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Round-up of the Top 10 Social Marketing Predictions for 2016

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It has been a memorable year in social media, with many new platform functions and trends, but the best may be yet to come. We can’t help but be excited for all of the 2016 marketing predictions we’ve seen floating around and what’s in store for social media in the coming year.

Not enough time to read the heavy influx of marketing predictions for 2016? No problem! The Motherhood has skimmed the most newsworthy pieces and summarized the top trends.

Marketing Predictions for 2016

Here are the social media trends you need to know for the upcoming year:

1. Ad Blocking shifts eyes to organic and social

2. Shift from automated to authentic

  • Because online consumers have developed the keen skills to identify and ignore ads and automated sponsored content, authentic, personal content will rise as marketers realize its value in connecting with online audiences.
  • Simply searching for influencers in your space and asking them to push out stale messages will become less effective; greater strategy will be needed to engage key influencers.
  • Marketing that is less disruptive and more focused on fostering relationships will be conductive to building a loyal customer base.

3. Creativity will thrive

4. Experience = shared value 

  • Content will continue to fuel the customer experience.
  • More and more consumers turn to third parties, such as online influencers, as trusted sources of information on brands/products.
  • Brands will recognize more that linking an experience or story with a brand/product better resonates with consumers than facts and figures.
  • Humanizing your brand helps to create shared trust through personal experience.

5. Engagement > Reach 

  • Marketers will place a greater focus on identifying meaningful measurement metrics of engagement with sponsored content.
  • By evaluating engagement of online campaigns, marketers can gain better insights from, and connection with, targeted audiences.
  • We’ve already seen many of our clients begin to look at engagement metrics rather than impressions in our programs, as they recognize the value in targeted engagement.

6. Data and insights

  • Analytics and social insights will become more readily available, leading to a jump in automated data analysis and implementation of big data insights to create better social messaging.
  • Rather than trying to do it all, marketers will focus on key performance indicators and creating more valuable insights aligned with those indicators.
  • Using data to develop more personalized experiences for consumers will create more value for both businesses and customers.

7. Instant Gratification AND Snapchat

  • In-the-moment posts will dominate with the rise in popularity of Periscope and the addition of Facebook Live Streaming.
  • While reaching consumers organically via SnapChat is not a cost-effective option, SnapChat will become the “New TV.”
  • As this Ad Age article perfectly states, “Think appointment-watching, awareness and buying eyeballs.”

8. Video, video, video

  • 70 percent of companies now say video is the most effective tool in their online marketing belts, and two out of three businesses expect it to dominate their strategy going forward.
  • Google now includes video content in search results, and Facebook and Bing have started offering video options for advertisers.
  • Using video to tell stories can be used as an advantage by marketers to effectively convey a brand message.
  • Social video is rapidly rising, and videos need to be tailored for each platform and target audience.

9. Social messaging and messaging apps

  • Messaging apps have seen explosive growth and have already evolved as a customer service feature.
  • While messaging apps are still a mystery, big brands are testing them out as marketing channels.
  • Messaging apps are the most-used of all category apps, meaning there is a largely untapped potential for advertising in this space.

10. Social isn’t free

  • The exponential growth of brands on social has led to less organic reach, so increases in social marketing spending will continue to increase.
  • Simply promoting posts or getting your message incorporated in authentic content from key influencers will increase in order to maintain a share of voice.
  • Online influencers know their value and demand for them as key content creators continues to increase, so navigating these relationships will become trickier.

 

The recurring theme we found throughout the plethora of predictions is that the customer will be heard in 2016, and as a result, marketers will be using more data and insight in their campaigns, and will need to implement authentic, personalized content programs.

Which predictions do you think are most accurate?

How To Build Online Consumer Trust [Infographic]

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Trust is the foundation on which brand perception is built. In fact, 76 percent of consumers develop opinions about a brand long before they reach the point of purchase, and those opinions can affect your bottom line.

