Author Jayson Demers

It's time to predict social media marketing trends for 2015.

Here's my prediction of the seven social media marketing trends of 2015.

1, Ello rise

What we couldn't have foreseen last year was the emergence of a new social platform that could compete with social media giant Facebook.

The platform, named Ello, which is still in the public test stage (meaning it can only be joined by an invitation code), has caused caused queer buzz;

It provides a permanent ad-free experience and promises never to sell user information to third parties. "Collecting and selling your personal information, broadcasting messages you post to your friends, and portraying your social connections for profit are both creepy and immoral," the website says. Under the guise of 'free' services, they put users at high cost of disruptive advertising and invasion of privacy. "

It's not clear whether the platform is so hotly debated because of its "anti-Facebook" positioning itself or because it does have the substance, design and functionality to be a strong competitor to Facebook.

The platform's engagement appears to be low, and some have pointed to its current shortcomings, including the absence of integrated video capabilities and the dialogue and engagement of what is said.

Still, Ello is likely to grow in 2015 -- both in terms of user numbers and engagement -- and will be closely watched by many.

2, Facebook advertising prices and demand will rise sharply

It's no secret that Facebook's content influence has waned dramatically, and that poses a serious problem for businesses that use the platform for marketing purposes.The steady decline in influence has become a phenomenon known as the "Filtered Feed Problem".

Demand for content and advertising will rise further as Facebook further limits the amount of news that page fans can actually see. And rising demand will drive up prices.

According to an article in Ad Week earlier this year, Facebook ad pricing rose 10 percent in the first quarter of 2014 from a year earlier. This trend is likely to continue into 2015 as the influence of native news declines further.

3, Twitter's new commercial advertising model will see a surge in popularity

As Twitter gives merchants more choice and flexibility in the form and price of advertising payments, more and more small and medium-sized businesses are turning to Twitter. The new fee structure allows merchants to pay based on certain performance metrics, not just on retweets or clicks.

These goal-based advertising campaigns are still being tested and will provide greater flexibility, including tweet engagement (retweets, replies, etc.), site clicks or conversations, app installations, new followers and leads.

For merchants who want real results from ads, not just brand awareness, such ads are a new kind of gravity.

4, Google Plus will fade out of sight

With the failure of Google's Authorship experiment, today's Google Plus has no special value that Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook don't have.

Vic Gundotra, Google Plus's chief promoter, made a high-profile departure earlier this year, and TechCrunch announced that Google Plus was "The Walking Dead," a platform that will soon fade from view.

In fact, according to TechCrunch, Google Plus will "no longer be seen as a product, but as a platform - essentially ending its competition with social networks such as Facebook and Twitter." "

5. Instagram will become an integral part of image-based social media marketing.

Instagram showed no signs of slowing down. With 200 million monthly active users, Instagram has become a great choice for image-based social media marketing.

The study confirms this conclusion, but the advantages are less obvious:According to the Social Media Marketing Industry Report, 42 per cent of marketers are planning to use the platform this year, up from 38 per cent in 2013.

Instagram will also continue to move into micro-video. While Vine and Instagram are vying to be the leaders of video sites, the two platforms continue to take the path of differentiation, offering different features, video lengths and editing capabilities. But with 2015 coming, I think Instagram will start to surpass Vine.

And with Instagram's recent in-content video ads, marketers have been able to target their 15-second ads based on their age, gender and country. While some see these new video ads as particularly abrupt, the new feature is just right for marketers who want to promote their products to Instagram's younger, wealthier user base.

6, LinkedIn will be large as the B2B social network leader's leading edge

LinkedIn has been a major site in the B2B field for many years, and I believe LinedIn's lead over other networks will continue to grow.

B2C marketers report that LinkedIn is far less important than Facebook or Twitter in their marketing efforts, but this is another story in B2B: 88 percent of B2B marketers use LinedIn, according to a 2014 survey by Social Media Examiner.

That compares with 89 percent who use Facebook and 86 percent who use Twitter. I think 2015 was the year LinkedIn overtook Facebook in B2B marketing.

7, social media marketing into the content marketing of the mainstay

In 2015, marketers will finally realize that there are two mid-stream pillars in content marketing strategies: publishing and distribution. Marketers will finally learn that social media is the most effective way to increase the reach and visibility of content.And that's why they see social media more as a "megaphone" of what they post than as the content itself.

In 2014, as "content strategy" became a hot word and focus for online marketers, marketers successfully realized the importance of creating and publishing content, but many failed in designing and implementing successful content distribution strategies.

"Thus, while the heat about "content marketing" does not rise, marketers need to remember that distribution strategies for these content are at least as important as content."

Summarize.

Not to mention these predictions, I'm curious about what social shopping will look like in 2015, especially with Pinterest and Facebook's new Buy button. I will continue to follow trends in this area and keep readers updated on progress.

Ding Ying-hsin School, Li Qiqi

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