When it comes to social media, there is no constant. From learning about the latest Facebook algorithm to deciphering the world of social advertising, I could spend my entire day reading about the changes and enhancements in the social media space. It’s important for me to stay abreast of the latest trends because understanding and implementing them is vital in order to be successful on social media. By keeping up with the latest social trends and utilizing the latest tools, brands can stand apart from the crowd and get their voices heard in a cluttered space.
While the updates to social media never cease, I’ve summarized below three key social trends happening right now that you should be aware of which you can leverage for your brand’s social platforms.
Videos continue to gain popularity. With the explosive growth of YouTube and Vine, it’s no surprise that platforms like Twitter and Facebook are catching on to the trend and are changing their platforms to automatically begin playing videos. In addition to updating this functionality on users’ News Feeds, Facebook recently announced updates to uploading videos to its platform. Users will now have the capability to set expiration dates on videos and store secret videos within the platform.
Brands are expected to listen and respond to users. Social conversation never ceases and as such, neither does a brand’s responsibility to monitor social mentions and respond in real time. According to Sprout Social, five in six messages on social media that need responses are failed to be answered by brands. Don’t miss out on these golden opportunities to engage with fans. With each mention, even a complaint, you have the chance to provide fans with an experience that exceeds their expectations. If a complaint or mention is handled correctly, you can create loyal brand advocates. A great, free tool that can help you view mentions of your brand in real time is www.socialmention.com.
Platforms are opening their virtual doors for shoppers. BuzzFeed recently reported that Facebook is testing out allowing brands to build out shops within their fan pages. As part of this feature, brands can add a buy button that allows users to complete a transaction all within the Facebook fan page. But Facebook isn’t the only one trying to bring the shopping experience to social media. Pinterest and Twitter have also been reported to be piloting similar platforms.
About Sarah Bell
Sarah is an Assistant Account Executive at Trevelino/Keller and a graduate of Kennesaw State University. In her free time, she can typically be found hanging in her hammock, hiking on trails or browsing art galleries.
