Originally Published on Allin1Social on November 10, 2015 by Emma Koitola
Biggest Digital Marketing Trends in 2016 according to Top Social Media Influencers
2016 is right around the corner and marketing managers are busy finishing up their marketing strategies and plans for the new year.
Or wait, you’re not sure what to focus on yet? No worries. Allin1Social made a bit of research and interviewed some of the top social media influencers to learn what they think will be the biggest marketing trends for next year.
One thing is obvious: Live video and other visual messaging will have the spotlight in 2016. Without further a due..
The predictions for Social Media Marketing Trends in 2016, according to the top influencers of the social media industry:
Jenn Herman
Social Media Marketing Expert
Live Streaming
“I honestly believe we’ll see an even bigger transition to live streaming tools like Periscope and Blab in 2016. But beyond just the live streaming feature, people will gravitate towards the tools that promote community development and unique ways to connect with their audiences. More and more, people are expecting responsiveness and transparency from companies of all sizes and it will be tools like these that will facilitate this in 2016.”
www.jennstrends.com
Dustin W. Stout
Entrepreneur, Speaker, Designer
Visual Content
“One of the biggest social media marketing trends I see coming in 2016 is an evolution of visual content. For years now I’ve been teaching people the importance of using visuals in their digital marketing and it’s finally gotten to a point of saturation. Visual content is everywhere. So now it’s not just a matter of having visual content integrated into your digital marketing efforts, but having GOOD, EYE-CATCHING visuals. You will need to have visual content that immediately stands out amongst the rest. The best way to do this?
– Animated GIFs
– Auto-play video
Facebook has seen hugely positive results with auto-play videos and more recently Twitter has as well. And while GIFs have been the norm on sites such as Google+, Tumblr and Twitter it would seem that Facebook is finally catching up and realizing how powerful a moving visual can be. Movement captures the eye right away and will be one way savvy social media marketers will capture more attention in 2016.”
http://dustn.tv
Andrea Vahl
Social Media Coach, Speaker & Strategist
Streaming Video
“The biggest trend for 2016 will be live streaming video. Platforms like Blab, Periscope and Meerkat are pushing this new swing towards live streaming and it’s been growing steadily in the later part of 2015. The content is interactive and fun. Facebook will probably open up their Live Streaming video to more users to keep pace. I’ve been really enjoying the new Blab platform and I think even more developers will come into this space to bring different ways to use live streaming socially. Exciting times!”
www.andreavahl.com
Ian Cleary
Social Media Tool Expert
Social Selling
“Next year, Facebook, Twitter and other platforms will have a ‘buy’ button. It may be suited more towards low-value transactions but it makes perfect sense. Imagine a friend sharing a review of a book (shared as a Twitter card that contains the image of the book, summary of the review, etc.). You see it, you click ‘buy’ and purchase the book without leaving Twitter. You’re on LinkedIn and you’re impressed with a consultant. You click a ‘hire me now’ button and transact within LinkedIn. It’s coming.
But what’s also coming is that social media and content marketing people will understand the importance of building sales funnels. Internet marketers know how to build online sales funnels. Traditional social media and content marketers don’t. If you don’t have the software, you’ll need the skills. You can sell on social media. There will be more selling on social media.”
www.razorsocial.com
Melissa Lee
Head of Product at 77Agency
Native Advertising
“Content marketing is making a comeback – and this time in synergy with native advertising. David Ogilvy emphasized its importance from way back in the 60s, but somehow along the way it got sidelined whilst marketers were more keen on quicker wins that came from direct ads. It is no surprise that today, 70% of individuals want to learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertising. Also, the average time spent on a native ad is 3.2s vs 0.9s on display banner ads. The increasing effectiveness and growth of promoted posts, tweets and pins from social networks also means that consumers will have higher expectations for quality content in non-intrusive seamless browsing experiences.”
www.77agency.com
Seems like 2016 will be the year of video and live streaming, and most of all, the big coming of social selling.
Make sure you have your social media strategy ready, and don’t forget to include the possible trends in your plan to stay on top of the latest updates of the industry.
What do you think about these predictions? Do you have something you would add to the list?