Tag: social media trends

An in depth look at how being ‘everywhere’ ultimately results in you being nowhere. In all the hype surrounding the advent of social media I feel that many offline companies might be missing the real opportunities. With all the chatter about creating fans and following tweets, some company owners and managers might be tempted to view social media just like they would a radio or TV spot: another avenue to push sales. There appears to be a kind of gold-rush mentality being applied to the social media boom, and just like the dot com explosion of the late 90’s, businesses and individuals are assuming that the number of followers or ‘hits’ they generate will translate into sales.

If you are like many of the new or well established business owners, entrepreneurs, or marketing professionals and you want to take advantage of what social media has to offer your bottom line, you should treat these bookmarking sites like any other tool or service that you utilize to operate your business.

• Have a clear goal for what you want that tool to accomplish.

• Identify the best method for using that tool to accomplish your goal.

• Monitor the success rate (or not) of utilizing the tool.

But, business owners and entrepreneurs alike still feel the need to automatically adopt all the latest social media trends and master every social media site, not realizing that this could possibly hinder their ability to actually grow their business venture. In fact there is a good chance that all it will do is leave you with a sense of social media overload. As a business owner you should be focusing on what makes your business grow and how to make your venture great, instead of mulling over how to get your Twitter followers over to your Linkedin profile so your Google Analytics account can monitor how many unique visitors are requesting connections to your WordPress blog in order to Digg their post and stumble upon more unique visitors so you can Flickr their MySpace account – what?

Which leads me to the number one issue affecting small business and start up enterprise:- Being everywhere at once! Too often I see business owners and marketing entrepreneurs creating accounts in a myriad of social media sites, – and then berating any potential customers with sales pitches and buy me now reviews. It appears from an external perspective that there has been no immediate need to utilize advertising within this space – it is simply done because ‘everyone else does it too’, but looking at the bullet points above, one must question the motivational force behind such marketing ploys.

Think about it. ‘Jack of all trades -master of none’ is one expression that comes to mind, but more pertinent is the fact that by trying to do too much at the same time is only going to hurt your image in the long run. I know it’s tempting to make sure you are registered on every social network and bookmarking site. But if you’re not careful, the need to be everywhere can evolve into an inability to be anywhere. You should develop a targeted marketing strategy with social media sites to ensure your focus can remain on growing your brand and in turn, growing your business.

So what does this mean to me as an online affiliate marketer?

The online business world is host to a gamut of business models, personalities, systems and resources – all of which are affected slightly different by the social media sphere. As an affiliate marketer, interacting with social media is an important factor for me, but for completely different reasons. Affiliate marketers, from what I have experienced are the biggest proponents of overkill in the social media sphere, and thanks to the barrage of ‘buy this now’ and ‘make money today’ linkbaiting attempts that occur within this sphere, there is proof enough that this is clearly not the right tact to take in building your online presence. Scatter gun approach…and hope? Or Clear and focused Brand building – it’s not rocket science.

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What is Social Media?

The latest buzz around the world is Social Media. Social media is basically a media outlet that you use to communicate through. The growth of social media has been exponential in the past 5 years. New websites with different features and interactive capabilities are being developed constantly. Technology savvy individuals are working towards the new Facebook and Twitter.

The main question that arises now is whether social media is a trend or fad?

The simple answer to that is that social media is a trend and not a fad. The growth and use of social media is becoming very important in today’s society. You use your Facebook and Twitter account to communicate with friends, colleagues, and family and much more.

New Trend in Social Media

The role they have established in our daily lives is becoming larger than ever. They can no longer be categorized as a stage for social interaction. The credibility and trust people have contributed to them has immensely helped their popularity. They can now be seen as media outlets that have become very informative. You can constantly receive information from newspapers, major conferences, and famous personalities. Information can be passed on instantaneously and to millions and millions of people.

In today’s global world, information is only as valuable as to the timing of it. There is no point of receiving important information when it doesn’t reach to you on time.

Internet Marketing

This is a new form of marketing that has catapulted as a result of social media. In simple terms, internet marketing is promoting your website, product, or services over the internet. It is one of the cheapest and highly effective forms of marketing.

Communication and networking are the critical success factors of any business. Build your strategy around internet marketing. When you have a solid base for communication with your customers, then decision making process for your company becomes faster. You will increase your company’s customer intimacy and be better to satisfy their changing needs. Satisfying the demand of your customers will lead to increased profitability. Use internet marketing as a competitive advantage for your company.

