the future of social media: 12 provocations
DESCRIPTION
What will the future of social media look like? Our world is increasingly digital, and our lives become more connected each day. Advances in areas such as social media and mobile technology are changing the ways we interact with our friends and family, but also with brands and organisations. They’re changing the way we do business too, and that change is accelerating at an ever-increasing rate. As a consequence, riding the wave of change and trends is becoming a critical part of on-going business success. To that end, this document explores some of the key themes that we believe will shape the digital world over the course of the coming months.TRANSCRIPT
SIMON KEMP • we are social • 25 APRIL 2012 �
12 PROVOCATIONS�A DOZEN DIGITAL DEVELOPMENTS THAT WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE OF MARKETING �
we are social� 2 �
we are social� 3 �
1 IN 5 PEOPLE ON EARTH ALREADY USES SOCIAL MEDIA�
we are social�
SOCIAL MEDIA PENETRATION�
SOURCES: POPULATION AND URBANISATION DATA: UN (2010); INTERNET USER FIGURES: INTERNET WORLD STATS (LATEST AVAILABLE, JAN 2012);�SOCIAL NETWORKING FIGURES: SOCIALBAKERS (JAN 2012) AND LATEST SITE PRESS RELEASES; MOBILE FIGURES: EXTRAPOLATED FROM ITU DATA (2010) �
JAN�2012 �
4 �
50%�
25%�4%�
18%�
36%�
47%�
20%�
36%�
we are social� 5 �
HOWEVER, THE MOBILE INTERNET IS�HELPING TO DRIVE EVEN MORE GROWTH �
we are social�
MOBILE PENETRATION�
SOURCES: POPULATION AND URBANISATION DATA: UN (2010); INTERNET USER FIGURES: INTERNET WORLD STATS (LATEST AVAILABLE, JAN 2012);�SOCIAL NETWORKING FIGURES: SOCIALBAKERS (JAN 2012) AND LATEST SITE PRESS RELEASES; MOBILE FIGURES: EXTRAPOLATED FROM ITU DATA (2010) �
JAN�2012 �
6 �
100%�
100%�60%�
100%�
100%�
100%�
77% �
86%�
we are social� 7 �
BY THE END OF 2012, 1 IN EVERY 4 PEOPLE �AROUND THE WORLD WILL BE USING SOCIAL MEDIA�
we are social� 8 �
SOCIAL IS ALREADY �TOO BIG TO IGNORE �
we are social�
BUT WHAT DOES THE FUTURE �OF SOCIAL MEDIA LOOK LIKE?�
9 �
we are social�
12 PROVOCATIONS�
10 �
we are social�
01�MOBILE �SOCIAL �
11 �
we are social�
TREND �The next 100 million web users will be mobile first
12�
we are social�
PREDICTION�Mobile devices become the main
platform for internet use, especially for social media and brand searches
13�
we are social� 14�
However, the majority of these devices will still be simpler, ‘feature phone’ handsets
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Content and experiences must
be tailored for slower connection speeds and smaller device screens
15 �
we are social�
02�SO-LO-MO �TAKES OFF�
16 �
we are social�
TREND �More and more of our social networking activity originates in the physical world
17 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�‘Social, local, mobile’ (SoLoMo) services
move to the centre of social media experiences
18�
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Explore ways to socialise real-life brand experiences –
both in-store and at the point of consumption Use social listening tools to identify who shares
what, where, and when to identify top influencers
19 �
we are social�
03�SEARCH-�SOCIAL �CROSSOVER �
20 �
we are social�
TREND �We rely heavily on recommendations and suggestions
from friends and peers to help make decisions We increasingly turn to our social networks to
answer the questions search engines can’t solve
21�
?!
