital marketers will want to take advantage as well. Whether it be Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or Snapchat, sponsored content is a great way to reach buyers.
Artificial Intelligence Lenses
Snapchat made artificial intelligence lenses a “thing” and you’re likely going to see social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram follow suite. These AI lenses make for a more interactive and engaging experience for users, one that marketers may be able to get on board with by developing their own lenses.
Customer Service
Another hot social media trend of 2017 is going to increase customer service. That’s right, using social messages to respond to customer service issues is going to grow this year. In some instances, chatbots are used to answer common questions for immediate help. Facebook uses Messenger to answer customers service questions, and other social media platforms can use direct messaging or even live video to ask questions and get more a more immediate response than say, e-mailing.
Shopping
Digital marketers can look forward to the hot new trend of social shopping and instant purchases in 2017. Going hand-in-hand with social media advertisement and sponsored posts, many social media platforms offer instant shopping links! Social media users are more likely to buy something they see in their feed, but when you include a link to purchase quickly it makes shopping that much easier for consumers.