Latest Statistics

There are over 95 million Tweets per day, and 700 billion minutes per month being spent on Facebook. By establishing internet marketing as a part of your overall strategy you can market yourself to those statistics. Internet marketing is the gateway to success in the future.

Understanding the importance of these numbers and developing a sound strategy on how to take full advantage of them will set you and your company apart from others.

Conclusion

Social media is a trend with increasing role in our society. Internet marketing is helping small businesses and entrepreneurs that lack advertisement budget to compete with larger companies.

Internet marketing has increased competition between companies. Realizing the importance and how to use it to your advantage will set your company apart from others in the future. The sooner you are able to implement an internet marketing strategy in your company the sooner you will be able to reap the benefits.

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Which public relations trends can assist your progress and improvement?

These features of the trade can be hard to master, yet they can help you get a head start toward the business’s future.

Here’s what’s in store:

Endorsing proficiency at all levels

In the past, only top-tier directors were put into view as an establishment’s industry connoisseurs. Now lower-level personnel are presenting their insights.

This has numerous benefits. First, it helps your brand to aim at a broader, more diverse audience and dispense more content. Second, when top officials leave your corporation, they don’t leave an information void.

Help those at all ranks to grow and cultivate their own individual brand. Inspire them to write thoughtful content and create social media handles that show off their know-how.

A general rise in PR expenditure

According to a combined report from the Association of National Advertisers and the USC Center for Public Relations, expenditure on PR will change. More precisely, marketers plot to increase internal employment and general expenditure on public relations over the subsequent five years.

This is due to the growth of PR over the previous decade and the enlarged prominence it has had for marketers.

Think of some chief PR workings that make it so treasured to a business’s development. Digital communications, for one, has never been more significant for business, and PR is at its midpoint.

Another giant constituent of business evolution is social media. You can’t be in business today without a social media existence. PR provides the approach and content to increase your social media presence.

An increasing dependence on specialty PR firms

Many boutique PR companies concentrate on specific features of public relations, such as inauguration PR and reputation supervision. If you’re having difficulty in one of these areas, you will want a trained expert calling the shots.

Don’t be afraid of calling in additional help from time to time. Using skillful experts during key moments of your corporation’s expansion could save you from PR catastrophe.

A swing toward digital

When one study asked about foremost PR trends for the next five years, digital storytelling, social monitoring and big data capped the list.

To bring into line your PR and marketing with this changing world, use digital storytelling to involve your spectators.

Help outsiders get to know the folks within the corporation, and notify them about what separates you from your rivals. Share your desires and your struggles. This kind of storyline will endear you to prospects and keep them involved in your story.

Become adept at social monitoring with apps like Hootsuite and Mention. Be the first to see negatory discussions about your brand, and be prepared to address hiccups before they become a problem.

Use big data to regulate your content and approach to reach more of your target viewers. Big data can shed light on what themes and complications are trending in your trade, so you can be amongst the first to address it. Use it to deliver your own perceptions on developing topics before your rivals have a chance to retort.

Providing substitutes to ‘dark social’

Social media and its impact have developed into an essential part of PR, and savvy professionals use tools such as BuzzSumo and Hootsuite to use on online platforms.

Outside them lie communication approaches such as text, email and chat apps, which are virtually impossible to track.

Organizations must produce, own and manage their own digital possessions. By evolving a patented platform, you can shape a library of exclusive and prized content. This will amplify your viewer’s engagement, keep them coming back for more and give you noticeable outcomes.

Quantitative versus qualitative measurement

Individuals find security in seeing exact statistics of page views, “likes” and rates for gauging achievement of their PR. But how do you measure progress in brand trust or mindfulness? This is where PR specialists must draw the line between quantitative and qualitative measurement.

Quantitative metrics might be easier, but they do not give a precise or life-sized image of public relations ROI.

We are seeing a swing toward qualitative measurement. PR has made pronounced advances in measurement with tools like AirPR and TrendKite.

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For the lives of today’s generation, social media has actively become an important part. With the advent of time, it is continually evolving and growing. People are very much attracted towards the marketing through which they can explore and expand their business.

It is considered as the most accessible and accurate medium to find the survey of your business, as it has completely changed the pattern of interaction between business and its customers. Throughout the marketplace, it has become the most innovative tool that can be used on various platforms like public relations, marketing or customer service.

