What are some social media predictions for the future?
It’s a bright one, that’s for sure! Let’s look at the statistics:
- There are more than 1 billion active users on Facebook
- There are more than 200 million active users on Twitter
- There are more than 3 billion views on YouTube
- There are more than 50 million pictures uploaded on Instagram
There are more than 1.9 billion social media users around the world with that number expected to increase to 2.5 billion in 2018
As we previously said, social media has a bright future, indeed! Social media is no longer just a platform to stay connected with friends and family, but has evolved with time and will continue to evolve with years. Now, it serves as an online platform to stay connected with brands. It has become a free platform for businesses to spread their reach and sell their services and products through it.
Another fact: Social media influences 78 percent of consumer buying decisions
It’s time to make some social media predictions for the future!
Here are five social media predictions that future businesses need to be aware about:
1. New Experiences Brought to You by Wearable Technology
Wearable technology such as augmented reality and virtual reality will engage consumers and create new experiences that will leave a lasting impression on them. With Facebook buying the virtual reality headset, Oculus Rift, three years ago, you can expect the social network to use it to enhance user experience.
Wearable technology will provide businesses with a new way to market their services and products to consumers. Wearable technology will enable businesses to collect large amounts of information, using it to provide context and experiences to customers on a personal level.
Wearable technology creates more engagement, which leads to better and improved experiences for customers such as transporting them to live shows regardless of where they are. By 2020, the average person will own eight wearable devices unlike today, where most people only own one.
2. No More Ban on Social Media at Workplaces
Most workplaces have tried to stop their employees from using social media while at work. With social media becoming a powerful tool for attracting customers, workplaces have started to change their tune. More and more businesses around the world are using social media to their advantage.
Slack and Facebook for Work are two tools that play an essential role in the workplace. Slack enables workplaces to collaborate and share information. They can share information via gifs, text, images, videos, and more.
They no longer need to rely on sending each other internal emails to communicate their message, but can easily do it via Slack, thus streamlining communication and making it easier. Facebook for Work is a streamlined version of Facebook that provides professionals and businesses with several useful features to help them collaborate with each other.
3. YouTube Will Become Key in Generating Buzz
YouTube is already the king of streaming videos online. Soon, it will play a key role in helping businesses generate a buzz about their services and products. As popular advertising on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram continues to increase costs, businesses will begin to rely on YouTube to market their brand, services, and products.
From Facebook and Instagram, they will direct their target market to visit YouTube. Right now, very few businesses use YouTube to attract prospective customers and generate leads. In the future, all of this will change.
YouTube Marketing will become one of the primary and effective resources to connect to people from all over the world and establish lasting relationships with their viewers without needing to pay for advertising.
As a business, it is important to keep an eye out for the up and coming social media advertising trends, as you do not want to miss out on creating and uploading videos on YouTube when marketing through the channel becomes popular!
4. Up, Close, and Personal through Collaborative Storytelling
Collaborative storytelling among businesses, customers, and employees will allow for increased engagement. Businesses will be breaking the fourth wall! They will narrate a story to their customers to connect with them on a meaningful level.
At the center of their interactive and compelling stories will be the brand, its employees, and their customers. Collaborative storytelling will also humanize the brand in the eyes of their customers. Businesses will need to focus on selling more than their services and products to customers, but share with them real-life experiences to form a lasting connection.
5. Live Streaming Videos Will Become the Norm
Even though videos have always been around, live streaming videos have not. They are something new! Like an unexplored territory! Some businesses have started using live streaming videos to their advantage, but it hasn’t really caught on, but down the line, you can expect more businesses to invest in this newfound phenomenon of interacting with their customers live.
Several social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have introduced live streaming videos and you can see users as well as independent bloggers, celebrities, news channels, and businesses using it. Users can view a live video and leave comments in real time.
With time, more and more businesses from around the world are expected to jump on the bandwagon and use live streaming videos to showcase certain aspects of their business. They can create live videos of what happens behind their business, how they create products, any festivals they host or attend, host an interview session with their customers, and more.
Have you established a social media presence? Can your customers find and connect with you on various social media platforms? If they can, you should pay attention to these future social media trends so you can adopt them as soon as they become mainstream.
by Bobby J Davidson
We love our company and we love what we do. Check out the ‘Why Percento‘ page to learn more: Love of Technology and Business! As the President of Percento Technologies International, I provide day-to-day leadership to the company’s senior management and I am personally involved in the strategy, business development and sales activities of the firm.
The company was founded in 1999 with the purpose of providing a one call source for organizations in need of Enterprise IT Consulting and Management. We also provide a line of products in the boutique Cloud Server space with a touch of high-end website strategy consulting and design services. We personalizes the IT Service experience with a team approach, working with clients from diverse sectors of industry, including energy services, financial, legal, entertainment, healthcare, hospitality, retail and general and/or corporate business.
Our Mission: “Creating innovative IT solutions for business leaders worldwide through cutting edge technologies.”
Contact me today to discuss how our great team can assist: 1 800 614 7886 or our Contact Form.