Social media is a valuable tool brands can and should be using to enhance their presence and build a loyal following. The companies that have successful social media marketing campaigns have a dedicated staff that stays abreast of emerging trends. This alone can help your brand stay ahead of the curve and its competitors.

If your business doesn’t have an in-house social media team to keep an ear to the ground, you can always resort to social media marketing services. Even with these services, it wouldn’t hurt to be in-the-know about industry trends. The following are the ones we believe will take precedence in 2017.

Ads Using Live Video Features

Live video feeds are growing more and more popular among brands and consumers alike. You can find businesses live streaming behind-the-scenes access to events and consumers sharing their thoughts and activities. What we’re seeing is the growing acceptance of live streaming on both ends of the spectrum. Those with large followings are almost guaranteed to have thousands of people watching their live feeds (if scheduled at the right time of day).

While this trend is worth keeping an eye on, there’s another one that’s worthy of noting – live ads. Imagine a local baker streaming the preparation of their cakes and pies, then telling the viewers to come and get a slice while it’s still hot! Never before has this been done, simply because it wasn’t economical (or easily accessible). The internet has opened up new opportunities for both large and small businesses, so get prepared. This isn’t a trend you want to pass up on – choose and hire one of the reputable social media marketing companies.

Remarketing with Dynamic Product Ads

Again, online media makes it possible for advertisers to do things that were once impossible. In the past, we weren’t able to remarket the exact same product a customer was previously looking at. If anything, your generic ad would show up, but never an actual product the customer was interested in. With retargeting, you can display dynamic ads that showcase the various products the consumer was viewing, increasing the chances of them coming back to make the purchase.

The Chatbots

Today’s consumers are looking for immediate access to brands – this is why social media has really taken off for businesses of all types. Those with a social media presence are prevailing because this is where customers interact with them.

Improving how your customers engage with your business is key to maintaining a high satisfaction rate. With the new chatbot feature, brands can interact with customers on social media and via their websites. Chatbots can be used to answer customer questions and even upsell their other products and services. Surveys already show that customers willing to spend $56 per purchase were enthusiastic about using chatbots during the shopping process.

It’s hard to predict which trends will stick around for the long haul, but one thing’s for certain – this year will be a time for advertising creativity. Hopefully, you have a social media marketing company on hand that can help you and your brand pave the way to a newer and better way of advertising.