Business owners should know that social media is extremely important. Whether it is Facebook, Twitter, text messages or direct mail, entrepreneurs and business owners should know it’s not just about building it and hoping they come, it’s about building it and telling everyone that you can that it’s there. Just as business as usual is no longer business as usual, marketing as usual is no longer marketing as usual. We asked entrepreneurs and business owners what they believe is the next big thing in social media.
#1- Adoption of reality TV
The biggest change coming to social media is the adoption of the reality TV like personal story. Look at all the top players, Tony Robbins, Grant Cardon, Garry Vee, they are all shooting video narratives of their life. But these narratives are directed, intentional and focused on creating a persona that attracts business. Moving forward, expect to see much more video based story telling, focusing the subjects that drive interest and sales for the business. That is the future, production around subject matter experts and business. This is going to be tough for older media companies, but an amazing opportunity for agencies that specialize in production. As a next step, social media advertising, specifically native advertising, will continue to grow. It will be needed to promote this content and get the necessary eyeballs on it.
Thanks to John Lincoln, Ignite Visibility
#2- Native Sales
What is the next big thing in social media? I will call it native sales, which comes in three forms: (1) Sales through messenger bots and messenger automation (2) Sales from Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest stores where checkout takes
place without leaving the social media platform (3) Sales from the newsfeed (similar to store but people are actually finding and buying while they were browsing social media). Within the next 2 years, I predict a massive shift away from sending people to your website to purchase, into having them purchase natively on-platform. Especially with Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. If you're eCommerce store isn't integrated into these channels, you should highly consider investing in it now. Early adopters will be rewarded through lower competition and cheaper advertising costs.
Thanks to Derric Haynie, Vulpine Interactive
#3- Video
Next big thing in social media – Focus on Video: Video is quickly becoming the dominant currency of social media. Between Facebook and Instagram adopting their own version of Snapchat's stories feature and LinkedIn recently allowing users to share video, the trend is likely to continue. Users prefer video to text and images. Smart influencers and brands know that video is the best way to speak to followers and will definitely embrace these changes.
Thanks to Justin Wisnicki, Wisnicki Media
#4- Facebook Live
Facebook Live. When Facebook launched Live last year, I have to admit that I had no clue if it would work. I thought it would be a lesser version of Youtube. But I completely mistook its purpose in the beginning. Then, on Halloween, while at an Oingo Boingo cover concert, I began to shoot a little video. People started joining my Live event and sharing it. After a few minutes, 20 people were commenting on the music and wishing they were there. So, then I started trying it with my business. Since Halloween, I've been shooting little Live tip videos with special offers that are only good for a few minutes. Now, when I have a new Live event, people jump on quickly for the deals. It's like live, micro-targeting and I teach my clients to do the same to great success.
Thanks to Ed Brancheau, Goozleology Digital Marketing
#5- Three Facebook Features
Next Big Thing in Social Media are three Facebook features used together for Recruiting 1) Facebook Paid Job ads for Recruting – There are 60 million Facebook Business Pages; only 4 million business' use paid advertising. Recruiting and hiring via Facebook is an under-utilized hiring resource. According to Glassdoor's 50 HR and Recruiting Statistics for 2016′ $4,000 is the average amount U.S. companies spend to fill one open position. During its last fiscal year (just ended June 20, 1017), ABR Employment Services spent $4,962 on paid Facebook recruitment marketing ads and hired 28 people as a result, bringing the average cost of hire to $201 per hire. In addition, Facebook Jobs are automatically indexed by Google Jobs. Business' using the popular job board Indeed for recruiting are not getting their jobs indexed by Google. 2) Facebook Messenger – With traditional Applicant Tracking Systems there's a barrier between the Recruiter and job candidate. Utilizing Facebook Messenger removes that barrier providing applicants the ability to message the recuirter for quick answers. In the long run, this saves both the company and potential applicant time and weeds out the ‘wrong' kind of applicant from submitting a job application. Messenger affords the option to get quick advice, answers, and direction. 3) Facebook Live – Recruiters can host a live Q&A session inviting potential applicants to message their questions about the company, job, company culture, etc. In addition, for tough to fill job openings, a recruiter can Go Live during an interview with the hiring manager and give a workplace tour while inviting potential applicants to use Facebook Messenger with questions.
Thanks to Joan Pajari, ABR Employment Services
#6- 360 videos
The next big thing in social media is live 360 videos. This will allow consumers a closer look behind the scenes through social media accounts. Caretta Workspace will be implementing this into our marketing strategy, over the next month. We will be testing 360 videos of our products through the production and manufacturing process.
Thanks to Andy Tracewell, Caretta Workspace
#7- LinkedIn for targeted leads and new customers
Our experience with paid social media advertising for B2B clientele has taught us that LinkedIn is quickly becoming the best way to attract highly targeted leads and secure new customers. The popular platform's new Matched Audiences tool uses existing contacts to develop a surefire ad campaign that only reaches buyers who fit your desired customer profile. Integrating content marketing and paid promotion can help you leverage existing landing pages and offers to create ads that are truly relevant to buyers. Sharing quality educational offers through LinkedIn paid promotion is the next big thing in social media in the B2B space.
Thanks to Mark Schmukler, Sagefrog Marketing Group
#8- AI-created content
The next big thing in social will be AI-created content. As this technology evolves, we'll all have access to near-unlimited content about our interests. As targeting gets better, this content will become easier to find and engage with. There will be a period as the technology is evolving where this feels awkward and not on-target, but after we cross the uncanny valley for AI-generated content, we'll view content (short stories, news, even images) about topics we're interested in as an unlimited resource.
Thanks to Brennan White, Cortex
#9- Social e-commerce
Social e-commerce is a growing trend in 2017: As social media and e-commerce become increasingly enmeshed in our lives, the opportunities for them to interact with and bolster each other immense. All the leading social networks now allow their users to purchase products within their apps. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and most recently Snapchat. It is critical that your brand is prepared to sell where your customers are, on social media. Whether it be ads on social networks, product videos, or direct buying, social e-commerce is growing exponentially in 2017. I see e-commerce brands investing a lot more in paid social. I think that trend will continue into 2017 and beyond. The key is to find a good audience on Facebook ads, Instagram ads, and other paid social media accounts. It’s getting easier to set these up and track the return on advertising, which means more brands will start doing it.
Thanks to Brad M. Shaw, Dallas Web Design Inc.
#10- AI
I think AI will get better at learning what tweets, posts, and videos really interest us, and directing us to them. Micro-video will make a comeback, after Vine's demise. And most of all, we will get better at blending social media with events – so that commentary on politics, sports, and live music events is seamlessly integrated into that content.
Thanks to William Gadea, IdeaRocket LLC
What do you think is the next big thing in social media? Tell us in the comments below