What Marketers Need To Know About Social Media This Year

Social media marketing sure does love to evolve and 2015 is bound to be an exciting year in this sphere. What else is up Snapchat’s sleeves Will other social platforms monetize a la Facebook Only time will tell. For now, we can just make the most educated conjectures we possibly can. The best indiction of the future, however, is the present.

Ayzenberg‘s associate director of social strategy, Ian Tornay, is in the trenches of it all. We spoke with him to gain some perspective on the platforms that marketers should consider critical, the trends he is seeing, the brands that most inspired him this past year, and, of course, those beginning-of-the-year predictions. Take heed.

How are you predicting social media marketing will evolve this year?

First, mobile will reach its zenith. Mobile is already an essential part of plans for those who are serious about marketing online. But mobile optimization will become essential in 2015. If you’re not thinking about how your customers and consumers are looking at your content using their mobile devices, you will begin to see precipitous declines in engagement and conversion.

Second, a maturation of the perspective that brands have on social. Since the beginning, experts and pioneers in the social space have been telling brands that social isn’t about refashioning existing marketing messages and media to fit platform standards, but we’re just now seeing brands take this to heart. Don’t think about how your brand will be adapted to social  – think about the conversation that your brand wants to own, and adapt that message to your brand.

Last, and maybe most importantly, brands will need to come to terms with “secret” or 1-to-1 marketing platforms. Emerging social networks focus less on a broadcast of information in a feed and more on selected and personal communications directly between users. Brands will need to adapt and those that do will be handsomely rewarded.

What’s looking trendy right now? How are these trends working out for brands?

Brands are getting even better at playing into short-term memes and Internet trends. The most agile brands are quickly conjugating what they’re seeing trend on Reddit, Imgur, and 9GAG into part of their brand message. It can be a risky game. In attempting to prove savvy and personality you may come across as aloof or cloying if your brand misses the meme mark. Fail to use a popular macro correctly and you may be facing ridicule and find your brand worse for your efforts.

Participating in popular internet culture isn’t a casual affair — it requires an immersion and appreciation of  jokes and memes that can go back as far as “Hampster Dance.” If going this deep doesn’t sound appealing or worth your time, you might be better off leaving it alone.

What platforms should marketers consider to be absolutely critical right now?

As for the obvious, Instagram has surfaced from the depths as a content behemoth. Many brands are reaching more of their audience and driving more conversation through the platform than Facebook and Twitter combined. It’s also a great place to ply your brand and broaden your visual identity. While it sounds like advice from 2013, if you’re not on Instagram, you’re doing it wrong.

More brands are also finding a voice on Reddit. Brands like Pornhub that were formerly relegated to taboo are spreading their wings and message through AMAs. Be warned, though: Reddit is fickle and slow to forget (sorry, Woody) and will drag every skeleton out of your closet for clarification. It can be a crucible for a communications team, but it can also be a great way to assert your brand identity, clear the air around controversy and learn a heap about your audience.

What brands were most inspiring to you in 2014 in their approach to social?

Pornhub. Right ! While the Internet is no stranger to pornography, it’s still not an accepted topic of conversation in all but the most intimate social circles. So, Pornhub changed the conversation. When you think of the people who probably work for Internet pornography sites, you probably don’t conjure intellectual or excited conversationists. Pornhub has shared the statistics, reality, and humanizing stories that people do feel safe sharing and talking about. The adjectives more commonly associated with Pornhub are now positive; honest, passionate, altruistic and creative. It just goes to show that the narrative around your brand is never set in stone.

Speaking of Instagram, Nike is always an inspiration: beautiful photography, subtly topical content, and an obvious passion for the conversation around their brand.

And lastly, a little guy. You Are Not So Smart is a podcast about psychology and self-delusion. It’s heavy listening and even thicker reading. So how does its host, David McRaney, make a splash on Pinterest  With cookies. To break up each episode, McRaney samples a cookie recipe sent in by listeners. It’s a great way to drive fan engagement and bring attention to a brand that’s an otherwise bad fit for the platform. I won’t get tired of beating this drum in ’15, but again it just goes to show that if people aren’t interested in the conversation around your brand, own a different conversation.

What is on your wish list this year for tools you want social platforms to implement?

Different online tools work better for different scopes and different brands, but there’s one tool that will never go out of fashion: the scientific method. Brands that are excelling on social don’t rely on charm and creative alone. If you’re not tracking your brands stats and experimenting with variables in creative and platform strategy, you’re missing out. It’s challenging and can raise more questions than it directly answers, but what you can learn about your audience will be invaluable to your social marketing and beyond.