I don’t usually do posts like this but this year, I was pleased to be a part of the Bit.ly blog’s post ‘The Top 20 Social Media Trends in 2016, According to the Experts’ and thought I would share my predictions for 2016 here as well!
The bit.ly post only included a portion of my response so I will include it here, in full, and elaborate a bit on my statement.
In 2016 we will all see more video (especially video that is uploaded directly to Facebook as they are prioritizing those over YouTube hosted video) in our news streams and more platforms will become ‘pay to play’ meaning that you will need to buy ads to build your community and then again to again to reach them. We will continue to see new platforms and apps to entertain, enlighten and ostensibly, connect us. Unfortunately, I think that businesses will, in 2016, be a bit more reluctant to jump onto these new platforms, looking instead to ‘established’ networks where they can be more confident in tracking their results and ROI.
I work with businesses, training them to use social media and email marketing to grow their bottom line. Years ago, I needed to explain what social media was, then why you would possibly use it for business. In more recent years, it has been about staying on top of the plethora of new platforms being introduced, figuring out which ones your target audience would adopt and getting a foothold there to build a community.
But for every application that has caught on (Snapchat, Instagram, Pinterest ) there are dozens that have faded (Foursquare, Google WAVE, Myspace – even the new improved version) and I think that businesses will be a bit less willing to spend the time and money on building a community on the newest platforms.
The disappearance of recently ‘hot’ sites may be cited by businesses as a good reason not to take a chance on new sites. Which is unfortunate. We know that the first to arrive are usually the ones who can establish the largest footprint, able to build their community while there is still lots of media buzz, and receive free access before ‘monetization’ kicks in.
I hope that developers continue to create exciting new platforms with ways to interact, both digitally and in real life and that forward thinking businesses will continue to embrace them!
What are YOUR predictions for 2016 in the world of Social Media and beyond? What new types of platforms would YOU like to see? Let us know here, in the comments below or on Facebook, LinkedIn or Twitter. And yes, I DO appreciate the irony of directing you to the ‘established’ sites in a post about embracing new platforms but as much as I love and use my Pinterest and Snapchat they are NOT the right fit for comments and discussions like this. Knowing your goals and identifying the right platform to achieve them is the key. The problems arise when people will ONLY consider or join the established sites, whether they are the right fit or not!
If you are thinking about expanding your business’s presence on Social Media, please be open to the idea of using platforms other than just Facebook. Give me a call to figure out which ones are the best fit for YOUR goals!
