Over the years, social media has emerged as one of the most successful platforms. Whether it is the Facebook or Instagram millions of people have got associated with thus bringing a big change. A lot has been done to offer a better experience to the people by incorporating a number of changes. Last year too there were many new things like customer preferences or brand opportunities which made its way. Similarly in 2017 too you can expect some creative things taking the front seat thus offering a wonderful experience to the users.
These trends will not only have a positive impact on its growth but also on the industry. Some of the latest trends that you will come across this year are:-
1. Social messaging
Since a few years, the social messaging networks have gained more popularity than the platform itself. This includes Facebooking messenger, WeChat, Watsapp and Viber which have a wide audience connected to it. People not only find these messaging networks to be useful but added features enhance the experience. This trend is sure to grow in the coming years with OTT or SMS being one of the popular ways to communication. It is expected that by 2018 this number will reach to 2 billion users.
Even the businesses have understood the far reaching effects of social messaging and that is why their ads directly take you to their chat window. This means that the business owners are working more on engaging the audience through the messaging option and trying to bring in more transparency.
2. Live Videos
YouTube has always been the first choice of the people when it comes to any kind of videos. There is a huge collection of videos on YouTube thus making it one of the most searched and used sites. So even social media is trying to incorporate this feature and offering a better and enhanced user experience. First it was Twitter that came up with live streaming and now it is Facebook to launch its Facebook Live. Not only this, even Instagram has its own live video option which is gaining a lot of popularity.
As per the experts video are highly engaging and that is why can drive huge traffic. So if this opportunity is utilized smartly there are high chances that your business can go to the next level. Live videos are really appealing and no other way can be best suited to grab the attention of the people so why not make use of the live content feature. People are loving it a lot and in the coming years the popularity is estimated to reach its peak.
3. Chatbots
This is yet another interesting feature which has changed the way users can engage with the different brands. Chatbots are something that can chat with anyone thus keeping the users engaged. The business owners are utilizing chatbots to ensure their customers get quick response. This has brought a huge difference because it has become easy to stay connected with your customers and resolve their queries or answer their questions. Facebook is using chatbots in the messenger and the business owners have already started using this feature to the fullest and have seen a big difference in the way they are able to be connected with their audience. So rather than moving to the website of any business, it is better to connect with the customers using chatbots. This trend has really picked up well and there are chances that number of business owners using it will definitely increase in the coming time.
There is no denial to the fact that the chatbots are much more efficient, fast and offer everything a customer is looking for. Soon you will see that the business owners will more rely on the social media rather than their own website to reach their audience.
4. Analytic features for better business
First it was Twitter and then it was Facebook insight that helped the business owners in understanding the ways customers react to their services. Such analytic features proved to be highly useful as they got an insight into what customers are looking for. In the present scenario, more and more professionals have started using the data to modify their marketing and take smart decisions. Even the small businesses are integrating the same for better outcomes.
5. Social commerce soaring high
In the coming time social commerce is sure to be a game changer for the businesses as one will be able to get instant purchases. Currently this feature is only available in Instagram but slowly other social media platforms too will try something similar. According to the reports 75% of the people make their purchase by viewing it on social media which means your presence is important as it can result in high sales.
So it is very clear that social media is sure to bring a revolution for the different brands and business.