5 Social Media Changes that will Affect SMEs in 2016

The realm of social media can be said to spin faster than any other area of marketing, where a strategy one day sees resounding success and where the next it may be rendered null and void. So here we take a look at what 2016 will mean for the SME who is trying to stay one step ahead of social media marketing trends.

  1. The Content Marketing industry is about to become a whole lot bigger

The old adage of Content being King has never fallen out of fashion, even from the earliest days of Google’s unrelenting algorithm updates. And 2016 is going to see Content-marketing become even more important as businesses continue to get to grips with what it can do in a world that is more connected than ever.

In particular it seems that the medium of video may make for an essential tool, as businesses seek to capitalise upon a tool that sees up to 75% of business execs engaging week on week (Hub Sport 2015) and that can boost sales by as much as 144% (Simply Business 2014). And with Facebook now providing the ultimate video advert platform through sponsored posts that Autopay what can be super clickable videos, it seems that the ground is lay for those who really know what they’re doing with their video based content strategy.

  1. Mobile is going to be a deal breaker

The importance of considering mobile social media users has long since been essential, with mobile browsing surpassing desktop browsing as far back as 2014 (Search Engine Watch 2014). And whilst businesses that have been savvy have capitalised upon this through great looking and interactive mobile content and websites, 2016 really will be the year where mobile is now an essential, rather than an edge.

  1. Advertising will become far more harnessable across a wider range of platforms

Facebook was really the first to perfect its advertising offering to businesses seeking powerful, paid social media strategies. And it seems to have taken a while for other platforms to catch up. However 2016 is really shaping up to promise much for the business looking for a multi-channel paid advertising strategy, with particular promise being shown by Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.

  1. Retargeting is only going to become ever more effective

Only a pretty depressing 2% of website traffic is converted the very first time consumers visits a website (Social Media Today 2015), which means that re-targeting is ever more important. Thankfully 2016 will make this easier with advertising that can show the right sponsored content in front of those who have already, in some way, engaged with your brand.

Couple this with a killer sales funnel strategy that has a well thought out and researched consumer journey, and you have all you need for streamlined and optimised sales targets.

  1. Social media marketing training courses will become hot property

According to MarketMotive social media marketing training courses will become a whole lot more in demand in 2016, as Social Media Experts continue to recognise the value of providing customised courses to savvy business owners and entrepreneurs who are keen to gain in-house social media knowledge.

What’s more as Social media marketing training courses will work hand in hand with online course websites and their ever evolving features the experience for the trainee will continue to become more engaging and interactive.

Source: smallbusinesscan.com