Emerging Trends in Social Media Marketing

May 19, 2025

Lecture Notes: Future of Social Media and Marketing Trends

Predicting Social Media Trends

  • The speaker is known for successfully predicting trends in social media, notably TikTok in 2018/2019.
  • Encouragement to use TikTok Shop and Whatnot for live selling.
    • Emphasis on the "QVC vacation" of social media in the West, a trend already prominent in China.

Organic Content and Relevance

  • Acceleration of organic content is crucial.
  • Importance of non-overexposure and creating varied content for different consumers.
  • Example given: Diversifying content to reach different audiences (e.g., featuring both Gary Vee and a female entrepreneur in her 80s).
  • Strategy involves relevance at scale across various platforms (e.g., Facebook).

Facebook Strategy

  • Importance of posting multiple times daily on Facebook to explode podcast reach.
  • Focus should be on organic reach.
  • Variety in content: 4-12 minute clips, full-length podcasts, and shorts.

Challenges with Facebook

  • Issues with demonetization and reused content claims on Facebook.
  • Suggested solution: Start a new page, potentially with a separate email.
  • Followers are becoming less relevant in the current media landscape.

Transition from Social Media to Interest Media

  • Shift from traditional social media to interest-based media.
  • Proposal for platforms to have two distinct feeds:
    • One with guaranteed views from followers.
    • Another based entirely on user interests.

Rise of Virtual Influencers

  • Prediction of significant growth in virtual influencers over the next 5 years.
  • Suggestion for businesses to create virtual personas for promotion.
  • Comparison to how Disney monetizes characters like Mickey Mouse.
  • Example: AI-generated characters making substantial profits on platforms like Instagram.

Intellectual Property in Social Media

  • Every individual is moving towards being in the intellectual property business.
  • Idea that millions will own and monetize virtual personas, similar to large media companies.

AI and Content Creation

  • AI-generated content already influencing social media.
  • Improved realism in AI personas, indistinguishable from real humans in the future.
  • Example: Profitable AI characters and their role in brand deals and OnlyFans.

Key Takeaways

  • Embrace live shopping features on social media platforms.
  • Diversify content across multiple platforms to maximize reach.
  • Adapt to the shift towards interest-based media.
  • Explore and invest in virtual influencers as a growing trend.
  • Recognize the increasing role of AI in content creation and marketing.

These notes provide a comprehensive overview of emerging trends in social media and marketing strategies, highlighting both current opportunities and future predictions.

Full transcript