33 Expert Tips on the Social Media Trends20172017You Should Watch Out for in

In the world of social media,trends come and go.

Busy small business owners and marketers wonder where

they should focus their attention.

To help you out, we contacted 33 marketing experts to find out:

“What is the one social media trend small businesses and

marketers should watch out for in 2017?”

You’ll see some trends have a lot of people talking.

We hope this advice helps you cut through the clutter!

Chris Del Grande@ValuedMerchants

Founder of Valued Merchants

“Live video: The most personal and human way to share your story and engage with your audience in real time.”

1

Natalie Gouche@nataliegouche

Founder of LA Social Media Trainer & Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert

“Take advantage of free livestreaming services. Don't be afraid to try this e�ective marketing tool that takes virtually no e�ort.”

2

Jeannine O'Neil@Jeannine_Oneil

Owner of JO Social Branding & Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert

“The 3 Vs - Visuals, (Live) Videos, and Vemes: Businesses and organizations will strive to stay top-of-mind in the social media news feeds in 2017. They’ll be posting more vibrant visuals, video or live video, or vemes (video memes) to connect with their audience.”

3

Michael Stelzner@Mike_Stelzner

Founder of Social Media Examiner & Social Media Marketing World

"A growing trend is the use of short form videos to convey stories. Now that Instagram and Snapchat record 10 to 15 second video clips and sew them into stories, it will be more important for marketers to understand how to create short and compelling videos.”

4

Azure Collier@azurecollier

“Content that's ‘in-the-moment.’ Facebook Live, livestreaming platforms, Snapchat, and Instagram Stories are popular because it's about spontaneous and not polished content. People are engaged because they want to see what happens next.”

Social Media Marketing & Community Manager at Constant Contact

5

Ann Handley@MarketingProfs

Head of Content at MarketingProfs

“Do less and do more. Do less of things that feel like you ‘should’ do them, but your heart (or your audience) isn't in it. And double-down on the things that connect to your strategy, tell your bigger story, and grow your audience.”

6

Anita Campbell@SmallBizTrends

Founder of Small Biz Trends

“Facebook Live events will rock! Find an app, such as the BlueJeans OnSocial app, that allows you to broadcast several participants at once, and upload slides. It can be the 2017 version of a webinar with this twist: you tap into the billion+ Facebook audience.”

7

Matt Montoya@MatthewMontoya_

National Product Trainer,Constant Contact

“Facebook Live video has exploded in popularity and 2017 will be the year it completely moves into the mainstream consciousness. It’s easy to adopt and can be a very impactful tool to promote, educate, and engage.”

8

Bryan Caplan@bjcbranding

CEO of BJC Branding &Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert

“We’re going to see a lot more video marketing in 2017. Third-party apps will help small business owners to create fun, engaging, and almost-professional video content through the use of augmented reality and special filters.”

9

Charlotte Walsh@charlesriverrun

Owner and Operator,Charles River Running

“Give more than you take. Push out content that benefits your audience at a higher volume than your asks. For every call to action send out 3 helpful blog posts, articles, or infographics.”

10

Jenn Herman@jenns_trends

“We'll see a lot more in-app integration for social media in 2017. We're already seeing Facebook and Instagram find ways to keep people more engaged within the social media app, rather than leaving to visit an external website.”

Founder of jennstrends.com, Social Media and Instagram Consultant and Trainer

11

Anna Bennett@ACadizBennett

Founder of White Glove Social Media, Pinterest Expert

“The trend for businesses on Pinterest in 2017 is to make sure they create content (including short step-by-step, to-the-point helpful videos) for their audience designed to help them improve some part of their lives. Strong visuals with helpful information is the key.”

12

Miranda Paquet@mirandapaquet

Content Manager,Constant Contact

“2017 will be about focus. It's time to give up the mindset that you have to be everywhere. Instead, focus on the one or two channels your audience is most active on.”

13

Joe Waters@joewaters

Founder of Selfish Giving & Co-Host of CauseTalk Radio

“In 2017, every company or nonprofit will need to be serious about paying for access to social media. That means restricting the reach of your posts, updates and tweets unless you pay for ads to reach your audience. For play, you must pay!”

14

Diana Adams@adamsconsulting

Tech Journalist,PostPlanner Brand Ambassador

“In 2017, virtual reality will be a powerful social media and content marketing trend. Virtual reality can be an e�ective and cutting-edge way to di�erentiate your business from your competitors. It brings people together unlike anything we’ve experienced before.”

15

Neal Scha�er@NealScha�er

Founder of Maximize Social Business

“It's 2017, so let's wake up to the fact that the days of organic social media success are long gone. However, with smart investment and proper optimization of social ads, smart small businesses will finally see the ROI that they have been seeking.”

