Social Media is Even More Important in our Modern Marketing Future

For many marketers social media has become something that they don't talk about anymore, but they know they have to use it for their success. We are way beyond the point of vanity metrics, and social media goals and metrics need to align with those of the business. This is not news. But when we look into the future of modern marketing, as seen by global experts, social media actually grows in importance.

Whether you are looking at more eyeballs, organic engagement, paid advertising or its influence on sales, social media is here today, and here tomorrow.

Engagement

Andrew Pearson, Vice President of Marketing at Windsor Circle, found that according to a recent survey of online retailers, organic social media is the second most common marketing channel, with 87% of respondents utilizing these platforms. As overall social media usage is now reaching all-time highs, more retailers will likely take advantage of this opportunity to engage with customers through social networks in 2016.

Time and Traffic

Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram already account for one out of every five minutes Americans spend on smartphones, and Facebook drives nearly a quarter of all web traffic. Scott Stratten, Chief Agitator at UnMarketing, sees this and the shift in video from YouTube to Facebook as having great impact on brands and video monetization in the coming year.  

Budget Allocation

Heidi Cohen, Chief Content Officer at Actionable Marketing Guide, says that because social media tends not to be either the first or last platform touched during the purchase funnel will have the biggest impact in 2016. As a result, it’s extremely difficult to measure the marketing impact of social media to achieve business goals. As social media continues to mature as a marketing tool to increase branding, expand audience, generate leads and drive sales, it requires additional budget. This in turn requires measurable proof. The ability to measure social media marketing will continue to be an issue in 2016, although using calls-to-action will help support results.

Changing Demographics

Brian Honigman, CEO and Content Marketing Consultant at Honigman Media, shares that 55% of Americans 45-54 years old have a profile on a social networking site. This marks the entry of the late majority into social networking and the maturation of social as a marketing platform. Not only is this important because the baby boomers are a key demographic and because social media is now a reliable way to reach a sizable percentage of the population; this is so important because it shows just how fast communication/marketing technologies are being adopted. In just about a decade, social media has completed the rounds from early adopters to late majority and even into the laggards – this acceleration is a sign of things to come.         

Sales Impact

Gabriel Dabi-Schwebel, CEO at 1min30, says that it is key to involve the sales team into the inbound marketing and social marketing effort because 72.6% of salespeople who incorporated social media into their process outperformed their colleagues. It could be done by training, coaching and gamification.

To learn what other global experts have to say about the future of modern marketing, download the ebook today and make sure your own plans are aligned with their predictions.

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