In May 2018, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation, initiated by the EU, will finally come into effect. The effects of this for companies are greatly underestimated. The use of, for example, custom audience targeting within channels such as Facebook is no longer as obvious as it used to be. In addition, brands and agencies will have to handle the data they work with much more carefully. Fines can be high, so you better start making preparations now.
10. Giants imitate each other
The social media landscape is centralizing. The networks are becoming less and less distinct and are growing towards each other in terms of positioning and functionalities. Last year we have already seen a lot of copycat behavior, which will increase further in 2018. The big boys are not giving each other an inch of space and will not hesitate to copy each other. New entrants to the market will have a hard time, because they too will be copied and swallowed up very quickly.
New entrants to the market will have a hard time, as they too will be copied and swallowed up very quickly.
I have already described it in this article: social media are shifting from interaction platforms to media platforms. For example, Facebook is mainly used for news and updates from our lives, while the real interaction takes place on WhatsApp. The social media networks are becoming production companies. It was already announced in 2017, with the switzerland whatsapp number launch of their own (unique) video formats by Twitter and Facebook. This trend will continue to develop. Channels such as Facebook and Twitter are actually becoming competitors for the large media production companies of this world.
12. Facebook as a formidable competitor
This article is about Facebook. Not surprising, given the great dominance of the platform and its daughters WhatsApp and Instagram. Even networks like Twitter and Snapchat have a hard time against Zuckerberg's powerhouse. No industry is safe anymore, Facebook is a formidable competitor. Not only in obvious markets, but also for the Marketplaces and Ebays of this world. And what about the food delivery market, now that Facebook is already rolling out its ordering service in the United States .
13. Automation in influencer marketing
Influencer marketing is no longer about the select group of large online influencers with millions of fans. There are thousands, if not tens of thousands, of small but influential digital influencers active. Too many to manage manually. Platforms and marketplaces for small and medium-sized influencers are therefore springing up like mushrooms.
Result: more budget for social media?
In conclusion, we expect a further and especially accelerated development of social media as central communication channels in the marketing funnel in 2018. The focus will shift further towards metrics such as reach, frequency and conversion. This makes the phenomenon of social media more tangible for CMOs, CFOs and CEOs, who may thus get the feeling that they finally have a grip on social media. This could easily ensure that in 2018, budgets will be shifted much more strongly in favor of social media than was previously the case.