Why 2015 Will See More Diversity in Social Media Marketing Platforms

Why 2015 Will See More Diversity in Social Media Marketing Platforms
DJ Miller
1/8/2015
Updated:
4/23/2016

As we enter the new year, those who keep an eye on the trends in marketing are all speculating as to what some of the biggest changes we will see in general internet marketing strategies will be in 2015. One thing nobody would argue with is that the use of social media platforms as a means of targeting and reaching audiences will grow, as this is something that has been happening for several years now and the effectiveness of such marketing approaches has not begun to dwindle. However, what many experts, including those offering professional SEO services, are claiming is that in 2015, we will see a shift in terms of the platforms, and number of platforms, businesses use for social media marketing.

What Can We Expect to See Changing?

Historically, social media marketing, particularly when a business first starts using it, has essentially meant ’marketing using Facebook and Twitter'. Other larger platforms like LinkedIn and Google+ may get some attention in some strategies, and those looking to use video would use YouTube, but other than that, it has been possible for many businesses to leverage the power of sharable content and easy to isolate demographics using Twitter and Facebook (or even just one of these) alone.

When we talk about greater diversity in social media platforms used for marketing online in 2015, what we are actually referring to is businesses and marketers using a greater range of platforms for their marketing efforts. There are lots of social networks that all have their own niches, and huge user bases. With so many people vying for attention now on the big ones, using other networks such as Pinterest, Tumblr and Reddit can allow businesses and marketers to engage in new ways with the people they want to reach, in a more niche and less marketing saturated environment. As well as these branded social networks, there are also countless forums and blogs that have communities interested in specific things, and more and more, marketers will be looking to identify these and use them, rather than relying on the big three or four social networks to get their messages seen.

Surely Some People Were Already Doing This?

There are always some marketers (usually professionals) who are ahead of the curve with these trends, or businesses who for other reasons found smaller social networks better suited to their needs. When we talk of trends for 2015, we are talking about something that is already in practice but, by the end of the year, we believe will be very much in mainstream usage.

Using social media to engage with potential or existing customers, develop brand awareness and even provide some services is something that most businesses are already doing. However, in 2015 we expect to see marketers expand their reach into new, more niche platforms to share content and communicate with people in new ways. If you are reviewing your online marketing strategy for the next year, this is definitely something to think about.

DJ Miller is a graduate student at the University of Tampa. He's an avid gadget geek and spends most of his time reading or writing. He is a huge fantasy sports fan and even runs his own advice site for Fantasy Help.
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