A few weeks ago, I mentioned here on my blog that I will be a part of the “Go Social: A Digital Marketing Tour Boot Camp.” The boot camp tour, a project of the Iligan Bloggers Society and funded by the U.S. Embassy in Manila, was held in Iligan, Cotabato, Cebu and Baguio. It helped hundreds of entrepreneurs learn how they can maximize the power of digital marketing to grow their micro, small, medium and social enterprises.
Since I’m still here in the USA, I only sent a video message whereby I spoke about the future of digital marketing in the Philippines. I’m thinking of releasing that video soon — maybe when I finally do a webinar on blogging, social media and earning online! What do you think? 🙂 Tweet me if you want me to do that.
Anyway, for this blog post, allow me to share some of my thoughts on social media and business trends that may create a huge impact this 2018.
The rise of video
You may have noticed that more and more videos appear on your Facebook timeline. This is because the social media networking giant’s latest algorithm gives priority to videos. Especially those that use the Facebook Live feature. So if you’re an entrepreneur, consider the ways that you can master and incorporate videos (pre-taped or live) into your social media content.
Bitcoin, blockchain, cryptocurrency
I’m sure you’ve heard of these very technical terms. And I’m sure you’ve heard that many early adopters/buyers of Bitcoins are now mega millionaires! Trust me, if you’re an entrepreneur, you have to learn all about these 3! To put it pretty simply, blockchain will enable digital transactions that will “disrupt” traditional ways of doing business.
For instance, if customer 1 wants to send money to customer 2, blockchain will allow the transaction without necessarily having to go through a third party like a bank, for instance. You can read up more on these on your own. Now if you’re wondering how this will all be abuzz next year, there are actually measures now at the national government that aim to delve deeper into the security and legalities surrounding bitcoins and the use of cryptocurrency etc. Keep yourself updated. This will be one interesting development.
Tastemakers
I’m talking about choosing more effective social media influencers who can help promote your brand. Gone are the days when these influencers need to have thousands of followers or “likes.” These days, what’s more important is that the influencers you choose to hire to represent your brand/business are authentic, honest, passionate and loyal.
Choose an influencer who truly lives the lifestyle that your target market wants to follow, who truly uses your product and who knows how to be loyal (there are many influencers now who post one product then its direct competitor the next day…yikes!). More importantly, hire an influencer who has REAL followers and not robots. Incidentally, I was featured on an article about social media influencers on The Manila Times.
Need more details on how you can incorporate online strategies to increase sales, solidify brand recall and gather fans and turn them into loyal customers? Email me at [email protected] or CONTACT ME HERE. I am available for work, commission, consultancy and travel.
* Editor’s Note: This article also appeared on my weekly newspaper column on Gold Star Daily, Mindanao’s largest newspaper. My column, dubbed “Mindanaoan Meets World,” appears every Friday.
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Mindanaoan is a multi-awarded blogger, content creator, seasoned social media strategist and publicist with undeniably successful track record. 2012 International Visitor Leadership Program (for global leaders) alumnus and O visa grantee (for people with extraordinary skills and who have risen to the top of their field). Avid traveler and a proud relief operations volunteer. Regular resource person for social media, blogging and content creation. Available for work and travel – [email protected]
Buena Mano! First blog I have read today. I might do the number 1 tip on video. Thanks for this! 🙂