Most of the business owners are utilizing their time of social media and digital marketing for the increase in traffic and sales of their respective business houses. Also, 90% of the marketers all around the world have declared that social media is generating immense exposure for their company.

For every marketing strategy, it is the substantial part which is cost-effective and offers phenomenal marketing opportunity. Below mentioned are some methods of digital and social media marketing where your business can be improved easily.

• Increased Brand Awareness: It is considered as the most cost-effective digital methods that can organize the content and increase the visibility of your business. By implementing this strategy, the brand recognition of the business could be improved that have the potential to engage a large number of consumers.

• Free availability: The creation of the social media or digital marketing platform is free to start and operate. If required, a person can make use of options like paid advertising that can be a great tool for the business expansion and inform a large number of users or audiences. But these means are not mandatory for some companies.

• Target your ideal buyers: This platform allows you to ensure that the right consumer is visiting your content and the business. By using methods like SEO, you can reach to your target audience by determining their searching content and topics. Based on demographic information and general characteristics, it is easy to identify the target audience for the products and services of organic website SEO companies.

• Brand Loyalty: Through some research, it has been found that around 53% of the people rely on brands exposed on social media. Customer engagement is the important aspect as it can influence them to be more loyal to towards your brand. Consumers instantly and quickly respond to the social media content when compared to various other platforms

• Open communication: Social media is the platform where the user can easily interact and communicate with their buyer or other users through Professional Web Design. This digital marketing place is the two-way communication methods where a message from both sides can be easily resolved which creates a great range of trust and reliability on the business from customers’ point-of-view.

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Marketing isn’t what it used to be. In today’s world, more and more companies are doing business in countries around the world, and that means a greater number of challenges for professional marketers. If you’re planning on expanding your business into the global marketplace, it’s important to stay informed on current trends in international marketing so you can pick and choose which would be most effective for your company. Here then, are some of those trends and some basic information about each one.

Social media

One of the most effective tools for today’s professional marketers can be summed up in two words: social media. No longer just a tool for sharing pictures of family and cute pet videos, social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and more are now an undeniably common way to market and advertise your products and services worldwide. The power of social media as a marketing tool is evidenced by the major league companies that now utilize it with impressive results: companies like Nike, Starbucks, Pampers, NASA, Denny’s and many more can attest to the fact that social media is still a remarkably effective avenue for marketing products and services around the globe.

Video advertising

Live video streaming is a feature that has become increasingly popular among social networks. Using live video streaming for international marketing and advertising efforts is particularly effective for its ability to give consumers and potential customers the opportunity to experience a “real-time” event no matter where they are on the planet. Several companies have found live streaming to be a particularly useful way to conduct question and answer sessions with viewers. This kind of active participation creates a unique connectedness between the business and its customers, greatly enhancing loyalty to the brand on the part of the participants and allowing the viewers to provide live testimonials about the product or service.

AI (Artificial Intelligence)

International companies are currently exploring the power of AI to more effectively track and analyze consumer shopping behaviors in countries around the world. This type of information was, until just recently, an extremely time-consuming and challenging set of statistics that was typically only reserved for the largest, most profitable companies which had the manpower required to collect and analyze the results. But thanks to AI, this type of information will soon be within the grasp of marketers working for virtually any size organization.

Cross-sector marketing

Put very simply, cross-sector marketing refers to the practice of utilizing the popularity of other brands to increase the reputation and success of your own. The fast-food industry provides a good example of cross-sector marketing at its most basic level. Studies have shown that fast-food restaurants that are clustered together within a short distance of one another report markedly higher sales than those in more isolated locations. This may sound counterintuitive, but the fact is that several different fast-food restaurants located within the same few blocks provide the consumer with a great variety of choices and increase the likelihood that shoppers will stop to eat. Professional marketers project that cross-sector international marketing will become more commonplace in this coming year, including an increase in strategic partnerships to gain a greater level of success for all those involved. Marketing is, without a doubt, not what it used to be. The fact is that our digital age provides marketing professionals with more opportunities than ever before. Although all these trends are important to keep in mind, remember that the most important aspect of any international marketing campaign is something much more basic: you must be able to effectively communicate with consumers and customers in other countries. And that will mean employing the services of an experienced, professional translator. The first step in your international marketing efforts can take place today by contacting a reputable translation company and finding the translator that best suits your company’s needs.

