TRENDS
Meerkat:
• Available on iOS and Android
• 2 million registered users
• More than 100,000 videos
streamed
• Available in one language
You can see a more in-depth
breakdown of Periscope and
Meerkat, including similarities
and differences, in one of our
previous articles.
Neither video service has
completely taken over the live
streaming space, so both should
be considered when creating
your social media strategy.
One thing to keep in mind is
both apps are expected to play a
big role in the 2016 Presidential
election, so if you’re affiliated in
any way, you’ll want to pay close
attention to each apps’ strengths
and weaknesses.
Social Commerce
The more engaged your
customers are, the better your
sales. Over the last couple of
years, we’ve seen social media
play a crucial role in this area.
In fact, in 2014, total US sales
that could be tracked to social
media reached $3.3 billion.
More recently, research found
social influences more shoppers’
buying decisions than retail
websites.
Compelling stats like the one
above has led to the creation
of more commerce-focused
features for marketers and
Visual Contenting
advertisers.
For example, in 2015:
• Facebook introduced 360 Ads
for immersive experiences.
• YouTube added 360 Ads for
more impactful visuals.
• Instagram rolled out its
action-oriented ad format.
• Pinterest announced the
limited rollout of its Buyable
Pins.
• Twitter continued testing its
Buy button.
In 2016, you’ll want to explore
more ways how you can
integrate these features into
your social media and content
strategies. For inspiration, keep
an eye out this holiday season to
see how businesses use them.
SEO
Let’s get one thing clear: content
is still king. The mediums might
be changing—in 2015 we saw
a massive shift from text to
media—but the competition for
visibility has never been stronger.
With more businesses building
out their content strategies
and the rising advertising costs,
optimizing your organic content
is at its highest demand.
Although social media doesn’t
directly influence your search
ranking, greater social signals
(such as people sharing your
content and sending more
traffic to your website) can help
you rank higher. Why is this
important? Because 33% of
traffic from
Google’s organic search results
go to the first item listed.
Not just that, but social content
is becoming increasingly more
visible in search results. Google
already has deals in place with
Facebook and Twitter—you’ve
likely already seen a Tweet
or two appear in your search
results. In 2016 we’ll see more
platforms added to the index,
further blurring the line between
Web and social media.
Your posts on Facebook
and YouTube should also be
optimized for search. Today 88%
of consumers are influenced by
reviews and online comments,
and they’re turning to these
platforms for just that. Searching
on Facebook can now turn up
public posts, so make sure that
yours include relevant keywords
and take advantage of character
limit and hashtag best practices.
Mobile First
What was once considered a
bonus is now a necessity. If
you’re not thinking mobile first,
then you’re already behind.
Mobile devices have become the
primary (not secondary) screen
for most social media users.
In 2015, mobile traffic finally
overtook desktop traffic in 10
countries, including the US and
Japan.