It’s been a rough ride for social media in 2016. Twitter keeps losing executives as growth stalls. Facebook had to deal with page view issues and viral fake news stories. And Instagram had to deal with some harsh competition from Snapchat. And really, Google Plus is still around?!
So what’s the future hold of social media marketing in 2017? Well, here’s four things I predict will happen next year:
It’s a visual world after all – Social media is going to become more and more visual. With Facebook live videos, Instagram Stories, and Snapchat, people are using photos and videos to talk to the world more than ever before. I say this all the time – people like visuals. And that means a video will probably get you more interest than a wordy post any day. And with VR starting to emerge as a powerful platform, expect more videos heading your way. And hey, speaking of Snapchat…
Snapchat cements its position – If you don’t know Snapchat, it’s a pretty clever little concept. You take a picture to send to your friends and is only visible for a few seconds before it disappears. Hence the reason it was great for sexting when it first began. However, a mere four years later, the social media app has become a force to be reckoned with. Currently, there are 150 million people who use the service daily and has become more popular than Twitter. With Snap Spectacles, Snapchat will continue its rocket growth in 2017. Watch out, Instagram.
Twitter continues to fade away – Poor Twitter, its troubles are going to continue in 2017. The company has lost six of its 10 executives in 2016, including its CEO and CTO. That spells trouble. Why are they flying the coop? Well, things aren’t great for Twitter at the moment. Growth has stalled, their stock isn’t performing well, and let’s face it, there’s been no evolution. Unlike its counterparts, Twitter hasn’t changed from its 140-character strategy. Twitter has tried to update its service by broadcasting live NFL games and allowing photos to be added without using extra characters. Don’t get me wrong, Twitter is not going to die anytime soon. But unless Twitter gets with the program, the suffering will just continue on.
Pick a platform, any platform – Organic visibility? Ha! Doesn’t exist anymore. It’s been on the decline for some time now and companies are starting to dip into their pockets to pay for social media ad spend to get their message across. Sad but true. And this is a trend that will continue in 2017. But social media can be important to your SEO strategy. So you got to be clever about it – and that means, companies will need to make a choice. This means that a company will need to choose a social media platform that best fits its needs. For instance, do you sell products online? Then Instagram may be where you sink your money instead of Twitter or Facebook. Want to reach a large audience? Facebook may be your go-to account. Yes, having an account on all social platforms for your company may still be important, but you may start to favor one over the others.
This is a just a few examples of what you should really be looking into for the new year with your social media marketing strategy. Best of luck to all!!
Happy holidays, everyone! And remember, if you need help with your social media or content marketing strategy, let us help you! Contact ENX2 Marketing today for a free consultation.