5 Social Media Trends and What They Mean for Your Strategy

Some things never change in business: customer satisfaction, strong branding and monitoring your industry are all priorities that should remain strong year after year. Social media, on the other hand, is always changing, so how can you delineate between what is a trend and what is worth a longer-term investment?

I spoke with Carrie Kerpen and the team at Likeable Media about this problem. Here's their take on the 5 trends in social media and what they mean for your business:

1. The destination is off-social (so don't be afraid to take your community there).
Social media used to be about engaging people on the network itself. Now, social media is a place of discovery. Buzzfeed cites 75% of their overall site traffic comes from social media referrals. Use social channels to take people to a destination you create and own.

2. Attention spans are growing again.
Thanks to more advanced phones and stronger wireless connections, long-form text and video are more feasible for users to consume. You can produce blogs, episodic videos or video series, and other types of long form content because these are the future. We're not just a 6-second society anymore. Users have dated social media for the last several years and are ready for a more committed relationship.

3. Great content trumps your brand.
Products and brands are becoming secondary to the content that's shared. Influencers, ambassadors and overall lifestyle-focused content outperforms content that simply features standard product shots.

4. Disappearing media is popular.
Mediums like Snapchat, Yik Yak, Whisper, and Periscope allow brands and individuals to make a statement that doesn't put a stake in the ground. People are looking for anonymity, for privacy and for control. These networks provide that illusion and comfort. Whether it’s hiding your identity or making your content temporary, this trend can’t be ignored.

5. Consumers expect brand commentary.
Real-Time Content is more attainable and approachable for brands, and as a result, consumers expect to see some strong commentary from their favorite brands when big news hits. Plan ahead and take appropriate risks that make sense for your brand.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to shift this year’s social media strategy to include these considerations.

Look for the full reveal of these five trends during the virtual event Social Media - How to Evolve, Create Value and Win Business with Likeable Media and AMA Marketing on May 13th.

Now it's your turn. Which of these trends have been impacting your strategy? Which ones did I miss? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below, and please share this post with your network so others can use these trends to improve their strategy!

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Dave Kerpen is the founder and CEO of Likeable Local. He is also the co-founder and Chairman of Likeable Media, and the New York Times-bestselling author of Likeable Social Media, Likeable Business, and the new collection, Likeable Leadership. To read more from Dave on LinkedIn, please click the FOLLOW button above or below.

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