Social Media Trends & Resolutions for 2015

As we embark into the new year there is a slew of new trends to explore, tactics to apply and resolutions to be made in the social media space. As social media mavens and a maverick in our bunch we put our heads together to dish out our top social media trends and resolutions for 2015 that we expect to see in the new year.
9 Social Media Trends Resolutions for 2015 - BeatCreative (1)

 

1) NO MORE CLUTTER! CLEAN & SIMPLE 

When most folks check their social media, the first thing they do is breeze  through their friends’ updates. This is typically done quickly, so as a business it’s  important to make your engagement as impactful as possible, clean, and very action-orientated. Keep your feed clean and fill it with photo orientated posts, with concise accompanying text that attracts those to click on your link. With all the linking going on out there your goal is drive users to your website. So make sure your house is clean too!  Revamping your website and marketing collateral to be clean in design, concise and easy to decipher is the way to go in 2015 and beyond. Simple is the new stunning!

2) VOICE YOURSELF VIA VIDEO 

Story telling was huge trend these past years and video may have been on your “to-do” list in 2014, but make sure you “get on it for real” in 2015. I recently read “if pictures are worth a thousand words – video must be worth double! ” There are so many more resources nowadays at your fingertips to make video happen and look professional. Your smartphone is your camera and pair it with awesome video editing apps – my favorite being Replay – and boom you can create awesome looking video content!

3) IMAGE-BASED POSTS WITH A PERSONAL TOUCH WORK! 

Posts that show a personal touch and company insight are getting greater response. People want to read about and see people, not product placement. Companies need to show more about who they are and less about what they sell.

Everyone is going crazy for Instagram–it’s fast, easy to use, spontaneous. Instagram also feels like it’s from a “real” person, since we (as a marketing agency) don’t have the ability to schedule the posts ahead of time. This also makes posting on Instagram more of a challenge, but a great value to our clients.

We are getting more requests for photo-heavy blogs. Viewers aren’t spending much time reading the information that is provided, so it is important to feature many high-quality photos that tell the story and minimal text.

As we close out 2014, the number of users being drawn to image-based social media outlets was tremendous! This changing trend is evidence that the public responds very, very well to images – consuming information through visuals rather than wordy text. The amount of users signing up for sites like Tumblr, Pinterest, and Instagram grew exponentially in 2014, so taking advantage of this wave is now crucial!

4) PROVIDE SUPPORT ON YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA

More and more, consumers are turning to social media to ask questions, make compliments, and have their issues addressed. Being attentive and responding quickly to any customer feedback via social media is a great way to strengthen brand image and credibility.

5) STOP ABUSING HASHTAGS 

Let’s join together in 2015 to end #hashtag abuse. Not every word in a Facebook status update, Instagram post, or tweet warrants one, so stop it, #please. Keep your hashtag usage to a minimum. According to Twitter – the founding social network that used hashtags, best practices is no more than two hashtags per tweet – read more best practices here.

6) MORE SELFIES, USIES & VARIETY PHOTO BOOTHS AT EVENTS 

I’ve witnessed a greater number of events (outside of the traditional wedding setting) incorporating the photo booth concept to various types of getherings, from networking events to corporate shindigs. Also the style of photo booths range from traditional to free-standing to prop orientated. With the continuous introduction of photo-enhancing apps and smartphone lenses, images are able to be more readily tailored to each social outlet’s audience and brand preferences.Furthermore, the selfie stick (also, useful when taking usies) and other more mobile devices such as the iLite are being efficiently utilized to reinvent the traditional and bulky photo booth structure.

7) LIFE, FAMILY AND VERY PERSONAL POSTS 
Even before the holiday season started, I noticed that a lot of my friends on Facebook were posting longer, more personal statuses about their families and life. It may be because I’m getting to the age where a lot of my friends are getting married and having kids, but it’s been a growing trend on my News Feed. So in 2015, I think more people will be opening up on social media, and sharing good news about their family and positive thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. And of course, each post will end with a few snappy hashtags like #familyfirst, #ilovemylife, and the always trending #blessed.

8) BE A HUMAN, NOT A COMPANY!
Consumers want to see the faces behind your company and discover that your company is made up of actual human beings with interests, passion, and personality! This is especially true on social media outlets, where it’s possible to really show off your personality! Post about  what makes your company’s individuals so special! As social media presence gets more and more important, consumers want to get to know the people behind the brands! Companies can’t just post generic messages, they need to start to really identify and communicate with their customers on a personal level.

9) CAUSE A COMMOTION
Engagement can be overwhelming for both the business and their potential customers. Companies and even users need to cause a commotion, generate attention fast and fiercely. Be creative, be eye catching with your content and posts so your followers, friends and connections will stop in their tracks and divert their attention to your stream and it can stand out as they scroll through large amounts of posts/tweets.

What are your trend predictions for 2015 in social media? What makes your mind buzz with excitement?

Tags: Categories: SOCIAL MEDIA