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Digital marketing has taken the advertising sector by storm. It has become an indispensable tool in the hands of a marketer to promote its brand’s objectives and lend it a visibility. As we are constantly witnessing advancements in the realms of social media, mobile marketing and user experience, the scope of digital marketing is reaching sky rocketing height. To help businesses stay cognizant of such opportunities, we have enlisted the top trends in digital advertising that will help them capture their online objectives effectively.

The Top Digital Marketing Trends

• Live video streaming
  Live video streaming gained a lot of momentum in 2016 and continues to see a rapid growth in the present time too. It is an effective tool for a marketer to engage and interact with the customers. The trend of live video streaming gained impetus with video streaming apps like Facebook Live and Periscope which enables users to streamline real time videos to push out messages across social media. This trend s highly prevalent in the digital marketing space and is likely to continue for long.
• Unique content still rules the digital space
  Every digital marketer will agree that unique and quality content is the ‘king’ in the online world and this tendency in the future as well. When the content stands out in terms of ideas and quality, it ensures that it engages and influences the readers completely.
• Social influencers are crucial assets for your business
  Social influencers and established bloggers play a very crucial role in building a loyal following and gaining awareness for your brand. With new social media platforms being introduced every now and then, it is not easy to reach the desired audience. However, influencers and bloggers enjoy dedicated followership that captures the community and engages them with their content. Thus, choosing the right people to promote your business can help you reach the target audience and as a result your business will drive towards success.
• Consumers are hooked to their Mobile phones
  Smart phones have revolutionised the way a consumer communicates and shares information with the world by providing on the go access to vital applications and social media platforms. Mobile phones and tablets have become our constant companions and their dependency continues to rise. It is crucial for the retailers to eye this fact and those who fail to do so will be left behind.
• Augmented reality is the next big thing
  The immense popularity of Pokemon Go gave the idea to marketers that augmented reality experiments can go a long run. Today, consumers are eager to experience such augmented reality concepts which means that there are plenty of potential wins here for marketers. Get ready to witness more AR related experiments in the times to come.

Are you digitally ready?

As digital technology is becoming more sophisticated with time, the extent to which brands and businesses can engage their consumers is seemingly endless and this is a great opportunity for every digital advertising agency to help their clients get their desired visibility and hold among their clientele.

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Whether you have a startup or you inherit one, you cannot deny the fact that social media will now be an essential part of your marketing strategy.

However, it is very easy to go wrong on social media, and this can have a negative impact on your brand. So, we’re going to give you a quick rundown of the top five ways through which you can make your strategy work.

Here are 5 things that businesses can implement to maximize the effectiveness of their social media campaigns:

1. Plan Your Social Media Marketing Strategies

Many business owners think social media marketing basically means creating a new account and sharing a couple of updates. They apply the same theory on multiple social media channels and expect the same results. They think – “If you build it, they will come!” When they don’t get any foothold, they give up instantly thinking that social media doesn’t work. However, the harsh reality is that they did not formulate a real plan.

2. Schedule Your Social Time

Stability is the name of the game when it comes to social media marketing. The time and the frequency chosen for posting are crucial. You will have to keep an eagle’s eye on the current trends and alerts that are relevant to your business, and keep a track of what your customers are doing and saying. Interacting regularly and having conversations with your customers is necessary. Rule of thumb: Allocate at least two hours a week to every social networking site you are present on!

3. Engage With Your Customers

Focus on connecting and engaging with your customers. A business can engage with customers and prospects by promoting their updates, sharing what they are saying, mentioning them frequently, replying to their questions, asking them questions, inviting them to events, asking them for feedback or sending them a direct message. Frequently engaging with customers and regularly promoting what they share ultimately leads to more customer satisfaction and higher sales.

4. Content is Still King

Writing and sharing high-quality content with your audience and prospective customers should be one of your priorities because of the key role it can play in how you communicate with your readers and get your message across. A great write-up will attract people organically, and they will hang around much longer.

5. Be Fun

Last but not the least – your social channels should be useful; however, they also need to be relevant. Everyone loves to laugh and bond; so make time to engage your audience by playing with words or through jokes or fun images.

There is so much information available online; hence, hearing an advice from true and renowned expert will take you in the right direction. Focus on your goals, create high-quality content and keep up pace with the latest trends.

