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The Future of Social Media: What Happens Next

As the world becomes more reliant on social media and as digital marketers concentrate most of their SEO efforts on social media marketing, one question remains unanswered. Where is social media heading, or better still what is the future of social media? Social media is not what it used to be – it has changed drastically in the last decade, and as the world continues to witness the rise and fall of advanced technologies, we can only expect the continuous evolution of social media.

In recent times, we have seen social media magnets like Facebook make strides to prepare their platform for imminent changes. As most of our lives are now intertwined with our social media accounts, we’ll have to do the same as well. Whether you are a digital marketer, an influencer, an app developer, or a business owner, knowing where social media is heading will help you stay ahead of the trends. But then again, you can’t possibly fathom the future unless you have figured out the past. So let’s see where we’ve been and where we are now to figure out what the future may hold for us.

Social Media’s Past

The main era of social media is only a few decades old. The first email was sent in 1971. By 1979, Usenet was created. Relay chat was introduced in 1988. In 1997, a social media site similar to the early Facebook, called Six Degrees, was launched. The golden era of social media occurred in 2000-2004 when MySpace was popular. By 2005, Facebook, Skype, and YouTube were at the top of their game. Twitter soon followed in 2006, with Pinterest and Instagram launched in 2010. The following year, Snapchat made its debut. Things have been evolving ever since across all social media platforms.

Social Media Today

As it appears, more than 88% of 18 to 29-year-olds across the globe have a presence on at least one social media platform. This number increases exponentially in the U.S., where most people rely on a social media platform for their day-to-day conversations with family and friends. Presently, over 78% of US citizens aged 30 to 49 have a presence on one social media platform or another.

All things considered, YouTube and Facebook seem to be the most visited social media platforms in the world, with millions of users across each continent. These social media platforms are used by people of all ages, and they visit the platform every day. Looking at today’s statistics of users’ interactions with social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube, it is clear that our need for social media communication is becoming insatiable.

So how are these people using social media?

These days, video content has become the front and center of most social media activities, especially since Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram rolled out their ephemeral video stories. Many digital marketers have come out to say that video content has greater returns on investment than any other social media content.

Users spend significant amounts of time glued to their phone screens watching video content like interviews, testimonials, behind-the-scenes content, and tutorials. And don’t forget cat videos! Entertainment video content has the highest viewership of all. This creates a window of opportunity for forward-thinking entrepreneurs who know how to optimize audiovisuals to generate traffic and make a sale. Besides the tremendous success rates that we are seeing in video content marketing, shows the future of social media is already be defined.

Social Media in the Future

All things considered, social media is heading towards a more user-focused platform with ephemeral storytelling content taking the front seat. Also, you should expect a stronger and more versatile influencer marketing on social media. Video content will continue to expand, and artificial intelligence (AI) and voice commands may also have some impact in the social media realm in years to come.

What Makes You a Social Media Wiz?

Social media is beyond chatting and connecting with people for fun. There is more you can get out of it if you are being strategic about its use. Social media can make a good source of income generation, but this can only happen if you are a social media wiz.

Just because you are active on social media doesn’t automatically make you a social media wiz, but you need to understand how to use social media presence in your favor. You need to keep up with the dynamics and trends of each platform. It doesn’t happen overnight; it takes determination.

The major strategy that a lot of companies use to leverage to rank is social media marketing. The sales conversion rates on social media have the potential to be huge – though most amount to less than 1 percent – that is, unless you’re a social media wiz! Becoming a social media wiz will help you gain a presence on social media and improve your potential of being a verified user and a brand ambassador or a brand influencer who gets paid for sharing or reposting specific types of content.

What Makes You a Social Media Wiz? These 5 Things!

Staying Updated on All Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram come with new updates now and then. Becoming a social media wiz requires you to follow all the updates on all the platforms. This way, you can be sure you are using social media correctly. To target a huge audience and gain a presence on social media, you need to keep up with a regular update of new features.

Originality

You don’t become a social media wiz by copying other people; you have to be original and authentic with your social media content. Do not duplicate content, but you are allowed to get inspiration from posts you see around. Let your social media platforms be about what you are passionate about – that way you can offer unique content to your followers. Avoid making your social media platforms about things that are common. Being unique can help you gain a great presence on social media.

