SOCIAL MEDIA TREND FORECAST Behind The Bend
As an independent brand in a fast paced world, it’s important for us to keep up on trend forecasting for everything from style to social media. We like to keep the creation of our creative content as in-house as possible, so thorough research is very important. We know that many of you are also independent designers and design brands as well, so when we run across an article that we find especially informative, why not share the wealth. Let’s face it, even if you are just an active user on social media, it’s important to know how to do it right and what you are going to see in the coming year. Huffington Post wrote a great article at the tail of of 2015 that definitely seems to be ringing true. Below are their “4 Key Social Media Marketing Trends To Lead The Game in 2016.”
1. IN-THE-MOMENT UPDATES WILL PREVAIL The obsession with live streaming and instant updates will continue to grow exponentially. Think SnapChat, Periscope and Blab. Virtual Reality is close to going mainstream, meaning more and more apps will battle for users' full attention and struggle to satisfy their crave for full immersion in the event. Sure, Facebook still does good job with keeping users updated on the latest news, however the platform cannot offer in-the-moment content that live steam apps offer.
2. CULTURE WILL STILL BE KING No matter how compelling ad messages become, people will continue to care more about the culture, rather than the product.
Having a good product is not enough. Having a brand story and unique brand values is a now a necessity.
With the rise of Big Data Internet marketers have access to huge amount of information about consumer preferences, interests and spending habits. Services become highly personalized and you already heard how important it is to build quality relationships with your users and offer them unique experiences.
Digital storytelling campaigns have won the hearts and minds of billions consumers this year. Think H&M Garment Collecting initiative, the viral video and active response on the social media. Or The Last Selfie Snapchat campaign by WWF that raised a massive buzz and resulted into a leveraged worldwide branding and drastically increased donations for the month.
3. PRIVACY CONCERNS WILL CONTINUE TO RISE The shock of the notorious Ashley Madison hack will prevail in the society for the next year and most probably onwards.
In fact, one of the reasons for SnapChat's popularity is that the app offers a more secure and private environment for communication and engagement.
Facebook rolled out a new set of privacy awareness tools, most probably to compensate a major dissatisfaction after the forced Real name policy implementation.
4. SOCIAL NETWORKS MORPH INTO SEARCH ENGINE Up to 80% of consumers are influenced by online reviews and comments, created by other consumers. They are no longer typing into Google, they go straight to YouTube, Facebook, Yelp and Pinterest for advice and opinions.
In fact, 87% of recent survey respondents claimed that Pinterest helped them decide what product to purchase. As this social network is mainly dominated by woman in their 30s, known to show the most active shopping habits, no wonder the number is so high.
The holiday season is approaching more and more people scout social media directly in search of discounts, special deals and gift ideas.