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Internet marketing is a critically important way for any business to promote its brand and ensure that it is reaching as many potential customers as possible. The internet is a huge place though, with vast resources and possibilities for connecting with others. This is all good for your internet marketing strategy though. As long as you can figure out a way to shape that strategy around the obvious benefits of the internet, you can be successful marketing and ultimately selling your product.

The discussion now leads us to the importance and ramifications of social media for your business. By its very nature, social media is all about connecting people. In the past decade, billions of people around the world have flocked to social media for its ability to connect them with friends, family, and even business. This means that tailoring your online marketing strategy to take best possible advantage of social media trends is vitally important in making an impact on consumers and reaching the highest number of potential customers available. Social media is a broad category and includes a huge number of potential platforms for interacting and making contacts.

One of the most important of these social media platforms is Twitter. Some people lament the sad state of the modern attention span and Twitter is certainly not helping in that regard. The service allows any user to instantly share messages of up to 140 characters with anyone that wants to “follow” them. Twitter is free furthermore, and there is no limit to the number of tweets you can produce, or the number of followers you can acquire.

If you read that in the context of an internet marketing strategy and your eyes don’t absolutely light up, then you may want to read it again. That’s right, Twitter is the perfect platform for your business to make all the connections it can. Furthermore, the 140 characters allow you to quickly and with pinpoint accuracy, deliver your message to possible customers and clients.

While Twitter can be hugely important in obtaining attention and traction amongst potential customers, there are other social media platforms that will allow you to reach a completely different audience.

LinkedIn is one of these platforms, and it connects millions of working professionals around the globe. Although it doesn’t offer the same benefits of twitter, it does fundamentally connect you with potential clients and customers. By employing an aggressive strategy to make contacts and form relationships via LinkedIn, your online marketing strategy will by definition be targeting serious professionals who may actually benefit from your product or service.

Internet marketing strategies are key for your business. They allow you to harness the power of the internet in promoting your brand or image and simultaneously reach the millions of people around the world that are always looking for new products and new solutions to their problems. Although the internet is an inherently social tool, it makes sense to refine that social aspect to the point that your business strategy relies heavily on the power of social networks to help it grow. Whichever network you or your business choose to use, the odds are you will find opportunities for growth and developing new partnerships that you never thought possible.

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Social media took off in 2004 when Mark Zuckerberg and Dustin Moskovitz launched Facebook from their Harvard dorm room. Since then, social media trends have skyrocketed, especially among teen users.

Over the last eleven years, social media has exploded. Teens post to several apps every day. Here are the top seven apps they use, according to Pew Research Center.

1. Facebook

Facebook is the number one app, with 71% of teens 13 – 17 using it every day. Facebook is extremely easy to use, and can be used on the go with a Smartphone. Link your Twitter, Instagram, and other accounts to your Facebook page, and you’ll be sharing all of your doings with your followers.

2. Instagram

Instagram is extremely popular with teens, with 52% using it. Once the app is loaded on your Smartphone, it’s easy to snap a picture of anything you want and post it instantly. You can even share it on Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr with the click of a button.

3. Snapchat

Many teens also enjoy posting pictures and videos via Snapchat, but it’s not as easy to use as Instagram. 41% of teens use it.

4. Twitter

Twitter is still popular among teens, with 33% of them using it. With the ability to connect your Facebook page, Instagram, and other social media apps to your Twitter account, it’s easy to post content throughout the day. But many teens aren’t posting content directly to Twitter anymore. However, Twitter is a great place to hang out and chat with other users during events via Hashtags.

5. Google+

Google+ has become a bit popular with teens who already use Google for their email. Google+ gives users another place to post content, share it with friends, and find users with similar interests to follow. One advantage Google+ has over other apps: Google Hangouts. This app allows users to video conference each other, and even include up to ten people in a chat. 33% of teens are using Google+.

6. Vine

Vine is another video-sharing app, but only allows a six-second looping video clip. Some YouTube users will post a preview of their videos to Vine to entice new followers. Videos on Vine can be shared on Facebook and Twitter, once again making it easy to connect your networks. 24% of teens are on Vine.

7. Tumblr

Tumblr allows users to post multiple forms of content quickly and easily. You can connect other apps, such as Instagram, to your Tumblr account, so it posts automatically. 14% of teens use Tumblr.

