“In this article, Laura Balkovich, Google’s head of social for Asia Pacific, discusses the key trends marketers must respond to, from the rise of internet users connecting in more human ways to the increasing importance of mobile internet usage. She argues that brands must now include social media in all their marketing, connect with communities based around shared interests and seek to engage super fans.” – Balkovich, WARC
Three Social Media Trends:
1. Rise of people making human connections: internet has become a place to connect with people, Balkovich added that “25% of search results for the top 20 brands are actually links to user-generated content”, this is consistent with what we learned in class regarding the authenticity of UGC. Watch this case study of Bringing photography walks to everyone.
2. Rise of people connecting around interests: reaching out to customers based on interest, not demographics. By identifying the psychographics and social technographics of our customers, companies need to generate relevant forums and initiate discussions regarding what their customers’ want.
3. Rise of deeper online conversations: according to Balkovich “Our Social Planet showed that 78% of consumers are just as likely to communicate with friends and family through the web as they are face-to-face”. The rise of digital marketing creates a platform for more intimate relationships with brands and customer, as illustrated in the video below:
cheers
Crystal Liang 🙂