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7 Social Media Marketing Trends To Note: Periscope, Pinterest, and Instagram Scheduling

current social media marketing trends

In this latest article in our ongoing series about social media marketing, we note 7 social trends and news items that should be on the radar of any smart content marketer.

Periscope

Video continues to rule the social media world when it comes to getting the most bang for your social buck. In fact, one of the buzziest emerging social media platforms is Periscope, a mobile video-streaming app that’s available as a stand-alone or on Twitter.

Compared to traditional streaming video options, Periscope offers some interesting advantages, including the ability to automatically suggest Periscope follows to people who are already connected to your brand. Doritos recently experimented with a 12-hour Periscope to promote a new product launch – you can find out more about that here.

The takeaway: Consider Periscope’s potential use for live video chats, behind-the-scene tours, product demonstrations, and get-to-know-our-team spotlights.

Upgraded Facebook Notes

Remember Facebook Notes? They’re back, and this time they’re prettier, more robust and more blog-like, with some intriguing possibilities for brands who want to do interesting things in the content marketing world. You can see what the new version looks like here, and learn more about Facebook Notes here.

The takeaway: Investigate Facebook Notes’ potential for product how-tos, contest guidelines, customer or donor testimonials, program spotlights, and double-publishing of blog and LinkedIn posts for extra exposure with Facebook-only audience members.

Looping videos for Facebook profile images

Facebook recently announced a host of planned upgrades for Facebook user profiles, including the option to pin featured photos to the top of your profile and the ability to use a 7-second looping video as your profile image, instead of a static pic.

The takeaway: Assuming these upgrades are extended to brands, you can use the enhanced visual appeal they offer to increase your chances of catching your Facebook followers’ attention in their overcrowded news feeds.

Facebook’s War on Organic Reach

Whether it’s amplified newsfeed options for users, or surveys asking your brand’s followers to rank the “sales-ishness” of your posts, Facebook continues to find ways to remind us they mean business when it comes to limiting servings of your content to your followers—unless it’s (a) highly engaging to your followers or (b) you put some money behind your content in the form of boosted posts.

The takeaway: Don’t stand on principle when it comes to your frustrations over Facebook’s algorithm (even though it’s seriously annoying). Instead, consider investing some cash into boosted posts or Facebook pay-per-click advertising. Both offer tons of great options for hyper-targeting and spend control, and the ROI that many brands get for even a small amount of money can be very attractive indeed.

Hootsuite Scheduling for Instagram

Instagram still doesn’t offer a native mechanism for scheduling posts like Facebook does, but Hootsuite’s recent roll out of their new Instagram scheduling feature suggests that the photo sharing giant is becoming friendlier with the notion of third-party scheduling.

The takeaway: Take advantage of the increased flexibility that Instagram scheduling offers, but mix in the pre-scheduled content with spontaneous posts for best results.

Pinterest Power

Once regarded exclusively as a social channel for homemakers and would-be crafters, Pinterest has proven itself a viable content marketing option for any business working in what we like to call aspirational consumer spaces, such as better parenting or healthy lifestyles.

The takeaway: If your product or service is a good fit for Pinterest, make sure you’re leveraging all of the platform’s nifty bells and whistles, both native and third party. Tools worth investigating include “if this, then that” trigger pins and Pinterest browser buttons, which you can learn more about here.

Social Media Listening

Social media works best when it’s a two-way conversation with your audience members, not a monologue you’re hoping they’ll pay attention to if you just yell loud enough. In addition to quick response to comments and questions your business’s followers post on your social media platforms, it’s also important to monitor social mentions of your brand and public discussions about topics of interest.

The takeaway: There are a number of free listening tools out there, such as Google Alerts, Hootsuite and Icerocket. For really sophisticated listening, however, it’s best to hire a social media marketing agency.

Related Articles:
“13 Content Marketing Tactics That Help You Win Facebook”
“5 Tips for Mobile-Friendly Social Media”

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