Social networks of tomorrow: what challenges for brands?

The perception of these networks as a commercial and marketing tool is therefore constantly evolving, as is the use that consumers make of them.

“Social media is about psychology and sociology more than technology.”

Bryan Solis, digital analyst, speaker and author.

Traditionally, a social network has been considered as a platform allowing internet users to share and exchange with their communities. With the primary goal of bringing together and facilitating contacts between individuals, social networks have now made their way into business strategies, to the point that they have become essential for branding.

2017 the year of the evolution of RS

The time of discovery is resolved. The problems of a good strategy on networks today are no longer the same, the rules have changed. Currently 87% of French people believe that the content on social networks is not “useful”, the subject remains to be discussed depending on the sector of activity.

The trend in 2017 turns to “live” and ephemeral information, more attractive than editorial for the sake of ease and speed. It was Facebook which, after launching live video in 2016, recently announced the implementation of live audio. This official statement has already aroused great interest within the radio world, like BBC World which has clearly expressed its interest in the project.

This year will also mark a turning point in the use of connected objects. We risk seeing a massification of this relatively new technology which is in the process of becoming accessible to all. The same is true for virtual reality, which is constantly evolving and gradually democratizing.

We could even go so far as to make assumptions about the future of its use on social networks. For the moment, VR remains on the fringes of the general public, like a certain number of technological innovations, because of its high price or more simply of the adaptation time necessary for its use.

In 10 years, you will be able to visit your friends’ vacation spot simply by putting on your helmet and everyone will find it normal.

Today we already consider the smartphone as an extension of man, it will be necessary to add in addition artificial intelligence, the big trend of 2017. The latter comes to take an important place which could even become essential. Already present with software like Siri or Google Now, these platforms are already very advanced and easy to use insofar as they are intuitive.

The future in social networks remains difficult to define with certainty. About ten years ago, few of us would have imagined the place that these platforms take today in our daily lives. The difficulty lies in the key factor in the success of social networks: people and their use of technology.

How are these changes explained

The evolution of trends between different social networks could be explained by the speed with which generations evolve today. Indeed there are no longer 10 years, but 4 between two generations. The fluctuation of these technologies therefore goes far beyond the technology itself, a social network is now more focused on its relationship to humans and society.

Several studies have shown that millennials are less active in terms of publication than the previous generation, they see it as a primary interest to communicate in one-to-one, and no longer to share with their entire network. There is for example a real disenchantment of the youngest for Facebook, insofar as they were born in this society which tends to mass sharing. Today the trend is reversed and there is a desire to return to intimacy, which explains the success of snapshat among the youngest, a network with which the content is limited in time and shareable with a limited number of knowledge.

What use for the advertiser?

The advertiser to reach his audience must therefore take into account the importance of the consistency of his content. When a company acquires an influence it cannot abandon its public who will be awaiting advice, articles, projects … Today is the time for accuracy rather than glut. Qualitative content takes precedence over a multitude of hollow content. A good strategy on social networks tomorrow will no longer be counted in the number of likes on a post but in the number of followers to whom the company will bring new information, which will take its readers very seriously to give them a real social experience.

Behind this reflection hides the “social thinking” which designates the subtle apprehension of the community of a company to understand its behavior, its expectations, and provide it with relevant content solutions. The user should not undergo the brand’s content strategy, it is up to them to adapt to the trends and desires of their community by studying their reactions.