Social Media Engagement

Get engaged on social media as much as possible. When you educate yourself and become a topic expert about something, people will come to you. Generate traffic on all your social media platforms. Be sure that your content is useful to your audience. When you use your platform to send strong and powerful messages, you will soon be recognized for your engaging and influencing content. So, before you post your content, you need to ask yourself if your content is engaging? Does your content teach your audience something?

Automated Social Media Engagement

One of the important tips a social media wiz can use is the art of automation. You need to automate every task on your social media platforms using common apps like Hootsuite or undercover apps to leverage your social media presence. You can set your social media for automatic retweeting (from another social site or blog), automatic mentioning, and automated responses to direct messages.

Linking All Your Social Media Platforms

Become prominent on all your social media platforms by linking them all together. Link your Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, LinkedIn, Pinterest accounts, and so forth. That way, all your posts can be on all the platforms you use at once.

These are the major steps to become a social media wiz. The key is for you to be actively involved. Be sure to keep ahead of trends by paying attention to the future of social media too. Now get out there and get posting!

How to Announce Pregnancy on Social Media

Pregnancy is the beginning of motherhood, and it comes with a lot of excitement. Expectant mothers are always eager to announce how happy they are to the world. They want to break the internet and tell the world that a little one is on the way. Sharing the big news to the family and friends on social media is an exciting part of the journey. You don’t have to be a social media wiz to do it. Anyone expectant mother can learn how!

Many new parents wonder about how to announce pregnancy on social media. It’s simple. When looking to announce your pregnancy on social media, you need to get creative. Let your personality shine! You need to have fun while letting the world know a little one is on the way. Good humor, love, and joy are the best emotions to express in such an important, life-changing announcement. Delivering the good news about your pregnancy gives family and friends the chance to share your joy.

We have put together a collection of ideas on how to announce pregnancy on social media in a fun and creative way. Every mom-to-be will certainly love these ideas! And if you want more ideas, stay up-to-date on the future of social media by seeing what your friends are doing on their sites too.

4 Ideas on How to Announce Pregnancy on Social Media

A Creative (or Funny) Pose with Your Partner

One of the most popular ways to orchestrate the big reveal is taking a photo with your partner with suggestive poses. The photo will include you, your partner, and the future baby. Your partner may get down on one knee to kiss your pregnant belly.  Your partner can also place his hands on your stomach with a joyful expression. If you’re making your announcement around the holidays, you can take a photo of your family’s Christmas stocking, and add an extra one that says “Plus One” on it. Or, you may feature balloons in your photo with “baby boy or girl” written on it.

Bonus: If you have a gender reveal party, hide the color representing your child’s gender (i.e., blue or pink) inside the layers of cake under the icing at the baby shower. Or, you can have guests pop a pinata or a balloon filled with blue or pink confetti inside. How fun!

Use Baby Clothes

Baby clothes are a clever way of telling your loved ones across social media that there is an addition to your family coming soon. Arrange baby clothes, such as onesies on a laundry line right beside your shirts. You could also place a pair of baby shoes next to your shoes. This is a perfect way to say “we are expecting a baby.” And if this baby already has a sibling, have them join in the announcement too!

Post an Ultrasound

Don’t only announce your pregnancy on social media, show them your baby by posting an ultrasound photograph between 18 and 22 weeks. The ultrasound will give a sneak peek of your baby in the womb, and everyone will be happily expecting the little one.

Take a Maternity Photo in a Nursery

Many couples do maternity photoshoots,  but you can make yours fun and creative by shooting photos in your baby’s future nursery. A maternity photo in a nursery passes two messages along. It tells your friends on social media that you are expecting a baby, and a blue room says you are expecting a baby boy while a pink room says you are expecting a baby girl. So, it’s an online announcement and gender reveal in one!

Other Things to Keep in Mind

While expecting, it’s easy to feel excited yet overwhelmed. During the pregnancy, be sure to keep your baby strong in the womb. Essential nutrients for healthy development of your fetus include folic acid, calcium, iron, and many more vitamins and minerals. There are prenatal vitamins developed for prenatal health that expectant mothers use to maintain their baby’s health. Some of the brands to get prenatal vitamins from are Natrol and Nordic Naturals. Also speak with your OB/GYN to format a diet and supplement pan that works best for you and your baby’s health.

Now you should feel like you’re ready to start your journey to motherhood. May you and your baby be happy and healthy!