The end of the year always brings the inevitable tide of logrolling, predictions and roundups of the year that has just gone. So we’ve done the hard work for you and trudged through all the thought pieces on the future trends of 2016. Here are the top five content marketing predictions we found.
1. Instagram will win
In the war of the social networks, Contently was firmly behind Instagram:
In the coming year, the percentage of companies on Instagram is expected to jump from 32 to 48 percent. By 2017, eMarketer predicts that Instagram will surpass Twitter.
Over on Econsultancy, Michelle Goodall, a social media consultant, admitted that this was the year of make or break for Twitter:
It’s tough to say this as a massive Twitter fan and early adopter, but 2016 will be the year that Twitter either remains in the hands of super-users or rises like a Phoenix on steroids.
Surely they’re going to have to do more than a heart:
You can say a lot with a heart. Introducing a new way to show how you feel on Twitter: https://t.co/WKBEmORXNW pic.twitter.com/G4ZGe0rDTP
— Twitter (@twitter) November 3, 2015
2. Video will be the new battleground
According to Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook now generates 8 billion video views per day. Hootsuite seemed to back the Book in the video stakes.
Contently chose to highlight live streaming:
In 2016, eMarketer believes live streaming is primed to take over the video space. This development will be especially important for brands that want to reach younger demographics.
Econsultancy highlighted the activity of brands such as Mountain Dew, AT&T, Nestle, Mondelez, Coca Cola and Samsung who have been given early access to the new virtual reality style ads on Facebook.
3. Buy buttons will hit social
Hootsuite saw it as an extension of activity which started in 2015:
In 2015, we saw the rise of social buying buttons on each of the major networks. Facebook announced a beta program for select retailers, allowing consumers to purchase a “product directly from a business, without leaving Facebook.” Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter, and Google also launched social shopping buttons.
Contently were less optimistic about the impact this will have:
According to an August 2015 survey by Campaigner, only 22 percent of retailers tried using a buy button on Facebook, while numbers on Pinterest, Twitter, and Instagram were even lower.
Read all of their predictions here.
4. Social customer service is vital
Econsultancy said it how it is:
Brands that are still refusing to use social for customer care will really start to look foolish in 2016.
We think the future of customer service is customers helping customers – more on that here.
5. Ad-blocking will carry on being obstructive
Percolate left marketers with a challenge:
Some marketers say they aren’t worried about them. It’s true that marketing metrics probably won’t take a nosedive too soon, but the growth of ad blocking use should prompt the question: how do you evolve advertising—whether that’s a mobile ad, a video, or something else—to not seem so much like an ad?
What’s clear is that your brand and marketing strategy are going to have to adapt to face these challenges. Bring it on!
