Which social marketing trends took off in 2016?

With the social media landscape constantly in flux, it can be hard figuring out which trends are worth devoting time to

Which social marketing trends took off in 2016?

Is your social media marketing keeping up with the times? With the social media landscape in constant flux, it can be hard to figure out which trends are worth keeping pace with and which are just a waste of energy. To help separate the wheat from the chaff, Forbes recently compiled a list of the top five social media trends that actually stuck around to influence the landscape.

•    Live video. Live video first became popular with the development of Periscope back in 2015, according to Forbes. However, it really took off last year. “Live video is an easy and effective way to interact with people, especially if you use a question and answer style format or another medium that encourages participation,” Jayson DeMyers wrote for Forbes. “Since it’s still relatively new, you can expect it to continue growing into 2017 and beyond.”

•    Mobile optimization. Social media apps have long been at the forefront of optimizing their mobile experience, according to Forbes. Some apps, like Snapchat and Instagram, only exist as mobile apps. And with Google pushing for further mobile optimization of web pages, it’s important to make sure your customers’ mobile experience is as good as their desktop one.

•    Stories. Snapchat has always had a “stories” feature, but Instagram’s launch of an equivalent feature last year brought it into the limelight, Forbes reported. The “story” feature allows users to post multiple photos and videos arranged as a slideshow, complete with added graphics and captions. “Stories is another leap forward for storytelling in social media marketing, and brands that leverage it have been seeing killer results,” DeMyers wrote.


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