What are the 2017 social media trends and what does the future look like for social media? That’s a question we regularly discuss here at Mobile Cuisine. The popularity of social media has been growing exponentially and has shown no signs of slowing down.

Food trucks have been using it to great effect and have come up with several innovative strategies that they’ve used to make their mark with their audience. So, what are the trends that people should look to in the this year? Today we’ll let you know what we think.

5 Top 2017 Social Media Trends

Many food truck owners understand they need to be on social media to succeed. Social media has revolutionized the industry and the business to consumer relationship by drastically altering communication between the two. This will not change with these 2017 social media trends.

Twitter Fatigue Is Growing

Twitter has hit a rough stretch of road. While some experts have been predicting the death of Twitter, we’re not here to say Twitter isn’t going to survive. Twitter was developed to provide users with fast, bite-sized updates, but this leads to users receiving a barrage of incoming tweets. This was a great idea at first, but now users are starting to crave something more detailed. We’re not saying food truck owners should stop using this platform, just don’t use it alone.

Vendors Will Cut Back On Social Platforms

Every year new social media platforms emerge. But obviously, food truck owners can’t jump on every single platform that comes along. Instead, in 2017, we’ll see more of a trend toward refinement; rather than spending equal effort on five different platforms, more vendors will find one or two platforms that work well for them and their customers.

Live Video Usage Will Increase

Live video was a social trend that took off in 2016, but it has more growth potential in 2017. There are already social media platforms taking advantage of this such as Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Periscope Pro. Live video will be a great social feature for food truck owners to utilize. It’s a great way to raise awareness of your food truck brand and build a community from your customers.

Employee Advocacy Growth

For food trucks looking to expand the reach and impact of social media without spending a dime, there’s a great option that’s already on your payroll. Encouraging food truck team members to share your food truck’s brand messages on their personal social media accounts could be a game-changer in 2017.

Please note, there’s a right and wrong way to do this. Employee advocacy cannot be forced. Not only does the process of sharing have to be extremely simple but employees need to want to share your food truck posts.

Sales And Customer Service Gets More Social

Lots of food trucks still look at social media as only a marketing tool. This isn’t true anymore. Consumers learn about products and menu items on Pinterest and Instagram. They’re sold to on Facebook and Twitter. They seek customer service on messaging channels like Facebook Messenger.

The 2017 social media trend of conversational commerce appears to really grow this year. This is because of the rapid growth of chatbots. Chatbots are a way to quickly scale customer service efforts. The reason is that they offer users one on one service without requiring additional employees.

The Bottom Line

As you envision your food truck social media strategies for 2017, think about each platform and your followers. Why are they following you? Are you differentiating your accounts to fit what your followers are interested in?

The one constant that you can depend on is that social media itself isn’t going anywhere. These are some of the most important 2017 social media trends we are forecasting. It’s going to remain a strong marketing avenue for vendors, and is a must-have for any food truck business attempting to market themselves on a frugal budget.

What do you think of our 2017 social media trends? Share your thoughts in the comment section below or on social media. Facebook | Twitter