These seven social media apps are the most popular among teens. Some apps are used by teens every day, several times throughout the day. Some are only used occasionally, and others only during certain circumstances. Try out a few to see which ones you like best.

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Not long ago we kept waiting on the friendly neighbourhood postman or the long distance call for that matter. More recently, it’s the ubiquitous email. Come the present and things have notched up. We experience tweets, Facebook posts and updates continually. Not to mention the instant aspect of it all. This evolution in getting engagement social will reach newer heights in the future. There will hardly be any differentials between the real and virtual world. With this, we will look at potential trends shaping the near future.

The Rise of Location-Based Functions

Location-dependent services like Gowalla, Foursquare will dominate the prospective future. Brand agencies will continue to shape the already expanding service across various demographics, topography as well as regions. The populace will fancy leveraging content which is locale related. In addition, they will share such content, turning it into a closer social connection while being relevant. Currently, location-dependent services via mobiles make up for more than 50 million users. This will further perk up to 500 million users by the end of this year. By 2014, the services will contribute about $12.7 billion.

Content Sharing

Currently, video content sharing is a crucial aspect of keeping engagement social. This trend will only move north owing to the technological growth in video streaming. Such technology fosters the sharing motive for marketers and prospects alike. In truth, video based sites are controlled by consumers, not brand agencies. The masses craft and view the content they wish to see. More than 35 hours of video is upped every minute on YouTube mobile access accounts for almost 10%.

Augmented Reality: The True Experience

This real-time mechanism of combining information or live action with the real world will play key role in future social interactions. Augmented Reality brings alive both events social as well as real. In addition, it will bring to life places like the museums and tourist hot spots while also getting engagement social. Tech mechanisms for instance, Layar are getting increasingly popular via the Android platform. It will continue to foster the growth exponentially. Brand agencies using augmented Reality will play key role in E-commerce where prospects can ‘Try On’ different outfits and accessories.

Gaming: The Social Way

Zynga is to gaming what Henry Ford is to cars. They both made their offering affordable to the common man. Zynga’s valuation at $15 billion is a testimonial to that fact. By now, gaming socially has changed the manner we carry out trade and commerce in distinct ways. Let’s face it almost all are guilty of protecting their virtual cattle and preserving their towns green. The direction for such apps is only going one way – the progressive way. As brand agencies will continue to alter our lives and craft more interactive experiences. To sum up, turning engagement social in the prospective future will get the people to choose their market and in turn the market will come to them.

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In the past, the fashion world has seemed like a place out of reach to the general public. A mysterious place; which only the rich and famous could be part of. These days, however, thanks to the revolution of social media, this world has opened up, and everyone can join in and share experiences. Social media has had a huge impact on fashions and trends.

One of the leading examples of social media which has affected fashion is blogging. The demand for blogging has increased immensely over the past few years, and more people are becoming involved in this way of connecting with each other. Fashion bloggers report on the latest fashions and trends via relevant websites, before they reach magazines, and interestingly, we now see bloggers sitting in the front row of catwalk shows. A place which was previously reserved for only celebrities and designers. The reason there is such a huge interest in this form of social media, is not only because we can usually relate to the writer, but also because they have the ability to report on the latest trends instantly after the shows have taken place. This diminishes the need to wait weeks or months on magazines being published, or websites updated. It also gives us a platform to interact and communicate with each other.

Popular websites such as Facebook, twitter and YouTube have also had a tremendous influence on ladies fashion and current trends. Top designers such as Burberry and Louis Vuitton have used these types of social media to stream live catwalk shows as they happen, which enables viewers to tell each other about the latest fashion before it reaches the shops. It is also a way to communicate directly with designers, which increases their awareness of what looks are popular and what fashion enthusiasts are interested in. It enables people to feel connected and express their opinions. It also allows people to have a direct influence on fashion trends, and know their views are valued. Designers are also developing ways for viewers to make instant clothing purchases, during these live performances.

Fashion dedicated sites such as Polyvore and Chitopia have in-built forums, where visitors can interact with each other, and share style tips and advice. There is also the option to upload photos, and show off your personal style. These types of fashions sites have a significant affect on current trends, as people love to talk to each other, and what better way to showcase your own unique style, and allow others to become inspired and even replicate ideas.

