If you thought social media wasn’t relevant to your marketing or advertising campaign, think again. The social media trends of 2017 have had a massive impact on advertising and marketing strategies.
The world now uses social media in every aspect of their lives. Facebook has 2 billion monthly users. YouTube is not far behind with 1.5 billion monthly users and WhatsApp has 1.2 billion monthly users as of February 2017.
Social media marketing is not going anywhere and it’s become even more relevant for marketers and businesses to stay on top of social media trends if they want to continue to scale and increase their customer base.
Social Media Trends of 2017
Half of creating and executing an effective marketing plan is staying on top of social media trends. With social media changing rapidly over the years, it can be extremely difficult to stay on top of all the relevant platforms and social media tools.
The social media trends of 2017 are no different. In 2016, written content such as blogs and tweets were all the rage; this year it’s video content. Some of the other social media trends of 2017 are social messaging (including Chatbots) and influencer marketing.
I’m going to briefly go over each one of these very important social media trends, as they are sure to be just as relevant in 2018.
Video Content
Authenticity is the name of the game when it comes to social media marketing. As a result, consumers have become jaded with the usual static ads.
Because of this competitiveness, consumers are now searching for something different; they want to know and buy from the person behind the product or as commonly known to marketers, they want to connect with the brand.
Nearly every social media platform around now has an option for users to create, share and connect using video.
Video options on Facebook and Instagram have rapidly proliferated during 2017. On Facebook, you now have Facebook Live which allows marketers and brands to live stream directly to their followers.
This has led people to consume media in a different way. According to this infographic, 80% of people would rather watch a live video than read a blog.
Not only is it important for brands to create a video in order to connect with their consumers, they also have to invest in quality production and quality content. 67% of viewers say that quality is the most important factor when viewing a video.
And on top of that other social media platforms have various other ways for you to reach people via video. Instagram has rolled out a live streaming feature and has an option to upload video to your profile picture commonly known as an Instagram story. YouTube has launched a cable package called YouTube TV.
Not surprisingly, YouTube is set to surpass the viewership that television has.
Facebook live, Instagram stories, Snapchat, and YouTube has ushered in a new craze for video. The use of video is the new and improved type of content that’s a must-have for any marketing or advertising strategy. Utilizing video content is definitely one of the biggest social media trends of 2017.
Social Messaging
Reaching consumers through their email inboxes used to be the best way to build a relationship with them. Now, since email marketing has become so crowded with other marketers, it’s become more difficult to reach people via their inboxes.
Text messaging or using messenger apps are now the preferred way for millennials to communicate with one another. Millennials are now the largest generation alive in America today so it’s important to follow the trends of these consumers.
Believe it or not, 9 out of 10 consumers want the ability to communicate with brands via text messaging. However, less than half of consumers have the ability to fulfill this need.
Utilizing new tools such as Chatbots on Facebook can help your business stay ahead of the curve. Chatbots is an automated conversation that can help you build a relationship with potential consumers without having to actually speak to each one individually.
Chatbots can allow you to get in front of consumers very easily because it allows you to find your customers right where they’re at; in their phones! Social messaging is definitely another hot social media trend of 2017 that’s not going away anytime soon.
Influencer Marketing
Influencer marketing is hot right now and is likely here to stay. What exactly is influencer marketing? According to Forbes, influencer marketing is a non-promotional approach to marketing where brands pay influencers who have large social media followings that consist of the brand’s ideal clients to give their opinion on the brand’s products or services.
In this way, the brand is promoting their products and/or services in an indirect way which is more effective because the consumers already like, know and trust the influencer reviewing their products which makes the consumers more likely to purchase.
The Best Way to Stay on Top of the Social Media Trends of 2017
It is extremely difficult for businesses to stay on top of all the new emerging, yet relevant social media trends. However, it is crucial to know what your consumers are doing and what’s relevant to them in order to keep your business revenue increasing.
Hiring a specialized team to help you strategize and implement those strategies is crucial to the success of executing your marketing and advertising goals.
Here at Fanatically Digital, we specialize in content marketing, social media marketing, and email marketing. We’re experts in creating the type of relevant content that’s going to make your consumers love your brand whether that be in the form of videos, whitepapers, or simple blog posts.
Our content marketing plan will help target your ideal client and ideas, strategies and tactics to reach and engage them. Read more about our services here and make sure to contact us to learn more about how we can put together a comprehensive plan for your business.