Social media has become a hub for business promotions and marketing campaigns. What was once a place where people could connect with distant relatives and old friends has now become a marketplace for advertisements. However, technology is constantly improving and bringing new features to the table, forcing the market as well as the audience to shift in one direction or another. Those shifts have the biggest impact on social media platforms and networks, as they have to adapt quickly in order to stay strong. These shifts are called social media trends and can become quite a game changer for businesses that leverage them. Something that was popular yesterday can become a thing of the past tomorrow and businesses who fail to keep up with these trends will fall behind. On the other hand, businesses that do manage to keep up will continue to push toward success. Here are a few ways your business can take an advantage of the latest social media trends.
Organic traffic is declining
Social media platforms are focusing on the needs of individuals over those of companies and organizations. That means that an individual’s newsfeed prioritizes the posts from their friends and families over those of companies. This means that it will be nearly impossible for businesses to attain organic traffic on social media. However, there is the other side of the coin. Social networks are using this trend to force companies toward paid advertisements, so their content can actually be seen by the users. If your business engages in paid advertising on time, it may have an advantage once social networks officially become paid marketing channels.
Content is still king
Content marketing has dominated social media and networks throughout the years and it will continue to do so in the future. However, even though this trend hasn’t changed much, there is something you should be aware of and that’s the need for more personalized content. Content’s relevancy continues to be an important factor for customers even today. For example, 61% of U.S. consumers stated that relevant offers are important to them. Moreover, 70% of consumers stated that they become frustrated when content they receive is irrelevant to them. If you’re going to leverage content marketing, then you should focus on personalizing content for your audience. That will include everything from social media and blog posts to custom brochure printing and personalized promotional material.
The rise of mobile ads
Each year the number of mobile users grows. That increase also boosts the demand for mobile advertisements. For instance, Facebook generates around 80% of its ad revenue from mobile ads alone. This trend will force businesses to start investing in mobile ads in the next few years. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t start right away and gain competitive advantage. Adjust your strategies to include mobile ads for your social media promotions and marketing campaigns in 2017. After all, spending on mobile ads will increase in the upcoming years and you might want to have a head start. 
Employee testimonials
Happy employees have always been a good resource for promoting a business or an organization on social media. The main reason is that customers prefer hearing testimonials from employees and other customers, before deciding to do business with an organization. The trend of employee advocacy will be going strong even after 2017. Organizations that leverage employee testimonials will be able to “work around” social network algorithms that slow down organic traffic from businesses and expand their reach on social platforms. In addition, it will also help them boost engagement and improve online awareness. Even the slightest shift on the market can be a game changer for most businesses. By keeping up with the social media trends, you’ll be able to predict in which direction both the market and your customers will move, which will allow you to prepare on time.
