2017 Social Media Trends to Watch

January 4, 2017

L.A. Digital Ad Agency

As the new year begins, businesses need to know what trends will come to dominate in 2017. While we are not professional prognosticators, the writing is on the wall when it comes to social media. 2016 saw a substantial increase in the number of people using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to engage with each other and with the brands they trust. Businesses need to be a part of the expanding social network landscape or risk missing out on a significant portion of the general marketplace.

Here’s what will likely happen in the world of social media in 2017 and what businesses should be paying attention to.

A more personal messaging approach. Methods of social media communication such as WhatsApp, WeChat, Viber, and Facebook Messengers are a big hit with people, especially millennials. This group has serious buying power–$200 billion annually—and a study has shown that nearly two in three are more loyal to brands that interact with them by way of social media. The more personal touch afforded by such types of messaging will be crucial this year. For example, Facebook allows visitors to speak directly to someone in a chat window by clicking an advertisement.

Fake news backlash. The recent election brought the issue of fake news to the fore. The matter is especially relevant to the aforementioned millenials who get the majority of their news from the internet. Governments are likely to try and curb so-called fake news that show on social media platforms, and millenials will probably respond by getting information from more trusted sites.

Live video content. Facebook’s Live and Twitter’s Periscope (and coming to a mobile device near you, Instagram’s version) have transformed user interaction with social media by offering video in real-time. This live media has opened a new front for businesses to advertise (live testing of products or surveys?).

More augmented reality. We have already remarked on the huge impact augmented or virtual reality had on 2016 and its potential for 2017. Snapchat filters and Pokemon Go were smash hits last year, and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has already acknowledged his platform will be moving that direction with the introduction of Oculus technology soon. The arenas of augmented and virtual reality present seemingly limitless possibilities to advertising—will there be product placement in artificial environments? Commercials? Whatever develops will certainly be worthy of our attention.

Chatbot conversations. Websites are already integrating this type of AI into their websites that can have basic conversations with online visitors, and those who offer visitors some form of interaction, even from non-humans, are sure to do well with consumers by generating responses quickly. Many people would choose social media over calling a customer support line, and millenials especially will appreciate the fast and efficient means of having AI answer their questions.