Another year has zoomed around and 2014 is coming to a close! It has been a year filled with innovative and also tough changes for marketing content on social media. What does the future hold for the ever-important social media field? Here are some of my predictions for 2015:
Conversational Tone Sifting – It’s no secret people don’t like being sold things in social media. Unless it’s being boosted, Facebook’s algorithm will adjust to weed out posts with marketing ‘tone’ or verbiage with a lean toward personable language and posts for more engagement. See posts with the word “Congratulations”.
Marketing on Pinterest and Instagram – Instagram just reached 300 million users! Images influencing purchases is going to be even more prominent online. Instagram and Pinterest are very selective about what’s being marketed, making it more organic and popular for users.
Mobile Focus – An obvious one, but a biggie. If you’re content doesn’t look good on a tiny screen, it may not even be worth posting.
Easier to use Social Ads – Right now, ads can be complicated for the basic users. Ads will become more streamline and even Facebook will update in early 2015.
Video Ads – It’s available in Google Display Ads, before Youtube videos, between songs in Pandora; what’s to stop them from launching in social media to capture your attention? It has slowly rolled out with Facebook at a steep cost, but will become a force to reckon with in 2015.
Increase of Social Ad prices – If you’re not using ads for Facebook or Twitter, you need to rethink your strategy to get your business visibility. Facebook ad pricing already has gone up 10 percent since 2013.
Carefully Curated Images – Memes, quotes, and cute images are out on social media for marketers as they are viewed as ‘bait.’ Using tools such as PicMonkey or Photoshop to create tailored images are likely to be more eye-catching and get more engagement.
Importance of Reviews – Word of mouth is even more valued than ever. 78% of online Americans aged 18-64 agree that online reviews help them decide whether or not to purchase a product, according to Ipsos Open Thinking Exchange (OTX).
Rise and Fall of Social Media Sites – Google+ is on its way out as it’s not very unique to its competitors. Other sites like Ello are making waves for its privacy of users and stance against ads. Facebook will also continue to dominate in the social spectrum because its value in curating relevant and engaging content to users.
Sources:
MarketingCharts: http://www.marketingcharts.com/online/8-in-10-americans-agree-that-online-reviews-influence-their-purchases-25761/
Instagram: http://blog.instagram.com/post/104847837897/141210-300million