The increase in social media not only affects styles and trends, but it also allows designers to reach a higher amount of people, in a shorter time frame. It can greatly increase traffic to specific websites, and as a result, make a huge impact on online sales. The need and desire for social media is only set to continue and make way for an even more interesting and inspirational way to interact and enjoy the latest styles.

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Social media is a valuable tool brands can and should be using to enhance their presence and build a loyal following. The companies that have successful social media marketing campaigns have a dedicated staff that stays abreast of emerging trends. This alone can help your brand stay ahead of the curve and its competitors.

If your business doesn’t have an in-house social media team to keep an ear to the ground, you can always resort to social media marketing services. Even with these services, it wouldn’t hurt to be in-the-know about industry trends. The following are the ones we believe will take precedence in 2017.

Ads Using Live Video Features

Live video feeds are growing more and more popular among brands and consumers alike. You can find businesses live streaming behind-the-scenes access to events and consumers sharing their thoughts and activities. What we’re seeing is the growing acceptance of live streaming on both ends of the spectrum. Those with large followings are almost guaranteed to have thousands of people watching their live feeds (if scheduled at the right time of day).

While this trend is worth keeping an eye on, there’s another one that’s worthy of noting – live ads. Imagine a local baker streaming the preparation of their cakes and pies, then telling the viewers to come and get a slice while it’s still hot! Never before has this been done, simply because it wasn’t economical (or easily accessible). The internet has opened up new opportunities for both large and small businesses, so get prepared. This isn’t a trend you want to pass up on – choose and hire one of the reputable social media marketing companies.

Remarketing with Dynamic Product Ads

Again, online media makes it possible for advertisers to do things that were once impossible. In the past, we weren’t able to remarket the exact same product a customer was previously looking at. If anything, your generic ad would show up, but never an actual product the customer was interested in. With retargeting, you can display dynamic ads that showcase the various products the consumer was viewing, increasing the chances of them coming back to make the purchase.

The Chatbots

Today’s consumers are looking for immediate access to brands – this is why social media has really taken off for businesses of all types. Those with a social media presence are prevailing because this is where customers interact with them.

Improving how your customers engage with your business is key to maintaining a high satisfaction rate. With the new chatbot feature, brands can interact with customers on social media and via their websites. Chatbots can be used to answer customer questions and even upsell their other products and services. Surveys already show that customers willing to spend $56 per purchase were enthusiastic about using chatbots during the shopping process.

It’s hard to predict which trends will stick around for the long haul, but one thing’s for certain – this year will be a time for advertising creativity. Hopefully, you have a social media marketing company on hand that can help you and your brand pave the way to a newer and better way of advertising.

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Introduction

There was a time when television, newspapers and radio were the only forms of advertising products and services. But social media, which gave birth a decade ago have revolutionised the very game and concept of global marketing as well sharing information. There is a great deal of impressive data available on popular websites such as Facebook and other media platforms for influencing sales and other modes of communication. So, it is no wonder that many companies want to capitalize on this integral part of internet traffic.

Let us take a look at some of the social media trends that are huge this year. Here is a list of the game changes that may happen in 2017 –

1. Social Messaging

Private social messaging has become the norm of the day and the best examples can be seen in the tribute given to WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. In recent times, the trendy population have taken to more usage of messaging apps than using the social networks. In 2017, we can see more similar apps making a mark.

However, they will bear the brand name of large conglomerates or start-ups which will create groups of their own for popularizing their products.

2. Fake News

Nearly 20 billion people in the globe are tuned to the internet at some point in their daily lives. To garner more likes and shares, there are people/companies/channels who spread fake news and inaccurate information to enhance their popularity.

The incident which would not have been forgotten by readers will be the 2016 Presidential election in US where inaccurate information about candidates were widely circulated on all media platforms. Every platform will take some harsh steps to curb this negative activity.

3. Augmented Reality

It was Snapchat who brought the concept of breath taking augmented reality to the social media thro’ its selfie lenses. The app of Pokémon Go became very popular in 2016. Similarly, other platforms will also make headway to the same sphere in 2017.

4. Chatbots

Agreed, chatbots are still in their early stages but this artificial intelligence tool can respond quickly to questions and comments of customers. Social media websites are going all out to include this tool in their platforms to prevent the customers going to another website.

Conclusion

Only four trends are covered in this article, but experts estimate there will be the highest number of changes in the tools used in similar platforms. For more social media updates and current trends, do not forget to subscribe to our website.

