[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/guide-2016-social-marketing-landscape\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/guide-2016-social-marketing-landscape\/","headline":"Guide to the 2016 Social Marketing Landscape","name":"Guide to the 2016 Social Marketing Landscape","description":"2015 was an insane and brilliant year for social marketers. We saw lots of new technologies and trends, some of which stayed and a few sizzled out. This year is no different; there are a ton of new trends on the horizon. As social media marketers, we cannot afford to remain complacent. All potential and … Continue reading Guide to the 2016 Social Marketing Landscape<\/span><\/a>","datePublished":"2016-07-18","dateModified":"2025-07-11","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/author\/dave-burnett\/#Person","name":"Dave Burnett","url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/author\/dave-burnett\/","identifier":5,"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d9ce54bf7884db06c868d4c3d9f401d81cecc940d6403409642a6a34d06caa8?s=96&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/7d9ce54bf7884db06c868d4c3d9f401d81cecc940d6403409642a6a34d06caa8?s=96&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"AOK Marketing","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AOK-Marketing-Logo.png","url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/AOK-Marketing-Logo.png","width":126,"height":53}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Social-Media-Marketing.jpg","url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/Social-Media-Marketing.jpg","height":1055,"width":1308},"url":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/guide-2016-social-marketing-landscape\/","commentCount":"1","about":["Cheat Sheets","Facebook","Google Plus","Social Media","Social Media Marketing (SMM) and Content Marketing","Tips & Tricks"],"wordCount":2023,"keywords":["Social landscape","Social Media Marketing"],"articleBody":"2015 was an insane and brilliant year for social marketers. We saw lots of new technologies and trends, some of which stayed and a few sizzled out. This year is no different; there are a ton of new trends on the horizon. As social media marketers, we cannot afford to remain complacent. All potential and actual trends affect our marketing strategies and tactics. This requires a delicate balance of time and resources.So what trends do you need to keep track of? It\u2019s a good question; we attempt to answer it by:Looking at the major trends in social media marketingUnderstanding how social marketing affects all the stages of a buyer\u2019s journeyAnd finally the recommended tactics for each social media platformSocial Media Trends for 20161.\u00a0Live Streaming VideoLive streaming is the big thing in social marketing this year. Apps such as Periscope and Meerkat have taken the online world by storm. These apps let brands communicate with customers via a live unfiltered and unedited video feed. Neither of these apps has taken over the live broadcast space yet so try to keep both in mind when forming your social media strategy. Here are a few facts about these powerful apps:Periscope:Owned by TwitteriOS and Android versions are available2 million active users40 years\u2019 worth of live video is watched every dayAvailable in 25 languagesMeerkat:iOS and Android are available2 million usersMore than 100,000 videos streamedOnly English version is available2.Real Real-Time EngagementReal-time engagement is becoming the lifeblood of social media interactions. 70% of your Twitter users now expect a response to queries directly from the official brand handle. 53% of them are expecting a response within an hour or less. If the message content is a complaint, this number rises to 72%.Increasing response time should be one of the top priorities of your social marketing strategy in 2016. You can easily use various marketing automation and social listening tools to lower response times. Keeping up is easier once you have the strategy and automation functions in place.3.\u00a0SEOOptimizing organic content is necessary if you want higher online visibility. Last year, from our experience as the best SEO company Toronto has, we saw the focus move from text-based content to visual content. Social media doesn\u2019t directly influence your search engine rankings but social signals are a definite factor. If more people are sharing your content and people end up visiting your website, then your ranking will be affected.Increasing your search engine rankings will boost traffic significantly; according to statistics, about 33% of search engine traffic goes to the first result displayed on the page.4.