Since the dawn of social media over a decade ago, platforms have been evolving and adapting to changes in technology and human behavior. By some estimates, a quarter of the world’s population actively consumes social media, which provides plenty of user data to better predict who will be doing what, and where, in 2015.
Here are a few trends that I believe the most successful social brands will adopt in 2015:
Buy, buy, buy: Scommerce
The brands that have seized the opportunity to utilize the “buy” button on social platforms like Facebook will certainly profit the most from social commerce, or Scommerce in 2015. As people use social media to inform their purchase decisions, why not remove the extra step?
Responsive, agile marketing prevails
Brands that have invested in social media listening have been showing off their social agility by capitalizing on pop culture trends in 2014. When videos of the bending iPhone 6 Plus were trending on Twitter, Kit Kat responded with a witty line about how their candy bars are supposed to break when they bend, and the brand’s stock price increased the next day. Anticipate the opportunities!
Niche – but not too niche
Platforms that are conducive to sharing about lots of different hobbies and habits satisfy a wider demographic. Platforms like Pinterest and Twitter allow the user to express and share whatever they like. However, when a platform lends itself particularly well to a niche group, like professionals on LinkedIn, the platform will likely succeed. Check out Fitocracy for another example of a niche platform that is doing it right.
While some of these trends may not be applicable to your brand, anticipate the opportunities that 2015 will bring! Here’s to a very social new year!
–Caity Strong is senior social media strategist at sosh.
