Experts predict $ocial-media marketing trends for 2015

by Joe Koenig
December 11, 2014

An increasing number of purchases will be made in 2015 directly through social media such as Facebook, Tumblr, and Pinterest, predicted a panel of experts at a recent Blue Sky Innovation event at 1871 Chicago.

“I think we’re going to see a lot of purchasing within social media in 2015,” said Katy Lynch, founder of SocialKaty, which recently merged with Manifest Digital. “There is a shift gradually from people going from individual websites to buy goods to buying in the social-media platforms they use every day.”

Mana Ionescu, president of Lightspan Digital, agreed. “It’s really the people-to-people economy now,” she said. “People are buying because their [ibimage==42961==Large==none==self==ibimage_align-right]friends are buying.”

The panel discussion, hosted at 1871, Chicago’s entrepreneurial hub for digital startups, was moderated by Blue Sky reporter Amina Elahi. Lynch, Ionescu and Paul Rand, president and CEO of Zocalo Group, discussed trends, metrics and tools, and looked into the social-media marketing crystal ball for 2015.

The panelists agreed that having a strong social-media presence is important both personally and professionally. “When you think a lot about your personal brand and your business, they both go hand in hand,” Lynch said.

For businesses or non-for-profits, Ionescu said not thinking you have the time to do social media is not an excuse. “If you want it, you’ll figure out a way to do it.” She added: “Social media will get you the best bang for the money if you do it smartly and measure.”

When measuring the success of your campaigns, Lynch said do not focus on “vanity metrics.” It is not about how many likes you get on Facebook. Metrics that matter include impressions, reach, click-through rate, and conversations.

Rand said the majority of CEOs today say the most important person in the C-suite is the chief marketing officer. “Somebody has to tie together the customer experience.”

For example, Rand said that instead of having your call center handle customers, “you can save a lot of money handling customer issues through social media. People will then talk about how you’ve successfully handled it.”

When asked about Facebook’s recent changes involving promotional posts, Ionescu said not to worry about how it will impact your marketing efforts. “The thing you want to outsmart is your competition, not Facebook.”

Ionescu also predicted that in 2015 "bigger, better images and videos" will be used on social media to grab attention, and storytelling will continue to be extremely important.

With videos you hope will go viral, Ionescu said: “First, tell a story.” As with all good storytelling, she said, have a peak and a resolution. “Good producers can do that in 10 seconds.”

To learn more, visit #BSIlive on Twitter to see live tweets from the event.

By Joe Koenig

Koenig is president of Make Ideas Reality, a public relations firm based in Oak Park, Illinois. Web: www.makeideasreality.com. Follow on Twitter: @TheJoeKoenig

 

Chicago startup guides

LOCAL GUIDE
Best Companies to Work for in Chicago
LOCAL GUIDE
Coolest Offices in Chicago Tech
LOCAL GUIDE
Best Perks at Chicago Tech Companies
LOCAL GUIDE
Women in Chicago Tech