360-Degree Videos Will Propel Traffic and Chatbots Will Drive Conversations on Social Media in 2017

Social media is fast evolving, breaking down the barriers and is growing into a marketing juggernaut. It has been predicted that number of social media users will grow at 8% in 2017, which will be close to approximately 2.39 billion people. Recently, it has been seen that video has been solely responsible for the consistent growth of users on the social media platforms. As the social networks strive to keep people online, the push to videos makes sense. Highlighting the predictions for the marketing technology space in 2017, Penny Wilson, the Chief Marketing Officer at Hootsuite said, "In 2016, we saw companies harness social media communications as a primary marketing function, with social spend overtaking broadcast advertising spend for the first time. In 2017, companies will tap into social channels like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to deliver a'human touch' to the customer experience, at scale. Many customers are always online, in many locations and across numerous devices. The widespread availability and increase in touchpoints allows brands to create personalized and meaningful connections with customers, at every stage in their respective journeys. In 2017, I expect this wave of social adoption to expand immensely, with more companies tapping into live video capabilities, like Facebook Live, to create meaningful customer moments. Tapping into the powerful, real-time tool of live video will fuel deeper and more personal engagement, turning customers into advocates."