Like with many other trends, to ask this question is not absurd. In fact, it might even be a smart move to deliberate the longevity of social media marketing because so many trends have come and gone in these past two decades that it’s hard to put your certainty on one thing only. So, we ask the question: How long will social media marketing last?
The Present
Before making any statements about the future, we looked at the success rate of social media marketing and how far it has come. Out of 7.97 billion people on this planet, 3.96 billion are social media users. That means around 49.7% of people use social media for one reason or the other.
The Past
Social media platforms were initially only used as tools for connecting with people in different ways but their presence in the business world has long been established. Some marketers may have recognized this presence early on in the first decade of 2000, but they either could not find a way to monetize it to benefit the business or were too afraid to make a move because of the dot com bubble.
Nonetheless, once globalization kick-started, thanks to social media, businesses quickly saw the importance of having their brand voice on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube and etc. But it was not until 2014 when Facebook launched its Business Manager and the rest of the platforms followed suit, that social media marketing began as a profession.
The Future
To understand the future of social media marketing, we first need to ask ourselves; What is the future like? With technology evolving by the second and people relying more and more on their devices, the future is Artificial Intelligence. Social media companies are introducing AI to their platforms to accommodate the growing trends. This will tighten the rope they have around their users as it becomes more immersive by the second. Facebook’s Metaverse is a perfect example of this.
Marketing is all about making the most out of every situation. And when it comes to social media, there are so many variables and factors circling around that the best a marketer can do is adapt. This is what the future of marketing via social media will be like; adapting and evolving. Rest assured, it is here to stay.