Information about brands is more readily available than ever before, with the advent of online reviews and social media word-of-mouth platforms, all accessible in minutes with a few clicks of the mouse. Consumers turn to friends, family and online reviews for advice prior to purchase, and specifically, more than 63 percent of moms ask other moms for advice and consider them the most credible experts when they have questions.

Consumer trust, or confidence in a product or brand, is a huge factor in sparking conversations, influencing consumer purchasing decisions and building advocacy. To help build online consumer trust and generate positive conversations around your brand online, you need an online presence and a share of voice. The most successful online marketing strategies develop that presence to build awareness and trust with key target demographics.

Read on for The Motherhood’s ideas and suggestions on successful tactics for building trust among consumers online:

  1. Have a Plan

Develop a strategic plan that identifies who you want to reach and why, along with the specific messages you want to communicate. To get started, try “dipping a toe in,” testing small programs on a variety of platforms to identify where and how certain approaches, messaging and outreach resonate with your audience.

Your brand voice should be consistent over time across social platforms, but content on each social platform should be unique. All efforts should support your overarching communications messages and goals, too, as this content will live on the digital bookshelf for years to come.

  1. Add Value

People pay attention to content that matters to them and makes a difference in their lives. Foster a deep connection with your audience by sharing thoughtful, helpful and entertaining content that resonates with your key demographics.

It’s also critical to engage consumers in a two-way dialogue rather than dominating the conversation with promotions and advertising. Consumers trust each other’s opinions more than twice as much as online ads, so your most powerful social “advertising” will be interacting with your influential advocates and sharing the good things others are saying about you.

  1. Engage Target-Right Consumers as Advocates

Brands and influencers each have a story to tell and insights to contribute to the conversation. There’s great potential for good when brands and influencers share interests and goals.

Consumers are more likely to seek information from and trust influencers who share their core values. Identify and engage with people online who influence and inform your target audiences, who share their love for your brand and who encourage word of mouth. Engage with these individuals to create authentic content and effectively leverage this content.

  1. Be Responsive

Effective, authentic interaction begins with listening to what consumers have to say. Connect customer service to the company social platforms, and determine how to handle questions and complaints quickly and transparently online. Be quick to reply and personable with consumers, so they feel you are right there with them.

Even if you do not know the answer, show consumers you care about their problem by responding in a positive manner. This will help build trust and increase the likelihood that they become a return customer.

  1. Stay Focused

Select a few top-performing social platforms where your consumers are most active and engaging, based on the strategic testing you did while developing your social media plan. Be active and attentive there, rather than spreading your resources too thin and trying to be everywhere.

As you create an editorial calendar and share content, remember that what works well on Twitter doesn’t necessarily translate on Instagram. Differentiate content between platforms and focus on approaches you’ve found work well based on analysis of past programs.

Building consumer trust through social media takes time but can have a huge impact on brand perception and your bottom line. Sharing compelling content gives you an opportunity to educate your most important target audiences, organically sparking conversation and action.

 

How To Build Trust Online Infographic

The Motherhood helps moms connect with brands on a deeply personal level to drive engagement, increase sales, build reputations, provide insights, generate rich, searchable online content and spark deep loyalty among your most important constituency: moms. Visit www.themotherhood.com or contact us at [email protected] to learn more.

Are you building trust authentically with key demographics online?

Digital Reputation and Leadership with Erik Qualman

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Yesterday morning, The Motherhood attended an event on Digital Reputation, held by the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence, featuring Erik Qualman, who is often called the “Digital Dale Carnegie,” and is the author of Socialnomics, Digital Leader, and the recent Pulitzer Prize nominated What Happens in Vegas Stays on YouTube. The event was well attended by a variety of Pittsburgh business leaders and professionals eager to absorb new social media knowledge to help grow and maintain their company’s digital footprint! 

Erik Qualman Speaking at digital reputation event

Qualman stressed how social media can positively transform the way you do business – its not just a fad. If someone Googled your name, product or business what would you want to come up? Whether you do social or not, people will post about your company and industry, and you should be listening and interacting.

