Today, everyone has probably heard of the term “social media.” Almost everyone finds themselves needing to participate in it be it for communication or for checking on the current events. It has become the mail, the telephone, the daily newspaper and much more, all rolled into one. And not only is it limited to the young people, but there are also users of all ages, cutting across many generations.
The past years were an exciting time for social media technologies. There were new software, platforms and consumer preferences that were able to bring a lot of changes which consequently opened up new opportunities. If social media is evolving, so will the different strategies on how to better use it both for personal and business utilization.
Social Media Trends that have Become a Part of our Everyday Lives
We can engage real-time
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The distinct feature of social media is the real-time engagement. Today, the time it takes for people to respond becomes smaller and smaller. Twitter users expect companies to answer to them and most of them expect a response within an hour. That time gets shorter especially when they have a complaint. Companies these days are gearing up to make sure that they can respond to their customers fast.
We can go “live”
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During the past years, video content shot up in popularity. The thing about the video is that it is accessible and that it is a faster way of sharing and receiving information than say, compared to reading. Also, it is a trend now for users to share their live and in-the-moment updates. On top of that, there is also an increase in the time it takes to respond. As the live stream is showing, the responses can also appear in real time.
We can post to our heart’s content
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With the many social media platforms to choose from, we can post thoughts, photos, videos, blogs and so on. We can even share about the book we’re reading, the movie we’re watching, or about the place we are in, wherever we are in the world. It has become very easy to share with our friends and followers updates about our lives. In the same way, it is also easy for us to see what our friends and the people we follow are doing. Social media posts are our way of updating each other and connecting to the world. If you publish a lot of posts on multiple social media channels, you should check out some of these hot social media posting tools that can make easy work out of scheduling posts for your small business or personal accounts.
We have multiple platforms to choose from
Before, there were three big players in the social media. These are: LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook. The functions of these social media platforms are almost similar but for different niches. These days, though, we have Instagram, Snapchat and other new players that cater to a huge user base. Anyone can choose among these social media platforms depending on their preference. Some even have accounted for all of the social media platforms. What’s clear is that there is something for everyone’s liking and it’s readily available for use.
Buying online has never been this easy
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Social media is also a fertile ground for advertising. If you think about it, that’s how it generates income, after all. But now, followers can easily be converted to real customers because of how easy shopping can be especially on a social media platform. Not only are ad posts limited to just advertising, ads now are typically associated with a “buy” button, so with one click, you can easily buy that product. It saves consumers a lot of time and effort. It also makes it easier for businesses to generate leads and sales.
Takeaway
2016 takes us to further advancement in technology, especially in the social media. We can expect more changes and improvements in the coming years. With all the social media trends that have become a part of our everyday lives, we can reflect more on those that can help in making our lives and relationships better and how to use them well.
See also: 22 Expert Predictions About Digital Marketing Trends in 2016
