The Biggest Social Media Trends to Watch for 2017

Social media moves very fast and develops a great new marketing tactic with sudden changes in rules and strategies. According to the reports by Statistia, "social media platforms have acquired over 2.3 billion users worldwide." Since this platform is evolving rapidly, here is a list of the leaps that social media took in the year 2016.

• Facebook introduced 360° photograph and video upload
• WhatsApp launched video calling
• Google launched Duo and Allo
• Pokemon Go captivated the world with augmented reality

With these constant changes and innovation in Kansas City social media marketing, it’s important for business owners to use social networks effectively to reach out the right audience at the right time. So, before finalizing a social media strategy for your business, take a look at the following social media trends to make sure that you're allocating your time and efforts appropriately.

Live Video Content

Yes, live video content is on the rise and will become even bigger by the end of 2017. 14% of marketers have already experimented live video in 2016 and 43% business people plan to use interactive video in 2017. It is also reported that the users of Periscope watched 110 years of live video every day using the app in 2016. So, keep a track on your audience and find out where they spend time on social media most of the times and try to connect with them on those networks.

Messaging Apps

Today, most of the brands are using messaging apps to communicate one-on-one with customers. This scenario has changed the way customer service gets done and provides a faster and easier way for customers to get the assistance they need. In 2017, brands should focus more on less social networking and more messaging for instant, real-time connection with audiences.

Social Media E-commerce

Did you know 56% of consumers said they followed brands on social media to browse products for sale, and 31% of online shoppers say they’re using social media specifically to look for new items to purchase? So, when thinking about framing a social media strategy, brands should leverage these shopping habits and share product demonstration videos on social media.

Ephemeral Content

Ephemeral content is a great way to showcase the "other side" of your brand’s personality with authentic, unscripted, unpolished content. Some ideas for ephemeral content includes,

• How-to videos
• Behind-the-scenes looks
• Contests and giveaways
• Recipes
• Interviews
• Takeovers," or when a different user chooses what content to share
• Live events
• Daily or weekly video series
• Holidays
• Announcements or product reveals and more.

Other trends include virtual reality, mobile advertising, personalization, artificial intelligence and more. Contact your digital marketing agency in Kansas City now for further information.

The author of this article is a leading social media expert specializing in all aspects of social media and digital marketing strategies in Kansas City. In this article, he writes about the social media trends to watch for in 2017. Visit https://converg.com/ for more information.

Converg Media Llc (est. 2006) is a successful result of a Venture Capitalist and Internet Incubator who is also based in the Kansas City area.