The advent of social media changed the parameters and expectations of what people could do online. Many aspects of online activity significantly and enduringly. Nor did the changing end there. Ten years out, the face of social media is continuing to change. While many different things play a part in the ongoing flux of the social media world, things such as world events and cultural trends, there is another important aspect to consider. Marketing has also played a highly significant role in the changes that have evolved in social media since its inception. Every time that social media evolved to add a new platform to its already diverse landscape, every time new features became the norm, or the look and feel of social media sites changed in response to various algorithms or trends, marketing has had also perforce to adapt and change with it. Marketing teams have had to advance new technologies and change their strategies. From National brands all the way down to Mom-and-Pop companies, online businesses have learned to leverage the power of social media, harnessing it to their in-house marketing strategy by posting on a wide array of sites and using a wide array of posts. These posts invariably showcase a wide diversity of content, ranging from videos to pics and comments. In doing so, marketing has transformed social media. While people still head over to their favorite site to visit old friends and far-flung family, as well as get the latest news, they also get personalized ads that target their specific preferences and needs. This works, because brands have become uber-focused on getting and then staying in tune with their core demographic, specifically the peeps that dig their stuff the most. These are the peeps they want and need to influence the most. This makes these specific people the ones they need to reach with their content. Therefore, they are super aware of what plays best to their specific core demographic, and which sites that core demographic visits regularly. For example, a video that would get lots of shares and good reviews on Tik-Tok, might not generate a ripple on a site like LinkedIn. New onsite tools that emphasize speedy, visually appealing content also affect how marketing deals with and affects social media sites.
Key Takeaways:
- Compared to ten years ago, social media has changed significantly, especially in marketing and branding roles.
- Brands will need to make changes to their internal structures before making any major adjustments to their social media strategy.
- The tools and technology utilized by social media marketers will be different from what is currently used.
“You probably still checked Facebook on your desktop computer, Instagram stories did not exist, and brands had not yet figured out how to harness its power to support their marketing efforts.”
