Opinion

Social media: who’s gonna make it and who’s gonna break it in 2017?

Which social media sites are on the rise and which are on the decline? Katherine Chalhoub, head of social at digital marketing agency Web Profits, reveals her tips for most backable apps for 2017 in this guest post.

From the realisation that Snapchat was the new Instagram to the re-realisation that Instagram became the new Snapchat, there’s no denying 2016 offered a few curve balls in social media.

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With the average person spending 28% of their online time networking across social channels, and the average Australian allotting more than half-a-day-per week to Facebook alone, there are lots of opportunities for marketers to engage.

But with a new year fast approaching, what’s in store for the fast moving world of social in 2017?

instagram-white_background-jpeg-752x440Instagram will offer native content marketing

Parent company Facebook did it and as they say, the apple never falls far from the tree. Instant articles now ensure users never leave the platform and I expect Instagram to follow suit, offering both visual and content marketing appeal for brands to explore new ways of engaging audiences whilst generating remarketable website traffic.

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Twitter will die

Unless something big, bold and exciting happens (fast!), I expect Twitter will die in 2017. With recent stats suggesting approximately 20% of Australian users login monthly, 24% of which not actively Tweeting at all, it’s hard to see brands looking to invest any of their marketing budget into this overly-saturated platform.

Tourism Australia Pinterest

Pinterest will become the new Instagram

With 150 million users per month, Pinterest will bring game-changing capabilities, once advertising options are open to the masses.

From content marketing to eCommerce trading, as we’ve learned, a picture speaks a thousand words (thank you Instagram). Pending their advertising functionalities, it’ll be interesting to see how the platform performs against traditional top contenders Facebook and Instagram, with the latter being slow on the uptake in terms of direct purchasing roll out.

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Snapchat + Augmented Reality = millennial nirvana

Snapchat will pave the way as AR disruptors, serving up a new and exciting way for publishers and Influencers to keep a firm grasp on the ever-drifting attention of the coveted Millennial market. Get in fast before it becomes (completely) pay-to-play!

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Aussie brands will care about WeChat

Australian brands will look to amplify their social presence within Chinese markets through platforms such as Weibo and WeChat, with an estimated 1.5 million Aussies already active on the platform.

Loosely seen as an amalgamation of the best of the best, it won’t be long until brands direct the power of The Daigou for their WeChat marketing strategies.

Online + IRL worlds will collide

Social platforms overall will look to enhancing user experience via in-real-life (IRL) creative campaigns, as users become further fatigued by platform limitations and amalgamations.

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Facebook will become the only place for live, streaming news

News sources and publishers will rely solely on the platform to stream live news for users to experience, sharing their own opinions and commentary in real-time.

All in all, 2017 is set to be a promising year for social marketers, offering a smorgasbord of opportunities to be devoured and avenues to be pursued. The excitement relies on your ability to leverage these evolutions in new and thumb-stopping ways.

Katherine Chalhoub is head of social at digital marketing agency Web Profits.

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