\u00a0Mobile FirstAccording to Global Web Index, 87% of internet users own a smartphone. This signals a huge shift in the online marketing landscape. The mobile-first Internet has arrived. Smartphones will take over the Laptop\/PC numbers pretty soon if these trends continue.A mobile-first strategy has become a necessity instead of an option. Last year, mobile traffic overtook traffic from traditional PCs\/laptops. With the rise in the number of smartphones, tablets and wearable tech, companies can no longer afford to have a desktop-centric marketing strategy.Millennials are a generation which is highly mobile-focused, 87% of them admitted that they never leave their smartphone behind and 14% said they would not buy or use a brand which does not have a mobile app or at least a dedicated mobile site.5.\u00a0Data-Driven DecisionsData has taken out much of the guess work involved in social media marketing. Refine your strategy using social media analytic. Most platforms have built-in features which let you understand what your followers like and dislike. It makes it easy to measure and track social media success. Consumer preferences are clearly reflected in your social media data. These insights allow you to build more lasting relationships with your customers.Using Social Media at Every Step of the Buyer\u2019s JourneySocial media influences every stage of the buyer\u2019s journey. The only way to keep up is to link every stage to a social media target, activity and relevant social KPIs. This sounds daunting but things get clear once you think about them.Stage 1\u2014Create AwarenessFocus of Social Media Strategy: Exposing your target market segment to your brand\u2019s contentSocial KPI\u2019s to Measure: Reach and total impressionsMarketing Activity: Posts, promotions, boosts, paid social media adsStage 2\u2014Generate DemandFocus of Social Media Strategy: Get target audience to engage with your brand\u2019s contentSocial KPI\u2019s to Measure: Total number and type of engagementsMarketing Activity: Posts and responsesStage 3\u2014Drive ConversionFocus of Social Media Strategy: Drive your target audience to product\/service offersSocial KPI\u2019s to Measure: Number of clicksMarketing Activity: Posts and promotionsStage 4\u2014DelightFocus of Social Media Strategy: Drive up engagement with the product\/servicesSocial KPI\u2019s to Measure: Number of positive mentions, customer care metrics such as times, quantity, responsesMarketing Activity: Maximize social customer care metricsStage 5\u2014Inspire AdvocacyFocus of Social Media Strategy: Turn customers into influencersSocial KPI\u2019s to Measure: Earned reach, earned impressions, User-generated content on social mediaMarketing Activity: Posts, re-shares and outreach to major influencersPlatform-Specific Social Media Marketing Tactics1.\u00a0The Best SEO Tactics in 2016PeriscopeSocial media affects your Google rank because people use social media platforms as search engines. You can save Periscope broadcasts by enabling the Autosave function. Take you time to edit and polish up the videos and upload them on Youtube. Another trick is to write a blog post to accompany the video or write an accurate transcript.SnapchatHigh engagement on Snapchat will boost search engine rankings. Try to increase Snaps per view and use screenshots to measure user engagement levels.FacebookMajor search engines consider the Facebook presence as a ranking factor. Maximize your audience engagement on the Internet\u2019s largest social media network.TwitterKeep your Twitter account optimized because Google keeps track of Twitter presence when ranking websites and brands. 80% of consumers pay more attention to brands they follow online, so this will boost conversions as well.LinkedInLinkedIn has 433 million active users; a significant presence here can help improve your off-page SEO.YouTubeEvery month YouTube users make 3 billion search queries. Optimize video descriptions and maximize the \u201cRelative audience retention\u201d metric to boost SEO.Google+A higher number of +1s will boost SEO. Make posts public to ensure that they get indexed by Google web crawlers. Google pays attention to Google+ pages of businesses and extracts information about address, business hours, etc.PinterestActivity on your brand\u2019s Pinterest page is among the top 10 search engine ranking factors.InstagramInstagram does not feature into SEO strategies because it\u2019s an exclusively mobile platform. This might change in the future so try not to neglect it.2.Building Brand Awareness Via Social Media MarketingPeriscopePeriscope is powerful because of the real-time communication capability and the large number of users (over 10 million). You can hold live conferences, focus group discussions, Q&A sessions, and more. The instant feedback can be insightful and enlightening.SnapchatFocus on creating entertaining and original stories. Announcements made in advance will boost user engagements. Try to feature special promotions and giveaways.FacebookBrands spend 75% of their online time on Facebook marketing activities. Post links, images, take advantage of the newly launched customizations features. Link your Instagram accounts to boost cross-platform engagement levels.TwitterMore than half (67%) of the consumers following a brand use Twitter for customer service. Respond immediately and encourage followers to use the right hashtags