Social Media in 2017

With so many new social media apps arriving almost daily, its difficult to know which to put your energy (and money) into.

Here are some things Rocoja thinks you should be aware of in 2017.

Messaging apps. Are you reading this on your phone? Have you had a peek at Facebook? Maybe had a chat on messenger? If not Facebook messenger, probably Snapchat, Kik, Whatsapp or some other portal… Then if you look into the data behind what you do (and I do it to) you realise that more than 50 percent of new Snapchat users are over age 25 and almost 30% of smartphone owners use general-purpose messaging apps such as WhatsApp. This has led to customers increasingly engaging with companies one on one—not publicly on their Facebook wall. Question – How will you meet the demand? Larger companies will employ bots to filter, but a small business has the edge – the personal touch… KEEP it that way…. Its not expensive to employ someone to run your messenger for you & to then give great customer service via that portal…
Social Media Marketing will INCREASE! According to Advertising Age, social media spending grew by 55 percent in 2016 to $10.9 billion in the US alone, that could hit $15 billion in 2017. The UK follows that trend very closely (No data available as yet) BUT we all know we must keep up.. For your business, this means for every £1 you spend creating content, you should spend at least £2 promoting it. This “promotion” budget is not just “paying” for ads & hoping they work, Target your content correctly, look into the type of people who have visited specific pages on your website, find your competition and see what works for them… .Precise targeting makes it easy to reach the right people with the right message at the right time.
Video Content is going to explode! There are many streaming platforms out there at the moment, but Periscope Facebook Live and Snapchat are among the most popular.In 2016 alone, it is estimated that Periscope users watched 110 years of live video every day using the app. 2016 saw the launch of Inst-live and Twitter-Live, both of which are becoming more and more popular.. So where do you focus? Again this is about knowing your audience… (Or better still, employ a good Social Media expert to do this for you). This year, we recommend you keep an eye out for new features rolling out to the different live streaming platforms .. For example, Facebook Live will be launching 360-degree capabilities – which would be great to show off your band / your products / your showrooms?
Social Media as a sales portal. All the usual suspects offer ways for your customers to purchase products/services, usually via website re-directions. This years there will be more add-ons which will see people literally being able to click through from apps such as Instagram and Pinterest.