Here are a few of our key takeaways from the event:

  • Over invest in trends, people and relationships – not tools.
  • Word of mouth is extremely scalable thanks to social media, but be patient.
  • Fail fast, fail forward, fail better. Be FLAWsome – show you make mistakes but care enough to fix them.We all will make digital mistakes but it is how we handle them that defines us.
  • Always ask: What and why are customers buying from you? A trend will appear which can be capitalized on and can take your business to the next level.

Tips for better digital leadership:

  1. Keep it simple. Stop multitasking and hyper focus. Life in the digital age is complex, but those who can simplify it come out ahead.
  2. Stay true to what you stand for, what differentiates you, and why it would be a loss if you disappeared from society. Its important to have one digital identity.
  3. Focus on output not throughput. You can spend hours in the back and forth of emails, texts, etc. and accomplish nothing.
  4. Write a digital compass. Be flexible in your path, but firm in your destination.
  5. Surround yourself with the right people both online and off.

Are you creating a digital footprint to be proud of?

This post first appeared on the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence blog.

The Motherhood Blogger Network: Why Work with Us

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Ten years ago, public relations veterans Cooper Munroe and Emily McKhann recognized the power and marketing potential of the communities growing online, particularly around parenting and families. At a time when the term “blog” was just beginning to enter the national conversation, Facebook was in its infancy and most social platforms didn’t yet exist, they founded The Motherhood and began building a dynamic network of PR-friendly mom blogs to apply that marketing potential.

A decade later, their vision is flourishing as brands, agencies and nonprofit organizations search for ways to join and contribute to the conversation online – and for good reason.

According to Nielsen (as reported in She-conomy), by May 2012, about one in three U.S. moms were bloggers. Research compiled by The Next Web outlines a number of compelling reasons to put your product, service or cause in front of moms online:

  • Women drive 70-80 percent of all consumer purchasing through their buying power and influence.
  • More than three-quarters of women in the U.S. use the Internet for product information before making a purchase.
  • Nearly two-thirds of moms ask other mothers for advice before they purchase a new product.
  • 90 percent of moms are online, and nearly 20 million Internet users who are moms read blogs at least once a month.

Many companies use blogger networks like The Motherhood to help them connect these dots: With the right blogger influencers sharing information, stories, reviews and positive word of mouth, they can build awareness and drive purchases.

As a parent blogger network and social media marketing agency, The Motherhood functions as an experienced partner in helping companies identify and approach highly targeted bloggers for both small and large-scale coordinated online marketing campaigns.

Here are a few of the benefits of working with blogger networks in general and The Motherhood in particular:

  • We can pinpoint your most influential consumers. The Motherhood’s proprietary database includes thousands of bloggers we’ve personally worked with over the years. We make it our business to know what’s important to the influencers in our network, and we can quickly identify and mobilize a team according to the specific criteria most important to you. Our approach to blogger engagement is personal, resulting in a team of influencers who are advocates of your brand and deeply invested in the program’s success.
  • We work with influencers to create rich, dynamic content. Working closely with you, and always with your overarching brand objectives in mind, we create opportunities for trusted blogger ambassadors to develop compelling, shareable content online. That content lives indefinitely and contributes to great SEO and search results for your company or client.
  • We know social. We partner with bloggers on a daily basis and live on social media, and we’ve done it for years. We can help you find exactly the people you want to engage in short-term blog campaigns, long-term ambassador programs, Twitter parties, virtual focus groups and more to spread the word about your product, service or cause. 
  • We’re experienced in PR. The Motherhood team comes from the world’s top PR agencies. We provide you with powerful ideas based on insight and years of experience in the industry, and we can move at your pace – fast.
  • We guarantee coverage. We identify influencers who fit your objectives and target audience and love your brand, so it’s a win for everyone – and we guarantee coverage and engagement. Every step of the way, we provide detailed results reporting, insights and analysis.

Brands, PR/ad agencies, nonprofit organizations and other companies: To learn more about our online campaign options to reach influencers or inquire about partnering with The Motherhood to supplement your integrated marketing efforts, email [email protected].