when talking about your brand.LinkedInPost useful industry-specific content because this is essentially a network for professionals. You can also provide an inside look at the way your company functions.YouTubeA typical corporate channel will get 2 million views on average. Try to host content which maximizes conversions and promotes your brand. Videos get more attention and a creative video can attract a lot of positive attention for your brand.Google+A branded webpage on Google+ ranks higher and helps boost the authors\u2019 exposure as well.PinterestThis highly visual platform can help you connect with customers. Try investing in influencers to improve awareness about your products. Influencers have access to a highly engaged audience and can help promote your brand.Instagram32% of US companies use Instagram to tell compelling stories and spread awareness about their brands.3.Amp Up Your Customer Connection StrategyPeriscopeLive broadcasts help you connect with users instantly. The app is available in 25 languages, it makes your brand reach a global audience. During broadcasts viewers can interact with you using comments and live sketching.SnapchatSnapchat users view up to 8 billion videos every day. The majority of the user base is aged 18-24 years, which makes Snapchat the most popular Gen Y platform.FacebookReach out to customers using posts, messages and comments. Keep in mind customers are expecting a fast response to messages. About 25% of users use Facebook to complain about their experience with a brand.TwitterTwitter can serve as a powerful customer service portal. Since 25% of service requests originate on social media, try to make Twitter a major part of your social customer care plan. Speed up response times because brands report a 15% increase in customer churn rate if they make Twitter followers wait too long.LinkedInAlmost 91% of B2B companies use LinkedIn and 62% consider it a powerful marketing platform. Stay in touch with industry professionals and customers. Keep in touch using private messages and update company profiles\/page regularly.YouTubeVideos have one of the highest engagement rates of any content. The YouTube user base watches over 3 billion hours of video content. Videos get shared more and help spread your message.Google+Almost 500 million people use Google products, high engagement via Google+ gives you access to multiple Google channels.PinterestA popular platform among the female demographic, Pinterest can help you connect to your female audience. Communication is purely visual so try to create interesting content. Try to link to your other social media accounts if you want to convey texts or details.InstagramBrands can communicate by sharing videos, images, and messages.4.\u00a0Maximizing Social Media TrafficPeriscopeGenerate traffic by sharing links to planned broadcasts. Attract viewers by creating engaging and exciting content. Track engagement levels by using live graphs and other metrics.SnapchatProvide links to your products and ask followers to screenshot all important snaps. Take all your interesting Snapchat content and post it on other social media platforms.FacebookOne of the largest traffic generation sources, Facebook can help you divert traffic to your main website. It is trying to stay ahead of the game by introducing advanced video features.TwitterUse proper hashtags and visual content to maximize traffic on Twitter. Visual content increases click-through rate, is favorited 89% more and generates 150% more re-Tweets. Use Twitter ads to boost traffic.LinkedInLinkedIn is more effective at driving traffic than Twitter and Facebook. 64% of social referrals end up getting redirected to the brand\u2019s main website.YouTubeVideo traffic from YouTube has the highest engagement rates. The visit time on average is around 4 minutes and a typical visitor views 3 pages before leaving the site. View counts and likes help you decide which kind of videos work best for your audience.Google+Referral is not the strong suit for this platform. However, regular updating can boost the referrals to a degree. Try smarter and targeted sharing by taking advantage of the circles feature.PinterestAbout 5% of total visits are generated by Pinterest. This means a proper strategy can boost traffic and brand awareness.InstagramThere are no links which the user can click so CTR is low. You can add links to the bio and description but it doesn\u2019t help provide much traffic. Communication can be enhanced by using infographics and screenshots.Trends in online marketing, especially social marketing, tend to shift quickly. If you continue to operate according to outdated strategies your brand will suffer as well as your ROI. Try to remain aware of major industry trends by keeping up with authoritative blogs and reputable news sources."},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Guide to the 2016 Social Marketing Landscape","item":"https:\/\/aokmarketing.com\/guide-2016-social-marketing-landscape\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]