With 2017 just around the corner, the chances are that you’re now beginning to consider your social media strategy for the New Year. Whether you already have a strong social presence or you are only just beginning to grow your channels, be sure to read on for our social media trend predictions for the year ahead.
Live video will continue to dominate
Whether you’re a fan of the trend or it’s something you scroll past, it’s hard to deny that 2016 was the year of live video. Snapchat and Periscope ruled the live video game until Facebook rolled out its own Facebook Live streaming service, and then actively encouraged publishers with a $50 million carrot. Now, streaming is available on virtually every social platform. 2017 is likely to see the trend toward live video continue, as more businesses invest in high-quality cameras and streaming equipment to compete with the big guns.
Organic social media traffic will be replaced by boosting
This year, Twitter and Facebook both tweaked their timeline algorithms, reducing the amount of organic traffic business and online publishers receive. In turn, companies are beginning to turn to social media advertising to boost their posts and promote content to a wider audience, not only on Facebook and Twitter, but on platforms such as Pinterest.
Because of the decreased organic visibility from social networks, brands are likely to become more selective over their social media marketing, opting to stick to their tried and tested formulas to guarantee a return on their investment.
Customer service will continue to develop on social media
With more and more customers reaching out to brands through their social channels, 2017 is likely to see a growing trend in customer service delivery on platforms such as Twitter and Facebook. Email and telephone support may even be phased out by some major companies, as social media is a more transparent and cost-effective alternative.
However, with 42% of customers expecting a response from a company within 60 minutes, you should be cautious of switching your customer service to social media unless you’re prepared to monitor your channels all day, every day.
Testing will be the key to successful advertising campaigns
As more companies compete for advertising space on Twitter and Facebook, advertising costs are likely to rise. Marketers are, therefore, likely to spend more time testing their campaigns to smaller audiences before scaling to save money and to guarantee returns.
There you have it – just four ways in which social media is set to change in 2017. At JAK, we offer comprehensive social media management services that are tailored to your needs. Get in touch today on sales@jakinc.uk, call us on 0191 3882 698 or click here to visit our website.