5 Social Media Trends to Watch Out for in 2016

It’s almost the end of the calendar year already! As 2015 comes to an end, it’s time to take a collective look of the year’s updates and predict as to what will come next. We know that the landscape of social media is constantly changing. In fact, by the time you hear about a newly-released Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter update, it’s already too late to be ahead of the curve. For this reason, it is best to look ahead and prepare for the future instead of scrambling to keep up. Look for these features to become a crucial aspect of your social media strategy in the upcoming months and years:

1. In-the-Moment Updates

Have you heard of Periscope? If not, you will soon. Just as Instagram made it so pictures went up on a social platform moments after they were taken and Twitter Moments give you news events as they’re happening, new platforms like Periscope allow you to live broadcast video. Right now, Periscope users collectively watch 40 years of live video each and every day, according to Forbes, so it’s already huge. What does this mean for you? If you schedule your Twitter posts to go out a few days in advance, that could be a thing of the past.

2. Buy Buttons.

A “Buy Now!” button on social media accounts is the next step in the evolution of the buying process. Twitter’s buy button went live recently. Pinterest has a buy button. Facebook is thinking about getting one now too. By the end of 2016, most major social media brands will feature some kind of buy button naturally as part of their advertising campaigns, so plan on incorporating this idea into your campaigns soon.

3. Apps that do Everything.

In the past year alone, Facebook has introduced Instant Articles as a new form of publishing and videos that play instantly when scrolling. There’s also a mini search engine to find articles published on Facebook by you and others. That doesn’t even include the changes they’ve released to mobile profiles and profile video GIFs! They’re developing more every day, hoping that users never need to leave their app. Expect other platforms to follow suit.

4. New Content Publishing Options.

Small businesses can publish articles on Facebook now without linking to an external source. LinkedIn released this feature not too long ago as well. As social platforms become more competitive and more aggressive about keeping users engaged for as long as possible, this will become the norm. What does this mean for your marketing strategies? You might want to start publishing your articles in several different places to reach specific customers.

5. More Users will be Concerned with Privacy.

Facebook recently had yet another hoax, tricking users into posting a message in order to keep their information private. People love social media, but are still holding onto the idea of privacy, which can be a tricky mix for marketers. One reason SnapChat has skyrocketed in popularity is the idea that whatever users send automatically gets deleted. Marketers may want to consider backing off of sometimes-intrusive forms of advertising, or utilizing smart content in a way that doesn’t comes off creepy.

Prepare for these changes and beat your competition to the punch, and you’ll be rewarded with more visibility and a greater online reputation. Social media is only going to grow bigger, and 2016 is sure to be an exciting year for the industry. While all of the changes may be confusing, you don’t have to navigate social media on your own. Download our free eBook Mastering Social Media for Business.