2017 Social Media Marketing Trends

As VP of social media and digital marketing at Full Blast Creative and founder of SocialBulls, I’ve been hard at work on our 2017 social media and digital marketing strategies. I’ve taken the time to look at last year’s analytics, trends and performance and now I’m looking forward to understand this year’s trends so that I can make the best educated decisions on how to invest our marketing dollars.

Some of my insights might help you too.

Here’s what I’ve gathered so far:

Video Will Lead Our Content and Social  Media Strategy

After reviewing the analytics captured from our Instagram and YouTube channels, we saw that some of the best content we created (as judged by social sharing) was in video format. From Instagram to Snap (formerly Snapchat) our branded videos performed the best. Based on the data, our team has resolved to increase the volume of video content we film, edit and post.

We’re also getting in on the wearables and look forward to our Snap glasses arriving soon!

Innovative Customer Service Channels

Customer service is a key aspect of every social media strategy. Today’s consumers jump on social media to ask questions, file complaints, and make purchases. Companies are now exploring how to streamline and improve the customer service experience using AI technology. Intelligent chatbots (think Siri or Cortana) will allow customers to ask questions and receive a personalized answer.  Until then, it’s really important that sales, marketing and customer support have a good line of communication with one another so that consumer feels attended to and heard.

Full Blast experimented with a bot this year to see if it would help encourage engagement. Working together with a client, we created a bot that would like posts based on specific hashtags or engage with users that engaged with key accounts. This case study was exceptional – our engagement grew 1800% and we tripled the number of followers.

We are now working with the same client to automate answers to questions the company frequently receives.

Paid Social Media Advertising Budgets Grow

Each quarter we’ve seen a decline in the amount of reach organic posts receive on networks such as Facebook and Instagram. The algorithms no longer support a purely organic strategy. As such, we’re increasing our budget for promoted posts and paid social media advertising content. An added benefit is that paid ads allow us to tap into more specific targeting features which means that our content is getting in front of the right people.

Social Media Influencers and Reviews

Influencer marketing has always worked. It’s why big brands work with athletes and celebrities. With the rise of social media, everyday influencers have emerged. In short we like what our friends like. We like the content and materials of the people we admire. An easy way to step into influencer marketing is to look at your current fans, determine whom among them is influential and see if there’s a way to have him or her refer you to friends or family.

If you have the budget, there are a number of companies that represent social media influencers – much like an agent.
You can connect, find an influencer for your brand and if the price is right, make a deal.

Along the same vein, we’re asking our clients to review us. A recommendation or a review goes a long way in educating prospective customers about our work ethic, values and commitments. Positive review can be shared on social media and featured on your website. Reviews also influence your Google page rank. It’s definitely worth the effort to rally some reviews!

Social Media Analytics

To do what we do, we have to stay on top of emerging platforms and data. Every week we have to commit ourselves to research, study and observe the trend, including business and consumer behaviour, to get in front of a shifting industry. What we’ve discovered is that leaning into the analytics pays off. With Snap going public, a new line of metrics will likely become available. Instagram has also started to share engagement metrics within app, something the network hasn’t really offered in the past.

Now that I’ve identified areas of focus for 2017, it will be up to our team to implement these practices into our marketing habits. We’re starting with a video strategy… what about you? What are some of the trends you anticipate or social media goals you’ll work to implement in 2017?

Need Assistance with Your Social Media? Click here!

Do You Need Help Creating a Social Media Strategy and Sticking to it?

SocialBulls can help you review your analytics, understand the data, create actionable goals then launch execute on a social media strategy that gets you real business results.
To set up a consultation, call (403) 608-2661 or contact us here.

SocialBulls and Full Blast Creative

SocialBulls, social media and digital marketing training in Calgary, is a division of Full Blast Creative.

Crystal DeCnodder, founder of SocialBulls is also an instructor at Mount Royal University and SAIT where she teaches social media analytics, social media advertising and social media for web integration.

Full Blast Creative is a Calgary web design and digital marketing agency. The firm is based in the community of Ramsay and works with a variety of companies to amplify their web and digital presence.

About the Author

Crystal DeCnodder

Crystal DeCnodder is a keynote speaker, social media, and digital marketing expert and is a partner at Full Blast Creative, a creative digital marketing and web design agency in Calgary, Alberta. When Crystal is AFK, she enjoys skateboarding, guitar, travel, and time with family and friends.

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