08 Jun 8 Social Media Marketing Trends That Have Caught Our Attention
We’re nearly halfway through 2017, so you’re probably wondering why I’m writing about social media marketing trends now. Well, trends don’t only pop up in December or January. Trends can start – and gain steam – any time of the year.
Here are eight social media marketing trends that have caught our attention.
1. Facebook is mobile first
Have you visited Facebook via your desktop lately? If so, you’ve probably noticed what I have: The quality of my personal news feed is distinctly better on my mobile device.
Facebook has been making a concerted effort to become mobile-first, and they’re succeeding. The reason for this shift is simple: most people around the world access the Internet from their mobile devices (not desktops).
So why does this matter? If you are advertising on Facebook, mobile ads will get more expensive as competition for ad space increases.
2. Be cool when marketing to teens
If your target market includes teens and you’re using Instagram and Snapchat:
- Stop with the selfies
- Only use hashtags ironically
- Don’t post more than once a day on Instagram
- Nonstop food porn is for losers
You can find more brilliant bits of advice from teens here.
3. Social networks are transforming into video only
People love video, and social media networks know it. Every major platform now includes embedded video capabilities, and you’ve probably noticed that video is pushed to the top of your news feeds.
And let’s not forget about live video. Live video has taken off, with people eager for behind-the-scenes and event coverage. Here at Jansen Communications, I’ve been using Facebook Live every week, and our engagement levels have skyrocketed.
4. People are buying via social
Check out these stats:
- 56% of consumers follow brands on social media to browse products for sale
- 31% are using social media to look for new items to purchase
- 24% are using social media to find gift ideas
Use those “Buy Now” buttons and the various e-commerce features that are embedded in Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. Which brings me to my next point.
5. “Conversational Commerce” has arrived
As the stats above demonstrate, social media is not just for marketing anymore. We learn about products (and services) on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram. And we are reaching out to companies for customer service via messaging apps (like Facebook Messenger).
In fact, I just did this. When no one was answering the phone at a winery (I tried several times over two days!), I messaged them via Facebook. I wanted to find out if a bottle of wine we’d been storing was ready to drink. Important stuff. It took them a few days, but I got my response. (Yes, it is ready to drink.)
6. Instagram is pay-to-play
I remarked to my husband last week that some of the brands I follow on Instagram have disappeared from my news feed. Then I remembered that oh yeah, Instagram is now pay-to-play, just like Facebook. If you want to see engagement on Instagram, pay to boost your posts (and make sure you target people who follow you on Instagram!).
7. Work for engagement on LinkedIn company pages
You would think that business-focused LinkedIn would do a lot more to boost the visibility of active company pages. But they don’t (and we find this very odd).
If you want people to engage with your LinkedIn company page, put in extra effort. First, post updates regularly. Then share company page updates on the personal pages of the CEO (and other company leaders). This seems to do the trick, so give it a try.
8. Influencer marketing drives real ROI
What you’ve heard is true. Influencer marketing can have an outsize impact on your business growth:
- Influencer marketing content delivers 11X higher ROI than traditional forms of digital marketing.
- 49% of people say they rely on recommendations from influencers when making purchase decisions.
- 40% of people say they’ve purchased an item online after seeing it used by an influencer on Instagram, Twitter, Vine, or YouTube.
This is definitely a tactic to keep in mind, even if you’re not ready to commit now because it’s not going anywhere.
What social media marketing trends are you excited about? What do you think will work best for your small business?
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