What’s In Store for Social Media in 2015

1. It’s Not About the Following:

For the past couple of years, early adopters of social media focused on building their audiences on the different social platforms. In the beginning, many businesses, bloggers and personal brands used this consistent posting and creating shareable content to grow their following organically. However, this practice no longer works, not only because social platforms, such as Facebook want to monetize from business’ marketing efforts, but also because social feeds are increasingly become more crowded.

In 2015, businesses need to change the focusing from building their following and focus on increasing engagement with their already existing audience.

2. If You Want to Be Heard, Pay Up

Going back to the beginning, social media was introduced to businesses as a free platform to engage and advertise to consumers. Businesses, even though hesitant at first, embraced social media as it became the most cost effective way to advertise. That is until, Facebook and the rest of the famous social media platforms, realized they could capitalize on their millions of users.

Yes, 2015 will be the year for businesses to embrace social media advertising. However, they must not forget that the key to successful social media strategies is to focus on developing sharable content and the ability to disseminate it quickly. That’s where advertising comes in.

3. It’s all about your content:

Just like search engines, social platforms such as Facebook want to focus on the user experience. Because of this reason, they adapt their algorithms to cater to users and to enhance their experience on their platform. For that purpose, Facebook dropped organic reach for businesses on purpose.

Yes, for businesses it might feel like they are being screwed by having to “Boost” their posts to reach their audiences, however the key is always to post content that is unique, useful and catered to your audience.

4. Last but not least, use your platforms wisely:

Pay attention to the content style of what each social media platform specializes in. Focus on creating content to match the platforms’ intended purpose. For example, Instagram is great fo lifestyle imagery, LinkedIn is great for posting trending industry related articles as well as publishing content, Twitter is a great platform to leverage the use of hashtags, etc.

Need hep with your social media marketing in 2015? Give us a call at 504-521-6222 and we’ll come up with a strategy together!

The best advice for businesses using social media in 2015? Have concrete goals, goals will help you measure success and the return on your investment. Don’t be on social media because everyone else is doing it, have clear goals and plan your strategy in advance. In the end, keep in mind that social media platforms are meant to inspire creativity and engagement. So don’t be afraid to have some fun!