I gave a killer presentation on social media marketing to a dynamic group of entrepreneurs and business owners this past week. The feedback was so positive that I decided to share a piece of it with you…
What’s Hot in Social Media in 2016?
Think Big Go Local’s team of experts has identified what we’re seeing as the 6 hottest current trends in social media. A solid marketing strategy should include them all to attract the attention you are looking for online.
1. Authenticity
We spend such a big part of our day holding what I think is one of the most life changing pieces of technology – the smart phone! We use it to post snippets of our lives and entrepreneurial journey on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat and more. The content you chose to post should always reflect who you are, your core values and what your brand is all about. You must “walk the walk” and “talk the talk” because the whole world is watching. Users in 2016 won’t engage with anyone they feel isn’t being honest, transparent and authentic. Know who you are, inside and out, and own it!
2. Storytelling
Storytelling has always been an important part of a social media strategy. Then came Snapchat and Instagram’s launch of the stories feature, making it even more important to develop a strategy that draws your audience in closer with each post. You need to know exactly what you want to share and why, always making sure you are offering value to your audience. Whether you share tips, tutorials or entertaining content, focus on the audience and they will stay engaged.
3. Influencer Marketing
I used to think that those influencers that we look to for motivation and education lived in a digital world we can’t access. The reality is that they aren’t as untouchable as one might think. It may take some hustle to get their attention, but trust me they are paying attention to who engages with them. Spend enough time doing it and eventually there will be an opportunity to build a relationship. Depending on how you foster that relationship, it can lead to a shout out, collaboration or more.
I had the insane privilege of meeting Gary Vaynerchuck this year at Social Media Marketing World. Posting pictures of us together and tagging him drew a ton of new followers to my social media platforms. Those photos also created a new respect for where my company was headed and who I was connect to.
I relentlessly followed Sue B Zimmerman on Instagram and Periscope. I posted a comment during one of her live broadcasts and it resulted in a phone call with her. That call was followed by a meeting, lunch, VIP tickets to her keynote and now she’s my business coach. Influencers are just fellow humans… figure out how to connect because they can help you grow your audience very quickly!
4. Live Streaming Video
Platform such as Facebook Live, Periscope, Live.me, live.ly, and musically are hot right now! Live streaming is authentic, low cost, easy to implement and readily consumed. I’m not sure if its because we’ve all grown so lazy that its just easier to watch and listen then to read. Or maybe we’re just done bored with produced videos that allow imperfections to be edited out. [clickToTweet tweet=”Live streaming allows us to connect in an intimate way, building relationships faster than ever before.” quote=”Live streaming allows us to connect with our audiences in a very intimate way, building relationships faster than ever before.”]
While promoting a local festival this summer, I did a series of Facebook Live videos. The audience was over 10K and about 3K came to the event each day. I was stopped all day long by people that just wanted to introduce themselves, say hello or thank me for the info I shared. Those broadcasts obviously created a sense of friendship between us and I couldn’t have been more thrilled with the response. It was living proof that Live Streaming works!
5. Creativity
I don’t have to tell you that there is a lot of noise in social media and you are up against a lot of competition for audience attention. [clickToTweet tweet=”What makes you stand apart from the rest is the creative ways you find to share your message” quote=”What makes you stand apart from the rest is the creative ways you find to share your message”]Whether its educational, entertaining, motivating or anything else, find a unique way to share your message. Constantly focus on providing value to your audience and you’ll be able to draw them in and keep their attention.
6. Mobile
Remember that smart phone I mentioned in #1? We’re spending more time than ever on those smart phones. Over 60% of emails are read on smart phones, over 65% of Facebook views are done on smart phones, heck some of the biggest platforms are only view-able via an app on your phone. This means that as a smart marketer, you have to be sure that every piece of content you put out there is easily viewed and engaged with on a mobile device. Images, text, videos and websites all have to be optimized for mobile or you’re disappointing more than half of your audience None of us can afford that.
If you have any questions at all about how to integrate any of these things into your social media strategy, Contact us via our website, send me an email at bobbi@tbgl.net, hit us up on Twitter, Snapchat (BobbiB68), Periscope (BobbiB68), Facebook or Instagram and I’ll be happy to help! If you want to learn more about Live Streaming Video, we’ve got an excellent course coming up!
Bobbi Baehne
President, Think Big Go Local, Inc.
My mission at Think Big Go Local is to create a “buzz” around our client’s businesses in all their social media platforms through strategic planning, training and full social media management. We don’t work in a cookie cutter environment, each of our clients is unique and their accounts are fully managed using their voice, talking to their desired audience and making them look like rock stars!