we are social�
PREDICTION�Search and social become more tightly interwoven
22 �
we are social� 23 �
( Is Google+ a social network, or is it a ‘social answers engine’? )
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Conversation is the new SEO – the brands that people talk about most will rise to the top of search engines
24�
we are social�
04�SOCIAL �'BAKED-IN’�
25 �
we are social�
TREND �Social functionality (e.g. the Like button) is
spreading from host platforms to the wider web Brands are concerned about over-committing
to individual social networking platforms
26 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�Social functionality will become a
natural part of all internet properties, not just social networking platforms
27�
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Brands will need to socialise all of their
web presences, rather than simply creating a presence in social media platforms
28 �
we are social�
05�SOCIAL �CRM �
29 �
we are social�
TREND �People use social media to interact with others, not just listen to them
30 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�Brands will increasingly use social
channels to deliver customer service- driven activities rather than advertising
31�
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Equip community management teams with the skills and tools necessary to respond to
customer enquiries, compliments, and complaints
32 �
we are social�
06�INCLUSIVE �CONTENT�
33 �
we are social�
TREND �People want to be part of
the action, not just watch it
34 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�The audience moves to the centre
of the marketing experience
35 �
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Make the audience the hero – create
content around them, not just for them
36 �
we are social�
07�INTERFACE �INNOVATION�
37�
we are social�
TREND �Advances in technology are changing
the way we interact with devices
38 �
we are social� 39 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�More and more of our social media
activity will take place on ‘non- traditional’ internet-powered devices
40 �
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Social experiences will need to evolve
beyond a ‘point-and-click’ approach to deliver engagement across all 5 senses
41 �
we are social�
08�CURATION & �FUNNELLING �
42 �
we are social�
TREND �People are struggling to read and
update all their various social profiles
43 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�People will consume content through socially
powered curators and aggregators, rather than through individual platform interfaces
44�
we are social� 45 �
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Brands need to explore ways to communicate with social media audiences without relying on native apps or social display advertising
46 �
we are social�
09�SOCIAL �NICHEWORKS�
47 �
we are social�
TREND �Listening to, and interacting with
audiences invariably delivers greater value than merely talking at them
48 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�Brands start to build their own smaller, more
focused social communities where they can learn more about people’s needs, wants, and desires
49 �
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Learn how to identify valuable
audience segments and engage them Trial social research methods and focused crowd- sourcing to harness your most engaged consumers
50 �
we are social�
10�CORPORATE �SOCIAL �PROACTIVITY �
51�
we are social�
TREND �People expect brands to play a bigger
part in making the world a better place
52 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�CSR moves out of the annual report
and into meaningful, real-world activities
53 �
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Find ways to add value to communities that also
build the brand and reinforce valuable relationships Use social media to share details of CSR activities, involve relevant communities, and build goodwill
54 �
we are social�
11�INFLUENCE �MEASUREMENT�
55 �
we are social�
TREND �Peer and influencer endorsement
are increasingly valuable to brands
56 �
+1 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�Influence measurement becomes more
sophisticated as marketers invest more in partnering with influencers
57�
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Understand the role influencers play
in the audience’s purchase cycle Identify the influence metrics that matter most to the brand
58 �
we are social�
12�END-TO-END �ACCOUNTABILITY �
59 �
$
we are social�
TREND �As social media evolve into ‘social business’,
marketers need to demonstrate social activities’ contributions to the brand’s bottom line
60 �
we are social�
PREDICTION�Social measurement will evolve to deliver full purchase-cycle tracking
61 �
we are social�
IMPLICATIONS �Brands need to ensure that all marketing activity –
both online and offline – can be tracked, and prepare for this from the outset of social media activities
62 �
we are social�we are social�
12 PROVOCATIONS �
01 MOBILE SOCIAL �
02 SO-LO-MO TAKES OFF�
03 SEARCH-SOCIAL CROSSOVER �
04 SOCIAL BAKED-IN�
05 SOCIAL CRM �
06 INCLUSIVE CONTENT�
07 INTERFACE INNOVATION�
08 CURATION & FUNNELLING �
09 SOCIAL NICHEWORKS�
10 CORPORATE SOCIAL PROACTIVITY �
11 INFLUENCER MEASUREMENT�
12 END-TO-END ACCOUNTABILITY �
63 �
WE ARE SOCIAL IS A GLOBAL CONVERSATION AGENCY.�
WE HELP BRANDS TO LISTEN TO, UNDERSTAND, �AND ENGAGE IN CONVERSATIONS IN SOCIAL MEDIA.�
WE’RE ALREADY HELPING MANY OF THE WORLD’S�TOP BRANDS, INCLUDING ADIDAS, UNILEVER, �
DIAGEO, NESTLÉ, HEINZ, AND LVMH. �
IF YOU’D LIKE TO CHAT ABOUT US HELPING YOU�TOO, CALL US ON +65 9146 5356, OR EMAIL �
US AT [email protected].�
FIND OUT MORE AT HTTP://WEARESOCIAL.SG/�
