If some time ago I was telling you about the trends in Online Marketing for the year that has just begun, now we turn our attention to the trends in Social Media, especially since social networks are widely used for promotional and commercial purposes, not just for networking.
The year 2016 promises to be very rich in new technologies, and these will be increasingly integrated into social networks which, in turn, will be more numerous and more niche-oriented.
Virtual reality in Social Media
In 2014, the Facebook group acquired Oculus, a company in the virtual reality field, which launched a revolutionary product on the market, Oculus Rift, the wonder glasses of 2015. This technology has already begun to be integrated into Facebook within the 360 Video application, which allowed users to watch video files in the News feed from various angles, offering a unique perspective, both from mobile devices and desktop. These new features will be expanded throughout 2016, so that videos can be created and viewed on most devices.
Read also: 5 trends to watch in online marketing for 2016
Shopping… social
Facebook has made several attempts to incorporate the financial and commercial part into users' News feed, but this has not yet had the expected success. Although social networks are used to promote products and make recommendations, when it came to actually buying a product, we were redirected to the main site where the transaction took place. In 2015, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest introduced and constantly modified the "Buy Now" button, allowing people to shop without actually leaving the page.
Nevertheless, this service is still quite little used and has many shortcomings, but we expect that in 2016 the Buy button will allow direct purchase and will no longer be just a traffic source for websites and online stores.
Live streaming
In 2015, live broadcasts on Facebook took shape, being used by various companies, but on a rather small scale. Twitter also used Periscope, which came to be used by 10 million people.
These live broadcasts have also been used here by various music bands, for example, who want to be directly connected with their audience and fans.
In 2016, a huge increase in this trend is expected, especially since Facebook announced it will optimize broadcasts for mobile devices as well.
Social media… at work
Recently, various social platforms have appeared intended for use by companies, for communication between employees, collaborators, suppliers, and clients. Facebook also announced the launch of such a module, Facebook at Work, which is already in preliminary testing at some large companies.
Although these applications, modules, or platforms are based on existing technology, it seems people still have problems using them. Although many use these social networks for business purposes or to promote the services and products offered by the company they work for, many do so incorrectly. This results in a lot of money being wasted, billions of dollars annually, without achieving the desired outcomes.
The year 2016 will probably mark the beginning of launching and designing special courses in this regard, aimed at improving how these social networks are used. Just as happened with email and other such tools, Social Media also needs specialized training and trained specialists.
Social Media is therefore marked, in 2016, by the emergence and development of technologies, especially those related to video and keeping online users engaged for as long as possible, either through running various applications or through online shopping.
