What is the potential for the future of an organisation you are familiar with?

Globally, the total number of social media users is estimated to grow to 3.29 billion users in 2022, which will be 42.3% of the world’s population (eMarketer 2018). With the understanding that social media is always shifting and changing. ‘Social media as we know it today is different than even a year ago (let alone a decade ago), and social media a year from now will likely be different than now’ (Appel et. Al 2020)

With such a transient and ever changing digital environment it is now evident that our parents and students ‘consumers’  live in a world in which social media intersects with most aspects of their lives … in domains such as travel (e.g., TripAdvisor), work (e.g., LinkedIn), food (e.g., Yelp), music (e.g., Spotify), and more.

Schools, therefore, can now look towards implementing and actively using social media platforms in order to compliment and market themselves. They can promote and share learning and school celebrations. As enrolments become a competitive space, schools can now rely on improvements made by traditional social media companies to reduce risk and improve functionality and services (e.g., Facebook’s marketplace, Chowdry 2018; WeChat’s payment system, Cheng 2017). These bidirectional trends suggest that the modern-day consumer is living in an increasingly “omni-social” world.

If an ‘omni-social’ existence is imminent, it makes sense for schools to target this space as it is where the people are.

What impact might the future have on us as information professionals?

As information professionals in the education sector, it is imperative that we ensure that we actively seek professional learning and keep up to date with the relevant possibilities of social media platforms. New and existing platforms are ever changing and improving and may directly impact our workloads and change what was once impossible into exciting possibilities, for example, Trusov et al. (2009) and Stephen and Galak (2012) demonstrated that certain kinds of social interactions can now happen on social media (e.g., “refer a friend” features and discussions in online communities) can positively affect important marketing outcomes such as new customer acquisition and sales. These changes can directly affect workload and outcomes.

Information professional educators need to actively teach students the skills to manage their social media presence and how to utilise this fluid platform to enhance different aspects of their lives. If this is not explicitly taught and addressed, we will leave the youth of today to embark into the digital world without the necessary tools to safely navigate these platforms. Evidence has shown that consumers are deleting their social media presence, where research has shown that nearly 40% of digitally connected individuals admitted to deleting at least one social media account due to fears of their personal data being mishandled (Edelman 2018). With effective teaching, risks can be minimised for each individual.

Adaptability and ability to collect data to inform

We can also work with improved technologies that assist information technology professionals to manage large groups and safely manage and use data collection. A recent review on the future of customer relationship management, Haenlein (2017) describes “invisible CRM” as future systems that will make customer engagement simple and accessible for customers. This will have a direct impact on time taken to communicate with clients, share marketing and gather analytical data. With reduced time spent of these areas, information professionals can direct focus to more creative outlets and efficient practices.

References

Appel, G., Grewal, L., Hadi, R., & Stephen, A. T. (2020). The future of social media in marketing. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 48(1), 79-95. doi:10.1007/s11747-019-00695-1

Cheng, E. (2017). China is living the future of mobile pay right now. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y8hm6vlo.

Chowdry, A., (2018). Facebook launches ads in marketplace. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/y8kf5g4t.

Edelman, K. (2018). Trust Barometer Brands Social Media. Retrieved from https://tinyurl.com/ycrm23gf.

Haenlein, M. (2017). How to date your clients in the 21st century: Challenges in managing customer relationships in today’s world. Business Horizons, 60, 577–586.

Melanie (2018) The Future of Social Media Marketing & AWG Social Media Program. AWG Sales Services. Retrieved from https://awgsalesservices.com/2018/09/20/the-future-of-social-media-marketing-awg-social-media-program/

Packham, A (2019). The Future of Social Media in Marketing The Drum Retrieved from https://www.thedrum.com/industryinsights/2019/05/14/the-future-social-media-marketing

Stephen, A. T., & Galak, J. (2012). The effects of traditional and social earned media on sales: A study of a microlending marketplace. Journal of Marketing Research, 49(5), 624–639.

The Digital Transformation https://youtu.be/6k_G_h41ZaQ

Trusov, M., Bucklin, R. E., & Pauwels, T. (2009). Effects of word-of mouth versus traditional marketing: Findings from an internet social networking site. Journal of Marketing, 73(5), 90–102.