It’s hard to imagine life without social media. Over the past decade, Facebook and the other social platforms have completely altered the way people communicate; a change this large in society consequentially has had a major impact on the marketing industry.
Because social media is constantly evolving, we're curious what's next in store for us. Will these platforms continue to grow as quickly as they have or will we reach a plateau?
In our last #SMTlive Twitter chat we looked at the past and to the future of social media. We talked about trends and shared ideas about where we see the industry going over the next few years. Here are the questions we asked.
Questions asked during the chat:
-
In what major ways has social media impacted our lives (both as marketers and consumers)?
-
What positive changes are we seeing being implemented in social media this year?
-
Has GDPR affected your social media strategy at all? If so, how?
-
How do you feel about Facebook's new ad transparency features? Do you think this will impact the way you (or other marketers) will run ads on Facebook?
-
What do you predict will be the next "big thing" in social media? What should we be keeping an eye out for?
-
How do you see social media as a profession evolving over the next few years?
In what major ways has social media impacted our lives (both as marketers and consumers)?
In the last few years, social media has become a key resource for brands to connect and communicate with their audience and vice versa. Starting with brands, how has social media changed the marketing world?
Businesses have easier access than ever to customer feedback. On the flip side, all reviews and comments are out for the world to see. Consumer expectations are high for brands on social media, putting the pressure on marketing teams to be proactive listeners to their audience. Of course, this has put a lot of pressure on customer service and marketing teams.
There are positives in instant feedback, though. We know immediately if our marketing strategies are working or not. We can address and resolve issues quickly, we can engage with our customers and followers, and we can make connections with our fans.
A1: Social media has made it possible to resolve issues much faster and to engage with consumers through a variety of platforms to meet their needs. It's fast-paced, so we have to keep up with it — which can be challenging at times. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/hHGQPKgtpB
— MyCorporation (@MyCorporation) July 10, 2018
Being on top of social changes and understanding the psyche of your target audience is nothing new in marketing; with social media, though, we are forced to master our sales pitch and customer service voice as well. First, we are full-time entertainers sharing and engaging with our audience on social media. Second, we are part-time sales associates trying to up the ROI of our social efforts and customer service reps trying to put out fires and maintain a positive relationship with our audience.
A1: It's helped (forced?) us to master the art of selling/communicating in shorthand... but also getting real-time feedback when you're wrong/make mistakes. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/njnVtgX2BC
— Robin Selvy Re (@RobinSelvy) July 10, 2018
Probably the best, but most controversial, benefit from social media has been the increased level of data on our audience. We can learn so much about the people who interact with our brand. Reaching your target audience in your marketing campaigns has never been easier.
A1 #SMTLive it's amazing the sheer number of people we can reach-both personally and professionally--& how specific of an audience we can target
— Christina Hager (@ChristinaMHager) July 10, 2018
As consumers, social media has given us access to the world at our fingertips. Staying connected and communicating with people and brands has never been easier. The only issue may be that most of us are addicted to our phones.
A1: Social media in the past few years has made it so much easier to connect to people and brands in ways you would have never been able to before! It also has made us more attached to our phones if we're being honest ???? #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/ksSad3HPeG
— RevLocal (@RevLocal) July 10, 2018
What are some positive changes being implemented in social media this year?
It's no longer good enough to just be on social media; brands are held to a high standard for content creation, customer service, and even ad transparency. This is a time where the creative marketing minds will shine and the well-built communities will thrive. Creativity, authenticity and transparency are key in 2018.
A2: We personally have loved the shift in focus on to the #community and the growing transparency in advertising! #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/hhVDvc5QR6
— RevLocal (@RevLocal) July 10, 2018
Social Stories are another "new" development that is challenging marketers to be more creative in their content and brand story-telling.
Has GDPR affected your social media strategy at all? If so, how?
Most people expressed that they haven't seen an impact from GDPR. Besides the unfortunate after-effects of Cambridge Analytica, with Facebook and other platforms reducing our targeting options for ads, there haven't been any notable negative repercussion to GDPR.
On the positive side, most people thought it was a helpful reminder to revisit their marketing campaigns, update their lists and make sure they are not illegally targeting people. I think we can all say we have learned the importance of clear language through this process.
A3: GDPR has slightly altered the way we offer content but really just reaffirmed the importance of using clear language in all our efforts. #SMTLive
— Robin Selvy Re (@RobinSelvy) July 10, 2018
How do you feel about Facebook's new ad transparency features? Do you think this will impact the way you (or other marketers) will run ads on Facebook?
As you probably know, Facebook recently added new ad transparency tools along with the ability to see all ads being run by other pages. Similar to GDPR, this really only will make marketers more conscious of the ads we run.
A4: This type of transparency will probably force most advertisers to at least think about the types of ads they run, since just about anyone will be able to see them. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/u8dvz5L7SG
— RevLocal (@RevLocal) July 10, 2018
What will be the next "big thing" in social media?
Participants predicted that video (especially vertical video) will continue to dominate social, visual content will hold priority over written content, a focus on community will be a part of every marketing plan, and AR will become more accessible for brands.
A5: The continued dominance of video content (both long-form & short-form), an increased presence of Augmented Reality (AR), a return of the chronological feed from Instagram #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/WM9swjaQ1I
— Chadwick David (@ChadTDavid) July 10, 2018
A5, 1: Overall we think the next "big thing" is more multi-media features with much less readable content. #SMTLive
— RevLocal (@RevLocal) July 10, 2018
How will social media as a profession evolve over the next few years?
The role of social media in branding is only increasing in importance over time. As social media becomes more than just a marketing push, we're going to see social media professionals wear a lot more hats.
A6: As our Social Media Coordinator, I personally hope it doesn't go away ???? But in all seriousness, I think we'll see that #socialmedia becomes more about customer service, building a community and storytelling, rather than just promotion of your brand. #SMTLive pic.twitter.com/FVH8kgCR4Y
— RevLocal (@RevLocal) July 10, 2018
Content creation has always been a large part of the social media manager's job; moving forward, it seems as though the storytelling content is becoming the most important, along with a heavy focus on building loyal communities. Basically, brand promotions are out and community building/storytelling is in.
I enjoyed this chat a lot; I hope you found this advice from your social media marketing peers useful.
Social Media Today hosts #SMTLive Twitter chat's twice a month on hot topics in social media. Make sure to join us and share your thoughts with the group. Maybe you'll get a shout-out in our next article!