Looking Ahead to 2016: 5 Social Media Predictions

If there’s one thing you can say about social media, it’s that it’s rarely boring. As the social media landscape continues to evolve, we thought a few predictions for 2016 might be in order. Ready to look into the ol’ crystal ball?

Let’s do it.

1. Ad space will be a hot commodity.

Bad news, folks — the free ride is over! Organic reach across social media channels dwindled in 2015, due in large part to Facebook’s algorithm adjustments. But it wasn’t just Facebook. If you’ve spent any time on Twitter, LinkedIn or even Instagram, you’ve probably noticed an increase in promoted posts and advertisements. While it may be annoying to the average Joe, it’s not necessarily a bad thing for social media marketers.

The advertising campaigns offered by the Big Three — Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn — and other social media channels are making it easier for marketers to reach their target audiences, amplify their message and expand their reach – all on an affordable budget.

And the options are varied. For example, you can expand your reach and visibility on Facebook by running targeted ads or boosting specific posts to gain traction in the news feed, and you can get started for as little as $5 a day. LinkedIn offers similar services. On Twitter, you can increase visibility by promoting tweets, accounts or even trending topics. In 2015, more than 80 percent of marketers promoted tweets on Twitter.

Bonus Tip: Facebook recently made it possible for business owners using the Locations for Pages feature to use page information to add hyperlocalized dynamic copy, links and CTAs to their ads.

Image via FacebookInstagram just opened their advertising solutions to businesses big and small. Campaigns can be created to increase web traffic, video views, audience awareness and mobile app installs. Meanwhile, Pinterest is still in beta mode where advertising is concerned, only offering the feature to a select few U.S. businesses, but the waiting list is growing!

Image via PinterestSocial media advertising will definitely play a huge role for businesses in 2016. But that doesn’t mean you need to be everywhere at once. Be smart with your advertising dollars. Test the waters, find your target audience and make sure you’re not only expanding your reach, but also getting the best possible ROI.

2. The Big Three are going to have a little company.

According to the Pew Research Center (and maybe Bob Dylan), “the times they are a-changin’.”

While Facebook continues to stand strong, boasting 72 percent of adults who are online in the U.S. — up 5 percent since 2012 — Pinterest and Instagram have both doubled their user base during that same time frame. Meanwhile, Twitter and LinkedIn, much like Facebook, have basically stayed the course, raising their numbers by a meager 7 and 5 percent, respectively.

So what’s going on here?

Actually, it’s just a simple matter of demographics, but you may want to sit down for this one. Today’s youth just aren’t as interested in Facebook; it’s a tool for the older generation! That’s right, you’ve turned into your parents, and the kids are avoiding you like the plague. Take a minute for that to sink in.

All joking aside, Facebook is still the place to be for business owners. It’s just not the only place. While the younger generation may be embracing newer social media tools such as Instagram and Vine, they’re still lurking in the background on Facebook, too. Facebook still plays host to 82 percent of adults in the 18- to 29-year-old age bracket.

The point here is that the social media yard is expanding in 2016. Your target audience is beginning to explore the various social media networks. If you’re not paying attention, you could lose sight of them. Or worse still, they could lose sight of you.

As with advertising, it’s not about being everywhere at once. Just make it a point to recognize where your audience is spending their time so you can be there when they’re looking for you. And make sure you’re targeting your message appropriately for the demographics of each social media platform.

Bonus Content: The State of Social Media.

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3. Visual social media will continue to reign supreme.

It’s already been established that visual content is a powerful component of social media marketing. Fifty-two percent of marketers believe that video content provides the best return on investment, and 82 percent list images as being important to social media content optimization.

If you thought the visual trend was a fad, you may be disappointed. In fact, it looks to be a mainstay of 2016 and beyond. Even the visual social media networks are upgrading their platforms and improving their options for sharing images and videos.

For example, Instagram no longer limits users to perfectly square images, and they’ve made it possible to geotag photos and create location-based maps to collect visual content. Pinterest’s place pins allow you to geotag content and share important business information. Plus, you can use article and product pins to better categorize content for your users.

As you can see, videos and images aren’t just eye-catching and fun; they’re also the perfect tool for building brand identity. This is something German automaker Audi has recognized and plans to leverage as they push their social media message into the new year. Instagram now sits beside Facebook and Twitter as one of Audi’s three core social networks in the U.K., and the brand plans to explore Snapchat and Periscope in 2016.

Image via Audi InstagramAs a business owner, you just can’t lose on the visual content front, but you’ll need to be smart about it. Visual content doesn’t necessarily need to be well-produced, but it does need to be easily viewable, relevant to your business and of some value to your target audience.

4. Real-time social media updates will be on the menu.

We’ve already mentioned Audi’s plans to incorporate Periscope into their 2016 marketing strategy, and we feel safe predicting that they won’t be the only major brand to do so. The concept is irresistible and will no doubt open new doors for social media marketers. But whether or not you’ll find anything of value behind those doors is yet to be determined.

We’ve already seen the news media take advantage of Periscope’s capabilities, which makes perfect sense when you think about it. “Live streaming” isn’t new to the news; it’s just another method of doing what they’ve always done. We’ve also seen Facebook roll out live video capabilities for public figures such as athletes, celebrities and politicians with Facebook Mentions. That’s not available to the public, of course, but it could be a sign of things to come.

Can a small business really benefit from live social media updates? It depends on your industry, business model, products, and services. A live update platform such as Periscope could definitely play a valuable role for the right businesses. For example, you could take live Q&A sessions to this visual format, or live stream business events or promotional giveaways.

Not everything you do is worth broadcasting in real time. You’ll need to be thrifty in your usage of the format. But with forethought and under the right circumstances, real-time streaming like Periscope could be a valuable tool in the coming year.

5. Mobile payment integration will become more widespread.

Add “buy buttons” to the 2016 social media predictions. In fact, it’s already happening. Facebook has introduced a new Canvas ad format, Twitter has a Buy Now button, and Pinterest is rolling out buyable pins. Instagram has plans to follow suit. Social media shopping carts can’t be far behind!

If you’re set up for e-commerce, these are tools to look into in 2016. But be sure to use the “buy buttons” appropriately and sparingly. No one likes to feel bombarded with thinly veiled advertisements.

Wrap-Up

Social media marketing will continue to evolve in 2016, with both new ideas and variations on tried-and-true solutions. Be prepared to dip into your advertising budget, branch out into new social media platforms, create visual content and explore the worlds of real-time updates and mobile payment integration. And if you need a little help keeping the social media train rolling, consider automating the process with OutboundEngine.