One of the best parts of social media is its ever-changing nature. But as the pace picks up and new technologies are being launched left, right and centre, it’s becoming harder to sift through the all the ‘next best things’ that will be forgotten about in a matter in months and find the real trends that will be here to stay. Below are my top five trends that will explode onto social media, or grow further, this year and the best way for you to utilise them within your business.

Live Updates 2015 saw a big shift in social media, with content focusing on live streams and instant updates. If you are having a selfie session with your friends, or filming the funniest thing you have seen all week, why would you want to wait until you got home to share the update with your followers. The launch of Twitter’s Periscope (and the seemingly less popular Meerkat) made live video sharing easier than ever. Big brands have already started to use these apps to give followers behind the scenes access and live Q&As, which can be instantly shared onto their Twitter feed, removing the need to move followers onto a different platform, which has always been the difficulty with Snapchat.
So what can you do? Consumers don’t just want to be able to share instantly; they also want to be able to receive live updates. So when you go to an exhibition/event take pictures and upload to Instagram instantly, or if you are taking someone on a showroom tour, live stream it. Always give followers a warning that this will be coming on all social platforms to maximise views and impact.

Mobile and Social E-Commerce Now this will only really affect retailers and B2C businesses, but it’s something everyone should keep an eye on. Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest have added ‘buy’ buttons directly onto the platform, so consumers can shop without having to leave their feed.
Social media often allows you to use more creative photos than standard website product shots, so be imaginative with your promotion of individual products through social media adverts. These kinds of ads are great for impulse purchases that can be made to look so appealing consumers can’t resist.
Virtual Reality Facebook owned company Oculus VR’s has launched Oculus Social Alpha , a new video watching app in which you can watch videos from Twitch or Vimeo in what looks like a cinema, as well as interacting with the other people there, all from the comfort of your own home. Currently this is only available for Samsumg Gear VR users, but it signifies a huge step forward in bringing Virtual Reality to a mainstream audience. Now, for SME’s this will have little impact at the moment, but Facebook have begun to prepare the social platform for a much more accessible form of VR – Facebook 360 Video. With many companies such as GoPro creating 360 cameras, it was only a matter of time before there was a way to share these on social media. Facebook have managed to tackle the problems of large file sizes and pixel distortion and are ready for the influx of VR on the platform.
I think it will be a little while before this becomes common practice, but if you want to be ahead of the game, the technologies are almost there to easily create a 360 tour of your shops/showroom/exhibition to share with you followers without going through the process of a Google Maps Virtual Tour.

Customer Service on Social Media This has always been important, but as many large companies have upped their games, everyone has to follow suit or risk losing followers and customers. I think 2016 will be the year that businesses will sink if they don’t step up their customer care game on social platforms. This may sound a little daunting, but social media shouldn’t be feared, as it is the best way to be a part of the conversation and have the ability to respond and build a relationship with consumers. Putting processes in place to clearly show who is responsible for answering queries and checking message can help to ensure no comment is missed. If queries and questions are filling up your feeds, it can be effective to create a separate account for customer service, for example @businessname_help. Just remember that your original accounts will still need to provide excellent service.
Emojis – Bigger, Better and Just More Emojis are not a new trend, but towards the end of 2015 the sheer volume and social presence has increased and it’s only going to get bigger in 2016. The iOS 9.1 update last October brought 150 new emojis with it, including crossed fingers, avocado and a partner for everyone’s favourite dancing lady. Kim Kardashian released a £1.49 app containing 250 emojis, seeming ridiculous to many, but it made it to the top 10 grossing apps in the US and UK. These may have all been humorous emojis aimed at the younger generation, but The Big Bang Fair have seen the potential for emoji influence and have released 23 STEMojis of famous faces and influencers in the STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) world, with the hope that, if they are added to the emoji keyboard, they will get people talking about science and where their studies could take them.

In 2016 they are only going to get more prominent in social media speak, and while businesses don’t need to purchase every celebrity emoji pack (I am sure 2016 will bring many more) using emjois in email subjects, or throughout social media posts, adds a level of informality and will catch attention more than plain text. The Oxford Dictionary named the ‘face with tears of joy’ word of the year 2015 as it is the most commonly used emoji, so if you are unsure, start with a funny tweet and ‘tears of joy’, or ‘heart-shaped eyes’ next to your favourite product. With more system upgrades will sure come more emojis, so keep an eye on them to stay updated.
This blog was written by Ellie McDaniel, Digital Marketing Coordinator.We hope these tips and trends will help with your social media throughout 2016. If you have any questions or need any support, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team on 01189 100 012.