Lyfeloop

Social media trends are constantly changing and consumers are always eager to be a part of the interactive campaigns with their fluid use of devices, channels, and screens, and they expect that their experiences should be seamless, engaging, and entertaining. As consumers adapt, digital marketers have to be flexible and savvy about how to break through into their ever-changing behaviors, to make an impact, resonate, and inspire, to get their attention.

The focus is on innovative execution, smart content and mobile awareness. These trends in today’s social media should likewise inspire digital marketers to take their cross-channel marketing to new levels.

Some brands are now using blog content to sell consumer products. Others are using mobile apps to engage their mobile audience. Smart digital marketers should be quick to embrace the ever-changing rules of search engine optimization, social media and online marketing with creative innovation as well with designs to engage consumers. Some notable trends in digital marketing seen to resonate and inspire consumers are in key areas that have to do with the following:

· Product context: because today’s consumers care more about how a product can have a positive impact on their daily lives-the benefits of a product is what digital marketing should be selling.

· Guided creativity: consumers like to explore and engage with content without the scrolling on mobile devices-it’s such great idea in terms of using smaller screen design elements, easy to draw the consumers’ attention.

· Idea-based ecosystems: social media have become giant selfies and a business can now showcase its identity, and it’s a win when a company can tie its brand to the identity of the consumer.

· Content curation and aggregation: the information overload in today’s online environment underscores the need for relevant information such that when a business becomes the go-to-source for relevant information on a specific need, consumers will seek out.

· 4-screen revolution: being able to interact with consumers on the multiple devices they use today-TV, mobile phone, laptop and tablet-a great way of coping with the ever shrinking attention spans of consumers.

· Video messaging campaigns: video campaigns are becoming relevant in digital marketing to promote a brand and they appeal to the interest of consumers.

· Decoding digital signals: the importance of using analytics is a great way to understand consumers and how best to reach them. Mobile usage has increased significantly in today’s social trends as such the smart digital marketer should ensure the company’s website is optimized for mobile phones to capture traffic that goes through mobile devices.

· Social ad targeting: messaging apps like SnapChat is great for social media ad targeting. Smart brands could stage fleeting sales via a SnapChat-when opened up, the target has few seconds of messaging and it’s a catcher.

Effective digital marketing is developing conversations with consumers that keep them engaged to ensure a brand is better than the alternative. Consumers keep raising the bar on what they expect from businesses and digital marketers have to work even harder to meet those expectations.

Lyfeloop

Social media has impacted our society in many good ways. Our lives have been made easier. Pretty much anything we want to know is quickly found at the end of a mouse click. We save time and effort by ordering products and planning travel online. We easily catch up with friends on numerous social media sites. But, there is also a down side..

Media and Relationships

Research has found that these sites can have a negative impact on relationships and may even contribute to divorce. A spouse may spend so much time that they neglect family time and hurt relationships. The temptation is there to look up former girlfriends or boyfriends and connecting could trigger past feelings and/or start an affair. One recent study from the journal, Computers in Human Behavior, used information gathered from U.S. Facebook accounts and found a link between social media use and decreased marriage quality. The study showed:

Using social media is negatively correlated with marriage quality and happiness, and positively correlated with experiencing a troubled relationship and thinking about divorce.

A twenty percent annual increase in Facebook enrollment was associated with a 2.18% to 4.32 % increase in divorce rates.

Reasons cited for these effects refer to “virtual adultery” and “internet infidelity” as being one of the culprits. Electronic communication may make users feel more open and free in their communication with others. It can be done anonymously and is easy to use to conduct an affair.

Social Media Used as Evidence in Divorce and Custody Proceedings

What you say on may be used against you. A recent survey conducted by the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers, showed that almost 99% of its member attorneys have seen an increase in evidence taken from smartphones (including text messages) and other wireless devices during the past three years. All were used for proving infidelity and other types of misconduct in family-law cases.

What Not to Post

While you’re married, even if divorce seems likely, avoid disparaging your partner on social media or using your Facebook page to vent about your relationship. If you need to vent, confide in a trusted personal friend in private or talk to a counselor or therapist. Airing marital laundry, even to your “friends list,” can make matters worse and might be used against you if you do file for divorce. Bottom line: If you’re considering divorce – even if you plan to file for divorce online and expect it to go amicably – take some precautions on social media.

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