Social Media Marketing Experts Predict What's Ahead in 2017

As the year winds down and the air is filled with pine scents and sugarplum fairies, brand marketers are busy chowing down on budgets, predictions, forecasts, trend spotting, and other resources for doing their best job ever in 2017. Here are a few resources we've spotted that may help with whatever's bubbling away beneath those thinking caps. While we're not (ahem) officially endorsing any, we hope readers will find something helpful below: Social Media Trends Marketers Should Know for 2017 From Search Engine Land, this article includes predictions, observations, and advice from 26 social media and marketing experts - too many to mention here, but a good roundup of thinking across the social media spectrum.

45 percent of marketers plan to increase their paid social budget in 2017 From Media Post. Laurie Sullivan reports on a study released this month. She begins thusly: "Can paid social campaigns generate more brand searches on Google, Bing and across retail web sites?

Some insiders who are managing paid social and search think so. It's driving higher budgets in social media, with 45% of marketers planning to increase spending on paid social next year. The remainder said they will keep budgets the same..."

2017 Marketing Predictions From Marketo. This 32-slide presentation begins with "2017: Year of the Customer." Predictions include: Many marketing organizations will finally find that perfect intersection between fulfilling customer needs, storytelling, and digital interactions.

Marketing will shift away from tried-and-true formulas for engagement and instead incorporate techniques to engage buyers at every stage of the lifecycle. A greater adoption of account-based marketing initiatives. A return to value over volume - in content assets and in content distribution channels.

Advertisers will benefit from more ways to track online conversions and non-immediate revenue. 7 Social Media Marketing Trends for 2017 From Forbes, by Jason DeMers. Snap's evolution will result in interesting new opportunities.

Twitter fatigue will worsen. Users will crave more vicarious experiences. New areas of communication will emerge.

An ad renaissance will occur. Inspiration and imagination will become fashionable. Brands will choose social platforms according to survival of the fittest.

10 Social Media Predictions for 2017 From Simply Measured, a social analytics company. Here are the first five: Disappearing content becomes mainstream (think Snapchat) Live and staged video will dominate (Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat, Youtube) Twitter will sell (finally) Businesses will adopt WhatsApp/Messenger Facebook will dominate more than ever The company also offers a free, downloadable 2017 Social Marketing Planning Guide, as well as 2017 Digital Marketing Predictions from the Experts.