ENewsletter - December, 2017
7 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2018
Where is social marketing headed for 2018? Here's an overview:

FACEBOOK: Mobile continues to be important; Messenger app usage is increasing. We'll see a big push for Facebook groups in 2018 as a way for brands to increasingly engage with their customers.

INSTAGRAM: Growing! Brands are seeing peer-to-peer interactions increase. New advertising features with links are introduced. Instagram is growing as a way for brands to engage user communities.

YOUTUBE: Mobile streaming video grows. We'll see more social TV content.

TWITTER: Video discovery feature added; Twitter is THE source for real-time news. Customer communication channel (if you haven't contacted a company on Twitter for customer service, you're missing an opportunity for immediate action). More usage of in-stream video ads.

SNAPCHAT: Has split content between personal and media. Grows as a source for advertisers.

LINKEDIN: Data is their most valuable asset. Already the primary source for job seekers and HR searches, LI appears to be amplifying their content sharing applications.
7 TRENDS FOR SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING IN 2018

  1. SOCIAL IS THE NEW SEARCH ENGINE. Consumers are expected to skip search engines and go directly to social media to research brands, products & services more often in 2018.
  2. SOCIAL MEDIA ROI EVOLVES. 56% of marketers cannot prove return on investment; 40% don't know which metrics to track. Social platforms make it very easy to collect data, but marketers are finding it difficult to connect the data to specific business outcomes. 2018 will see platforms work harder to help users connect these dots.
  3. SOCIAL DRIVES CUSTOMER INSIGHTS. 37% of marketers say they use social platforms to understand what customers are thinking and feeling. 49% say that social platforms helps them to make better business decisions. Social advertising has overtaken traditional TV advertising: in 2018, digital advertising is expected to hit $228 billion in spend; TV advertising = $194 billion.
  4. GROWTH OF SOCIAL TV. We'll see a shift toward broadcast-style platforms and metrics on social channels. 39% of users say they get their news from social media; 60% of internet users look for entertainment on social media channels. 2018 will see more social platforms create new forms of news & entertainment video and programming.
  5. PEER-TO-PEER INFLUENCE RISES. Consumer trust in institutions declines; peers are now considered to be credible experts. 37% of the US population surveyed trusts public CEO's; 29% trust government officials and 85% lack trust in the entire system (source: Edelman 2017 Trust Barometer). 2018 will see marketers put employees, advocates, consumer communities and influencers at the center of their marketing efforts.
  6. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE. Ironically, brands are making sure that their AI strategies are human, helpful and relevant. Experts predict that 85% of all customer service interactions will be powered by AI bots by 2020. The percentage of Enterprise organizations using AI in 2018 is expected to increase to 62%.
  7. ORGANIZATIONS STILL STRUGGLE WITH SOCIAL DATA. Organizations say they lack the time and resources to track social data, it's difficult to integrate with their other tools and different departments have different agendas. In 2018, we'll see a shift to demonstrating the strategic value of social channels in retaining current customers rather than solely as a tactical tool to attract new customers.

( Sources: GlobalWebIndex & HootSuite )

HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Thanks for reading our monthly eNewsletter for tips & trends in marketing and communications! Wishing you a wonderful Holiday season and continued success in the New Year!!
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