It is first day of Spring - March 2013. Here are 9 predictions of what I think will be trending in the world of social media & the web for the near future. In no particular order...
1) Mobile devices & the responsive website.
By now we all know that tablets outsell desktop PCs, so it's only natural that web design & the way web is develop also adapts to this statistic. One way is responsive websites, which simply means a website that changes its appearance and layout based on the size of the viewing screen. You can expect more sites being revamped, responsive, more text based & less image & flash heavy.
2) Easier Buying.
Facebook feeds us ads & lots of app games where you can purchase virtual goods, but we haven't seen a big step forward in actual e-commerce as of yet. Only far and few Facebook business/app pages are capable of user interaction and even fewer actually integrate any sort of e-commerce or direct buying call-to-action at all. People like convenience, and when they see something they like, it would be nice to click a BUY NOW button, instead of having to hunt it down. Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.com don't even have eCommerce options but they sure show off some cool stuff we want to buy!
3) Content is still king.
Visual imaging & lifestyle marketing continues to take center stage as more B2C (business to consumer) start using social media such as Instagram or Pinterest to evoke feelings and connect with you on a personal level.
4) More Social Media Channels start charging for the sames services you now get for free.
Twitter & Pinterest will try to make money off their 'free' services by introducing more premium advertising options similar to the way Facebook did by introducing 'sponsored ads' and 'promoted posts'. Did you know that when you do a business post, only 7-14% of your fan-base actually see it? If you want to reach more of your market you need to purchase 'promoted posts'.
5) More focused social media strategies & targeted business marketing.
The more noise there is on the internet and the more SMM options that exist, the more confusing it is for the business owner. Small businesses & individuals will focus on producing higher-quality leads and connections rather than focus quantity alone because 1) they don't have enough time 2) analytic tools are so good that they can gear their ads more on the bottom line.
6) Social media marketing becomes a necessary skill set of today's web designer and developer. As business owners get more web savvy, they will also start to look for web designers that can give them measurable results & that means also being able integrate all the available tools available on the web that will give them a competitive edge.
7) Social media marketing is no longer an 'option', it is a 'must-do' for business survival.
There will be almost moot point to having an online presence if you don't integrate the social media marketing tools available. Businesses that do not understand how to reach a larger audience, lower cost of customer acquisition or the importance of engaged customers will ultimately fail (or not make as much money) because they will overspend on marketing channels such as paid search advertising (Google Adwords).
8) More targeted, data-driven ads.
As the web gets smarter, your interaction, searches, online behaviors and demographic data all will contribute to what ads get fed to you and where. This is happening already with Google Ads and FaceBook, but you will see it more fine-tuned because let's face it, just because we search for something, does not mean we want to see ads about it every time we visit a website for the rest of our life.
9) Social Media gets more mainstream & demand for social media specialists increase.
Everyone will KNOW they need to get involved but many do not know HOW so there will be increasing business opportunity for social media specialists and consultants.
If you are a business looking to jump on the social media band wagon and start growing your customer base, be careful with who you choose to work with. Always remember WHY you need social media, and that WHY is more ROI: lower customer acquisition costs, more leads, more customers, and ultimately more sales.
So these are my 9 predictions for the near future of social media marketing. What are yours? Feel free to share!
1) Mobile devices & the responsive website.
By now we all know that tablets outsell desktop PCs, so it's only natural that web design & the way web is develop also adapts to this statistic. One way is responsive websites, which simply means a website that changes its appearance and layout based on the size of the viewing screen. You can expect more sites being revamped, responsive, more text based & less image & flash heavy.
2) Easier Buying.
Facebook feeds us ads & lots of app games where you can purchase virtual goods, but we haven't seen a big step forward in actual e-commerce as of yet. Only far and few Facebook business/app pages are capable of user interaction and even fewer actually integrate any sort of e-commerce or direct buying call-to-action at all. People like convenience, and when they see something they like, it would be nice to click a BUY NOW button, instead of having to hunt it down. Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and YouTube.com don't even have eCommerce options but they sure show off some cool stuff we want to buy!
3) Content is still king.
Visual imaging & lifestyle marketing continues to take center stage as more B2C (business to consumer) start using social media such as Instagram or Pinterest to evoke feelings and connect with you on a personal level.
4) More Social Media Channels start charging for the sames services you now get for free.
Twitter & Pinterest will try to make money off their 'free' services by introducing more premium advertising options similar to the way Facebook did by introducing 'sponsored ads' and 'promoted posts'. Did you know that when you do a business post, only 7-14% of your fan-base actually see it? If you want to reach more of your market you need to purchase 'promoted posts'.
5) More focused social media strategies & targeted business marketing.
The more noise there is on the internet and the more SMM options that exist, the more confusing it is for the business owner. Small businesses & individuals will focus on producing higher-quality leads and connections rather than focus quantity alone because 1) they don't have enough time 2) analytic tools are so good that they can gear their ads more on the bottom line.
6) Social media marketing becomes a necessary skill set of today's web designer and developer. As business owners get more web savvy, they will also start to look for web designers that can give them measurable results & that means also being able integrate all the available tools available on the web that will give them a competitive edge.
7) Social media marketing is no longer an 'option', it is a 'must-do' for business survival.
There will be almost moot point to having an online presence if you don't integrate the social media marketing tools available. Businesses that do not understand how to reach a larger audience, lower cost of customer acquisition or the importance of engaged customers will ultimately fail (or not make as much money) because they will overspend on marketing channels such as paid search advertising (Google Adwords).
8) More targeted, data-driven ads.
As the web gets smarter, your interaction, searches, online behaviors and demographic data all will contribute to what ads get fed to you and where. This is happening already with Google Ads and FaceBook, but you will see it more fine-tuned because let's face it, just because we search for something, does not mean we want to see ads about it every time we visit a website for the rest of our life.
9) Social Media gets more mainstream & demand for social media specialists increase.
Everyone will KNOW they need to get involved but many do not know HOW so there will be increasing business opportunity for social media specialists and consultants.
If you are a business looking to jump on the social media band wagon and start growing your customer base, be careful with who you choose to work with. Always remember WHY you need social media, and that WHY is more ROI: lower customer acquisition costs, more leads, more customers, and ultimately more sales.
So these are my 9 predictions for the near future of social media marketing. What are yours? Feel free to share!
