Photo credit: Jeff Sheldon via Unsplash
Every end of year, the social media experts are summoned. They must share what they think will happen for the next 12 months.
“This year will be visual.” “You can expect mobile to take over.” “Marketers and brands will shift focus towards a more human approach.” “It’s the era of brands as publishers.” “Providing value will allow you to stand out.” “Visual storytelling will rock the online realm.”
I have nothing against predictions. They matter to many of us. However, in over six years as a professional in this industry, I have seen too many repetitions.
So, as I said during the last #BizHeroes chat of the year:
A1: My best prediction though is that we will eventually stop trying predicting anything. lol #BizHeroes
— Cendrine Marrouat (@cendrinemedia) December 23, 2014
Why? Here are several reasons:
- Visual content has always mattered. So, stop telling us it’s a new trend.
- Social media audiences are everything but uniform.
- Many people and businesses alike are still leery about social media in some parts of the world.
- Finally, a majority of predictions come from U.S.-centric sources.
“So, what should I do,” you ask. My advice:
- Continue educating yourself
- Take predictions with a grain of salt
- Stop trying to gain new followers, when you don’t understand your current audience
- Pay attention to what your followers and advocates are saying online
- Curate / create quality content, and interact
- Treat others the way you would like to be treated
Does it really matter if Facebook, Twitter, or SEO die in 2015? Yes, if you have put all your eggs in one basket or write for search engines. If you have a diversified strategy, it will only be a minor inconvenience. Look at what Copyblogger did with its Facebook page this year!
“You don’t need to follow trends to be stylish.” – Naomie Harris
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