That’s the question I was asked in an meeting recently. This
kind of question can be really easy since there are so many easy candidates –IoT, VR, and just about anything to do with Facebook.
But if you don’t fancy to rely on the cliches of future
social technology, it can be a challenge to pick out what will matter and why.
I suppose this post is somewhere in the middle and I hope it helps you think
about where the substance break away from the shiny social media objects.
The most important thing about social medium marketing isn’t
always the tech. It’s the people.10
A lot of what draws marketers’ attention to social media is
technology: new apps, networks and the latest features on major platform. But
the most important thing about social media marketing isn’t always the
technology. It’s the people and how they use that technology to make, publish,
share, interact and transact.2
Social media is a self-motivated of consumer behaviors
driving new social technology development while at the same time, new
technologies that affect consumer behaviors. It’s significant for brands
looking at what’s next in social media to know this dynamic amongst their own
customers and broader community.
With that dynamic cycle of citizens and technology in mind,
here are a few directions for social media evolution I think are worth paying
attention to:
Facebook Internet
1. The Facebook Internet
Facebook is dominating social medium usage, video and
advertising and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. Along with WhatsApp
messaging and predictions that Instagram will soon become the second biggest
social network, many Facebook users don’t really necessitate to leave, do they?
Think about that customer expectation when developing your Facebook marketing
strategy and how much you can bring about with customer engagement before they
ever even think of visiting your boring corporate website.
Converged Social Media
2. Converged Social
The combination of Microsoft and LinkedIn will create
innovations that will benefit marketers in some interesting ways, especially if
trained social profiles become accessible and integrated within Microsoft 365
apps. There’s more convergence to come and guess are hot as to whether
Facebook, Google or Apple will buy Twitter or if Twitter will go the way of
Friendster and MySpace.
Imagine come again? it could mean to your content
co-creation and influencer marketing efforts with the integration of the
LinkedIn network to Office 365. Need an expert quote for a blog post, ebook or
article? Right click.
Social Video
3. Hot Video
Real-time video is the blistering shot on the block right
now with Snapchat, Facebook Live and Periscope leading the way towards social
engagement with customers in ways many brands haven’t explored before.
Facebook’s own Nicola Mendelsohn says in five years, Facebook will “probably”
be “all video”.
Like live TV, live video presents brand some opportunities
for things to go differently than planned1, like Mark Zuckerberg’s inevitably
comedic Q/A with Jerry Seinfeld on Facebook live that has reached over 9
million views. On the other hand, who wouldn’t trade some uncomfortable for the
reach and exposure (159m views) of a Chewbacca Mom event?
If real-time video isn’t in your comfort zone, find someone
who is contented with that kind of exposure plus media creation. Then train
them to be your social champion.
Pay to Play Social Media
4. Paying to Play Social
Social Advertising will carry on to rise with even more
options for advertisers. Social media advertising is projected to generate $11
billion in revenue by 2017, up from just $6.1 billion in 2013. More social
networks and apps will expand their advertising offerings, just look at Snapchat
now inserting ads in between users’ “Stories” and Snapchat Partners, API right
of entry that will provide access to creating custom buying and management
tools.
There’s no getting around the prerequisite for paid
amplification with content on social networks. More importantly, with
Facebook’s continued efforts at putting the focus on individuals over brands,
companies need to think about the collective social wisdom of their people and group
of people for distribution vs. simply publish on the brand social home base.
Dark social
5. Dark Social
With 84% of global social shares dark to social media
analytics, there’s a growing importance, but brands are challenged to gauge its
effectiveness in ways that synch with other social media measurement. There’s
no shortage of recommendations on how to
measure dark social, but we all need more concrete direction on this and
collaboration between apps, network and platforms to make it meaningful.
Social Chat Bots
6. Social Chat Bots
Again, Facebook has open doors for a new kind of engagement
and with customers’ expectation of real-time engagement, bots may be able to
satisfy basic customer service and in order needs for brands. Will bots be a
service or communications solution for your brand? Maybe.
At a minimum, brands will need to invest in more interactive
social experiences for their community and what better what to that than an
neural network and some AI?
Mobile Social Media
7. Mobile First
Mobile traffic now exceed desktop traffic and 2 billion
consumers worldwide are expected to own a smartphone in 2016. There’s nothing
new about the importance of mobile friendliness or having apps, but the cost of
ignoring mobile social media experiences for brand dragging their feet will
rise dramatically. At a minimum, make sure Google thinks your site is mobile
friendly and perhaps, most of your customers will too.
Social Media Automation
8. Social Media Automation
“Martech Shock” extends to social media as brands look to
automate and scale. The use of social media automation tools and platform
features will grow to help brands with prospecting, delivering content to the
right customers at the right time and meeting – all integrated with a marketing
dashboard for end to end reporting of the impact social media has across the
customer journey. Just don’t think this kind of solution is “plug and play”. As
with CRM, analytics and marketing mechanization, you will need human expertise
and a strategy to make the most out of your automation software investment.
Social Media Participation
9. Social Content Participation
People are empowered and provoked more than ever to
co-create social content with brands. If a brand makes that possible, I think
consumers wi1ll be incredibly attracted in partnering with companies in ways
that serve communal interests.
In a way, this kind of customer and brand collaboration is
tapping into the whole user-generated content phenomenon. There are so many
ways to do it, especially because of mobile devices allowing people to
participate at all times with brands on topics they’re avid about. Content can
easily become an outcome of this type of participation, whether it’s a video,
image or even text.
Activating passionate people within a social network
environment where they can co-create and participate is an exciting occasion to
scale reach, content quantity and connect with social influencers.
Here’s the thing: Sometimes social media marketing often
seems doomed to become nothing more than another advertising channel, with reproduction
automation schemes for brands to scale the illusion of customer engagement.
While that seems a bit cynical, I also think the communal
power of individuals on social networks has never been greater – for content,
engagement and influence. When brands and marketers can marry the understanding
and action of the crowd with technology that actually solves a real problem, I
think the future of social media is brighter than ever.