16

Rustin Nethercott@rnetherc

“In 2017, there will be no more ‘shooting from the hip.’ If you aren‘t constantly measuring the real impact your social media channels are having on your business, you’ll be quickly left behind.”

Content Developerat Constant Contact

17

Kim Garst@KimGarst

CEO of Boom! Social

“Live video is going to skyrocket in 2017. Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram have all integrated live video functionality. I think the live video options will evolve and it will become easier for businesses to use the medium to tell better stories and build deeper connections with their communities.”

18

Alisa Meredith@alisammeredith

Content Marketing Strategist & Pinterest Expert

“Live video needs to have a place in your marketing plan for 2017. There is nothing like it for connecting with your audience, building trust, and giving you the edge you deserve because of who you are and what you have to o�er.”

19

Julia C. Campbell@JuliaCSocial

Founder of J Campbell Social Marketing & Constant Contact Authorized Local Expert

“Live video should be part of your marketing strategy in 2017. It grabs people's attention and gets up to 10 times the amount of views of regular video. Create a live video plan, experiment, don't be afraid to make mistakes, and think about what would be interesting and relevant to your audience.”

20

John Haydon@JohnHaydon

Nonprofit Marketing Expert,Founder of Inbound Zombie

“Live video! More and more businesses and nonprofits will continue to create more intimate customer experiences by broadcasting reveals, events, and product demos with Facebook Live and Periscope.” 

21

Dorien Morin-van Dam

@MoreInMediaFounder of More in Media

“Now that everyone can be a broadcaster using Facebook Live or other livestreaming apps, it is important for small businesses and marketers to use measurable strategic tactics when creating scripts and videos.”

22

Bria Sullivan@msbriasullivan

“Pay attention to the growing popularity of expiring content. It creates an urgency to see what's happening right away. It's not just for young Snapchat users anymore, as Instagram is the latest to embrace this growing trend.”

Content Developer at Constant Contact

23

Rebekah Radice@RebekahRadice

Chief Marketing O�cerof Post Planner

“I predict that 2017 will be a return to true community building. It's no longer enough to go wide in social media. Now is the time to go deep and invest in your online community.”

24

Rich Brooks@therichbrooks

President of Flyte New Media

“Small businesses and entrepreneurs will need to budget for social ads in 2017 just to be seen. That makes driving tra�c to an opt-in page on your website to build your email list even more important than ever before.”

25

Andrea Vahl@andreavahl

Marketing Consultant, Co-author of Facebook Marketing All-in-One for Dummies,

Co-Founder of Social Media Manager School

“Social media advertising is going to become more personalized as we are able to get more specific with retargeting, using customer lists, and very specific interests.”

26

Jonathan Medows@CPAFreelancers

CPA and Founder ofCPA for Freelancers

“Social media is evolving from just a place where companies post information to a place where they actually engage, educate, and serve their customers. The way that businesses approach their social media strategy needs to address this shift.”

27

Mike Gingerich @Mike_Gingerich

Co-Founder of Tabsite

“The further rise of Instagram as a social media force for SMBs is a trend to watch in 2017. With a huge list of new features rolled out in 2016, along with integration into Facebook’s ads network and Messenger, Instagram is poised toboth see increased user growth andtime spent on the service, as well asbusiness use.”

28

Donna Moritz@SociallySorted

“A trend that's growing yearly is a content ‘overload,’ resulting in more algorithms, and making it harder for businesses to get content seen. Rather than jumping in to create more content for the sake of it, instead create ‘core’ content on key platforms that helps your audience solve a problem.”

Founder of Socially Sorted

29

Robert Caruso@Fondalo

Founder of fondalo.com

“In order to break through the growing noise, a massive increase in both the quantity and quality of brand content is going to be required for the same results of the past.”

30

Kim Vij@educatorsspin

Co-Founder of The Educators' Spin on It, Pinterest Coach, Co-Host of #PinChat

“Pinterest is going to become more actively used as users engage with the new ‘Tried It’ feature and new inviting board layouts. Discover now how to make your pins stand out first in the search bar with focused pin descriptions, boards, and images for Pinterest's visual search engine.”

31

Peg Fitzpatrick @PegFitzpatrick

Founder of pegfitzpatrick.com,Author of The Art of Social Media

“Video looks to be the big trend going forward for 2017. Live video on Facebook Live, Instagram Live (coming soon to everyone), and Twitter’s Periscope are big. Disappearing, exclusive content like Instagram stories and Snapchat are proving to be engaging. Focus on ways that you can tell your story with video to grow your brand and connect with your audience.”

32

Dave Charest@davecharest

Senior Manager, Content andSocial Media Marketing, Constant Contact

“In 2017, small business marketers will get serious about going beyond vanity metrics and digging into the business impact of their actions. This will help them make smarter decisions about where to spend their time and money.”

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