Evergreen Pillars of Social Media

While social media is everchanging, I believe there are three core pillars of social media for businesses that will remain the same for a long time.

1. Publishing

Most companies want to have a presence on social media for a variety of reasons (marketing, customer service, hiring, etc.) Doing that involves sharing things on social media. While the things companies share on social media have changed over the years and will continue to change, the act of sharing will likely remain for a long time.

2. Engagement

This is what makes it social media. Engaging on social media is part of brand-building now.

While companies used to treat social media as a loudspeaker, many are beginning to understand that it’s a two-way street. Consumers are now expecting companies to reply them on social media when they reach out with their problems.

Companies who are concerned with what people are saying about their brand (which I’m guessing there are many) are also constantly monitoring social media for conversations about their brand. And when the conversation is relevant (or negative), they will jump in to respond to delight their customers (or prevent a bigger problem).

3. Analytics

I think few companies would be alright with investing in social media and not look at their results. Managers, clients, and marketers themselves want to know how they are doing on social media. So for as long as social media will be around, social media analytics will be a core consideration for companies.

Of course, I’m biased since I work for a social media management software company that has publishing, engagement, and analytics products. So it’ll be great to hear your thoughts, especially things that I’ve overlooked. In what circumstances will any of these go away? Which other aspects of social media for businesses will be around for a long time?