At c21, we like to stay on top of the latest marketing, public relations and interactive trends, and we do that by attending luncheons, seminars and listening to webinars. Last month we listened to NUVI’s webinar, Social Media Marketing Trends for 2017, to gather some insight on what they predict will be popular among social media platforms this year.
In 2016, social media platforms introduced Facebook Live, Instagram Stories, Instagram Live, Snapchat “Memories” and Twitter Live. As social platforms continue to innovate to compete for attention, it’s anyone’s guess as to what will be in store for 2017. Here are a few of NUVI’s predictions for 2017 social media marketing trends.
- Video Sharing
As video sharing continues to grow, it is important to start creating content now, before video becomes overly saturated. Aim for better quality content rather than more content and try to catch your audience within the first 10 seconds. Focus on telling a story to try and connect with your customers rather than just selling a product.
- Fact Checking
There has been an increase in fake news stories being posted on Facebook and other social media sites, which has caused content standards to increase. Authenticity and trust in a brand is important to customers. Always fact check content before posting.
- E-Commerce
Social platforms have already started to become more mobile payment friendly with the addition of the “Buy Now” button on Facebook and the “Shop Now” button on Instagram, and this trend will only continue to increase to make transactions on social more convenient.
- Employee and Customer Influencers
Instead of leveraging influencers who have a ton of followers with large incentives, look to your already loyal customers and dedicated employees who currently advocate for your brand. Reach out to customers and employees who frequently post about your brand to create “organic influencer marketing.” The content will be more authentic and you won’t have to offer as large of an incentive, if any. For example, Spotify launched a marketing campaign in 2016 using customers’ actual tweets on billboards – now that’s customer advocacy!
- Customer Service
Social platforms can be a great tool to deal with business problems and mass complaints as well. It eliminates the chatter in a call center and allows a company to address the problem in a more personal way. You can also get ahead of possible complaints if you become aware of a problem beforehand by addressing it on your social accounts.
Keep an eye out for these social media marketing trends throughout the year, and if you need help with your social media marketing campaign – call us!