5 Hottest Social Media Trends for New Year 2017

Social Media is where people are free to chat, share and make their plans for living a full, active life on Planet Earth. Marketing professionals understand that there are not thousands or millions, but billions of members on the top websites - Facebook and YouTube. So how can your business increase its revenue, by tapping into the 5 hottest Social Media trends for the New Year 2017?

Outstanding Social Media Value

The World Wide Web is a great marketplace for the exchange of ideas, products and services. You can find things online that are not available in your local geographical area. With Social Media, Web surfers have a comfortable meeting place where they can relax and learn.

If you hear about "Breaking News" and wonder "what others think," go online. You can usually find the full spectrum of viewpoints - for, neutral and against. Social Media allows you to confirm, strengthen, solidify or change your views and beliefs, based on newly gained knowledge.

Go where your customers are.

Social Media Examiner CEO Michael Stelzner has interviewed more than 5,000 top marketing professionals for his "Top 15 Latest Social Media Marketing Trends for 2017." Of those interviewed, more than 90% viewed Social Media as an important contributor to business success. Naturally, companies benefit from being "where their customers are."

When you are one of the faceless billions on Social Media, it can take some time to carve out your own special niche. "Putting a face on your franchise" can be achieved in three steps.

The first step is to devote more than 6 hours per week to the genre - this can improve leads generation. 

The second step is to develop your own group of loyal fans. This might take 1+ years of Social Media Marketing (SMM). Most marketers found that their search rankings were higher after this amount of time investment.

And if you want to see higher sales figures and stronger business partnerships, then you should continue with SMM for 2+ years. The third step is where you start to see your investments "bear fruit." This time period allows you to become established as a trusted subject matter expert (SME).

Every year, Social Media advances. To get noticed, you need to stay current. Here are the 5 hottest Social Media trends for 2017:

1. Real-Time Messaging

Smart phones allow you to share the most important developments in your life, immediately with those whom you love. Employees can also share information at the speed of light. "Real-time messaging" features may gain more prominence on Social Media during 2017.

Nearly 56% of Information Technology (IT) professionals, interviewed by Better Cloud, believed that "real-time messaging" would replace e-mail as their organization's primary means of communication. Interestingly enough, 57% of organizations use two or more real-time messaging applications and 20% use more than five. Many end users are "freelancing" for their messaging features.

The top messaging apps are Hangouts, Skype, Slack, Snapchat and WhatsApp. These allow individuals to respond faster and converse on several websites, at the same time.

2. Live Streaming Video

Being the first to hear "Breaking News," play a new game or watch a much-anticipated video is nice. Along those very same lines, the "Live Streaming Video" offers its viewers the ability to be "first" in the neighborhood to hear and see their favorite celebrity's 360-degree video, streaming on Facebook Live.

Nowadays, you can get up to four hours of live streaming video. Visitors will love this cutting-edge entertainment, excitedly telling their friends all about it, while promoting your brand via "word-of-mouth."

3. Virtual Reality

One of the hottest gaming releases for 2016 was "Pokemon Go." This gave people a "hands-on" experience with the top gaming "virtual reality" (VR) systems. People mixed fantasy with reality.

Many people use Social Media to escape reality and the addition of the VR technology, is a natural step. Playing games, sharing experiences and having fun is the forte' of VR Social Media. Now, you can help people become fully immersed in an alternative reality.

Expand your Horizons

Facebook has acquired Oculus, GoPro offers VR clips on YouTube and vTime provides its "VR Sociable Network." These VR technologies are symbiotic with corporate videos. Over 76% of B2Bs use video content for brand promotion.

4. Chatbots

Of course, there are many lonely people on Social Media who want to share their lives with someone. Nowadays, since more functions are becoming automated, "Chatbots" may become more popular in 2017. There are already integrated bots for bookings and customer service, so why not for friendship?

Siri is the most popular "Chatbot." Ask her any question and laugh at her response. Every day, Siri's answers becomes more advanced. Finding a "Chatbot" on Social Media is better than having a "pet rock."

5. BitCoin

When you run an eCommerce website, you will need to determine which monetary payment methods should be made available. Dropshipping software can help you integrate these payment systems, flawlessly. More businesses are adding the BitCoin cryptocurrency as a payment method.

History of BitCoin

As might be expected, the World Wide Web has encouraged the development of electronic currencies. Since 2009, BitCoin digital money has been used for buying and selling. BitCoin's value is based on a secret computer source code with all financial transactions recorded in its block chain.

Does a stork bring BitCoins?

Just like gold, BitCoins are mined - an estimated 12.5 BitCoins are added to the system every 10 minutes. This creates an organized, finite increase in the money supply.

The high for BitCoin value was $1,163 in November 2013, according to the Bitstamp exchange. This correlated to a BitCoin market capitalization of more than $16 billion. In January 2, 2017, the BitCoin price level was at $1,021, for a market capitalization of $14 billion, according to CoinDesk. Is it time for your startup to take BitCoins?

BitCoin Accepted Here

Technologically savvy, independent-minded, do-it-yourself patrons are more likely to use BitCoin. It is a creative way for them to control their money and not be dependent upon government-issued currency. If you accept BitCoin, you can attract a new type of consumer, which should increase sales.

The drawback to accepting BitCoin is figuring out "how to spend the money." As more entities use BitCoin, this becomes less and less of an issue. You might be able to pay an IT contractor or supplier with BitCoin - have some fun with it.

Mirror Social Media Technology

Social Media has become a staple for the most successful businesses. When you provide the hottest features on your website, you are more likely to attract the most traffic. Consumers are fickle and want excitement. Improve your brand reputation on Social Media with the latest cutting-edge features for 2017.

Have some fun. Your website visitors want to have fun on Social Media and will be attracted to the most pleasant, inviting, exciting spaces. By providing entertaining video, informative blogs and the latest payment systems, you can become the "talk of the town."