This is an enormously exciting time for social. 2015 has actually been the year that social media finally took advertising as seriously as it need to be. Social media marketing has always been a strange animal. Considering that its early days, where platforms were picky and critics insisted that social marketing was not a viable marketing strategy, we’re now witnesses to an era with rock-solid platforms, beneficial advertising choices, and plenty of complimentary opportunities to make our content public.
Still, the world of social media changes quickly, with lots of new platforms arriving each year and most current companies rushing to stay ahead of the game with new functions and innovations. If history and some recently emerging trends are any indication, 2016 will be a host for a variety of new trends and changes in the social scene.
The last year in social media has been remarkably hectic for professional marketers all around the world. If you manage any element of social media marketing for your brand or your clients, you understand how hard it can be to keep up. If you’re currently stressing about how you’re going to pull your social strategy together for next year or balance the time and resources you do have for social marketing, you’re not alone.
Here are couple of huge social media marketing trends that we’ll see in 2016:
Advanced Facebook Ad Tactics
New ad formats are presenting intensely, and it seems like many marketers are constantly playing catch-up on the platform. With recent files that advertiser budget plans continue to increase, specifically for mobile ad invest in Facebook, the obstacle is on to record audience attention and make the most of ROI.
Taking on Social Video Superstars
On the content development side of things, beating out YouTube’s original stars and media magnates like Buzzfeed, Jimmy Fallon and the WWE appears like a near-impossible task.
Yet rising video marketing chances on other platforms, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine and Snapchat means online marketers will remain to modify their technique to video production and optimization. Is it time to refresh your efforts, too?
Real-Time Marketing Moments
At this moment, it’s a truth of life for large companies and agencies to have war spaces stacked with social strategists all set to press out crafted quips, produce GIFs on the fly and drop on-brand messaging throughout mainstream media and live sporting events.
It’s the main thing to take part in the discussion around such popular events; it’s another thing to turn a culturally appropriate moment into genuine return. As we discovered with Landy Award winner Mophie, it’s not just possible, but successful.
For companies of any size, there are chances making real-time moments happen, and we frequently see study from the brands and agencies seeing social success in genuine time. Contributors Ben Spiegel of MMI Agency and Chris Kerns of Spredfast will stroll us through them.
An Expanding Social Advertisement Landscape
Just when you’ve got fundamental to sophisticated advertising on Twitter and Facebook under control, here come new ad devices and audience targeting tools to test out on secondary platforms, including Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn, Tumblr and more.
Make it your 2016 New Year’s Resolution to set aside some budget plan and time to create advocate these platforms after discovering how effective these social marketing alternatives can be.
Managing The Facebook News Feed
Consistent modifications to the Facebook News Feed over the last year have actually not just checked the perseverance of social marketers but also frustrated users. With the sheer amount of money of content being shared on Facebook and a shift to share trending news, it’s not all that unexpected to hear simply three percent of all news feed content is generated by paid advertising.
Next Level Twitter Ads
On the subject of real-time engagement, there’s no much better place to take benefit of trending subjects and engaged audiences than Twitter throughout a live event. With the new Promoted Moments native advertisement product rolling out, plus event targeting, advanced retargeting and new native video ads options, there’s significant opportunity for advertisers in 2016.
Scoring Sales With Social Commerce
In between Facebook’s new Canvas Advertisement format, the Twitter Buy Button and buyable pins, 2015 was a year of substantial growth for online retailers, and there’s every factor to anticipate that trend to continue into next year. To that end, this subject is so hot for social marketers that we had a power lineup of speakers dive into making social commerce work for you.
Social Metrics
Unless you are in a position where you’re using social to take advantage of direct sales through social e-commerce in near genuine time, you likely have a big challenge with social analytics and attribution as part of your mix.
Whether you’re an internal marketer or an agency handling social for clients, showing ROI by means of social and getting more spending plan in 2016 to support your social activities should be at the top of your list. After this session, packed with analytics tools and measurement methods from the pros, you’ll be able to conclusively demonstrate the value social media brings to the marketing mix.
Maximizing Social Markup
It’s typically responsible for the first impression you make on social media, so you have to get it right the first time. Dealing with social metadata can commonly be challenging, but every social media team has to guarantee they are making the many of their content showing well-optimized aspects to benefit from Open Graph Protocol, Twitter Cards and Pinterest Rich Pins. In this basic session, all guests will find out the value of getting social markup called into help your content go viral.
The Rise of Real-Time Video
Twitter’s fast acquisition of Periscope signaled that this rapidly uprising kind of mobile video was something to focus on, and marketers are working overtime to fit the platform and its competitors like Meerkat into social methods. Right now, Periscope is pulling far ahead, with Ten Million Accounts With 40 Years Of Watch Time Daily.
Snapchat for The Social Cycle
Given that the launch of Snapchat Discover previously this year, this platform is sending out substantial traffic to brand and media websites, and it is now reporting four BILLION video views daily. Coupled with its recent statement of “Sponsored Lenses” on Snapchat selfies, it looks like major marketers can’t neglect this platform in 2016.
New Engagement Opps On Instagram
Just recently topping 400 million month-to-month active users, the Instagram platform continues to get considerable interest from social media online marketers, and even more so now, with expanded advertisement choices and continued growth in video. And let’s not ignore the new standalone app, Boomerang, for looping one-second videos.
Integrating Social With Other Channels
At the CMO level, this is a crucial area of focus as social remains to need resources, though by lots of executive accounts, incorporating social media activation along with traditional marketing and other marketing channels has actually resulted in significant amplification for lots of brands.
Using The Right Social Tools
With relatively numerous social media tools offered for social content production, publishing, advertisement optimization and measurement, one of the most frequently asked concerns we get from guests is “What Tools Should I Use?”.
This year, the Social Tools Super Session returned as a basic session, and now you can get the summary with this fantastic roundup of social media tools.
Developing Fresh Content for Social
The foundation of all social media marketing is content creation. One of our leading contributors here and on Search Engine Land, Eric Enge, regularly teaches readers ways to craft a content strategy that not just assists improve their social presence but also helps natural search exposure.
Social Advertisement Landscape & LinkedIn Ads For B2B
Social marketers dealing in B2B-focused verticals frequently lament that using the significant social media platforms simply doesn’t deal with “uninteresting business-to-business” content. With enhancing targeting chances coming from Pinterest, Tumblr and YouTube and LinkedIn’s continued supremacy in the B2B sphere, social media online marketers are turning to paid social to drive leads and sales effectively.
Pinterest Marketing
If you’ve made it this far, you might have noticed Pinterest has been mentioned about a zillion times. Beyond its effectiveness for pinning recipes, DIY projects and fashion, the platform continues to appeal users with the pledge of living an inspired life. Which indicates real return for social marketers, as we gained from how Intel turns pinners into profits. Now’s the time for you to also check out content optimization for the Pinterest platform.
