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11/20/16, 11(07 PMThe Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends Dominating 2016
Page 1 of 4http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/08/01/the-top-7-social-media-marketing-trends-dominating-2016/print/
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The Top 7 Social Media MarketingTrends Dominating 2016
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Late last year, I made some predictions aboutsocial media in my post, The Top 7 SocialMedia Marketing Trends That Will Dominate2016. Now that we’re more than halfwaythrough 2016, let’s take a look at what thedominating trends really are:
1. Less is more, better is better.
Social media is a crowded world already—there are billions of users with social profiles,and they all follow hundreds to thousands ofdifferent accounts. On top of that, mostplatforms’ newsfeed algorithms now sort postsbased on a degree of perceived relevance,rather than based on the time of publication(in fact, Instagram just changed theirs over
Jayson DeMers Contributor
I de-mystify SEO and online marketing for business owners.Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own.
11/20/16, 11(07 PMThe Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends Dominating 2016
Page 2 of 4http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/08/01/the-top-7-social-media-marketing-trends-dominating-2016/print/
recently). Add in the fact that users arebeginning to prefer hyper-relevant, in-the-moment content to regurgitated updates orretrospective posts, and you have a perfectformula for users to prefer fewer, but betterposts. Quality has always been more importantthan quantity, but now social platforms andusers are further cementing that fact.
2. A shift is happening in platformdynamics.
Until recently, the three big players of thesocial media game were Facebook, Twitter,and LinkedIn—almost indisputably—and allthree platforms served similar functions forslightly different niches. Today, thosepositions have changed and diversified;Instagram and Snapchat are newer players inthe game, but each serves a niche role despitehaving massive user bases.
3. Live streaming is getting bigger.
Video content has seen a huge spike inpopularity over the past few years, in partbecause it has become a more accessiblemedium, and in part because users aregrowing tired of older mediums. Combinedwith the trend of users demanding more “live”and in-the-moment updates, live streamingvideo has seen a major increase in popularity;especially with the recent release of FacebookLive.
4. Buy buttons are becoming morecommon.
Advertising on social media has always beenaround—it’s how they make money, after all—but only recently has the advertisingexperience become something more akin to ashopping experience. Ads and productsavailable to purchase are starting to work theirway into users’ newsfeeds and profiles moresmoothly and with fewer distinctions fromorganic content. These are typically associated
11/20/16, 11(07 PMThe Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends Dominating 2016
Page 3 of 4http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/08/01/the-top-7-social-media-marketing-trends-dominating-2016/print/
with the simple addition of a “buy” button,which leads to an integrated cart to make iteasier than ever to convert followers into realcustomers.
5. New applications are changing socialinteraction.
The entire motivation behind social media’sexistence is the “social” element; theseplatforms were developed for people to engagewith one another, directly and for the mostpart, in conversational form. Now, forms ofinteraction are starting to diversify. Platformslike Snapchat are allowing more one-sidedconversations, in a more fleeting, temporarycontext. Platforms like Facebook are launchingnew communication channels like Messengerfor Business, which serves as a kind ofcustomer service wing. Brands and consumersare able to talk to each other in new, morediverse ways, and that range is onlybroadening.
6. We’re seeing a push for morepersonalization.
Users are tired of seeing the same types ofcontent populate in their newsfeeds, andthey’re tired of seeing posts they don’t careabout. There’s a greater demand forpersonalization and customization, andplatforms and publishers alike are doing whatthey can to cater to that demand. In fact,Facebook was recently accused of having apolitical bias because its personalizationalgorithm tended to display stories with apolitical leaning already similar to its targetedusers’ preferences.
7. We’re getting broader appfunctionality.
Social media apps are developed and owned bycompanies, and those companies need to makemoney to survive. They can sell ad space anduser data, but they lose attention and user
11/20/16, 11(07 PMThe Top 7 Social Media Marketing Trends Dominating 2016
Page 4 of 4http://www.forbes.com/sites/jaysondemers/2016/08/01/the-top-7-social-media-marketing-trends-dominating-2016/print/
This article is available online at: 2016 Forbes.com LLC™ All Rights Reserved
potential every time a user clicks out of an app.To remedy this, social platforms are doingmore to keep users involved in-app for thelongest time possible, offering peripheralfunctionality to keep users contented on morefronts. Some of these functions include in-appsearch functions, embedded content, and inFacebook’s case, even a personal digitalassistant.
Some of these trends have been around for awhile, manifesting gradually as moreconsumers have turned to them. Otherspopped up recently as a response to otherdevelopments, or as pure innovationsemerging from the ether. In any case, they’rehere now; you don’t have to adopt all of themor develop new strategies for them, but you dohave to recognize their existence even if you’reonly playing defense. These are the shapers ofthe social media marketing world as it existstoday, and they’re forerunners of tomorrow’sdevelopments. If you’re looking for helpgetting started with your own social mediamarketing campaign, grab my eBook, TheDefinitive Guide to Social Media Marketing.
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