Going viral: The top social media marketing columns of 2016

Social media has the power to change the very fabric of our society, and nowhere was that more evident than with this year’s presidential election — with its wild proliferation of fake news and with candidates trading political barbs on Facebook and Twitter. But now that the election is in the rearview mirror, it’s time to take a look at the social media trends that reigned in 2016 and how marketers reacted to them.

It’s no surprise that Facebook dominated our columnists’ headlines this year; with over 1.18 billion daily active users, it’s hard to tune out the social media megabeast. Our columnists looked at the Facebook trends and strategies that mattered the most to our readers, from managing negative postings on the social network to using Facebook’s Audience Network.

But while Facebook continued to be king for marketers this year, other social channels were still top of mind. Our readers were keen to learn more about everything from Yelp tips for business owners to creative best practices for Instagram advertising.

Of course, even the savviest social media marketers aren’t going to get very far if they can’t hold their audience’s attention. Engagement was a hot topic among our readers, as marketers sought to understand why it’s dropping across social channels and how to fight back to get more likes, shares and comments on posts.

For these stories and more, check out our top 10 social media marketing columns of 2016:

1. 5 Yelp facts business owners should know (but most don’t) by Brian Patterson, published on 2/16/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 244, Google+ 41, LinkedIn 314
2. Instagram advertising: What’s working? by Andrew Waber, published on 1/6/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 360, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 426
3. Streaming social: What marketers can learn from Netflix’s social strategy by Chris Kerns, published on 4/11/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 306, Google+ 50, LinkedIn 456
4. How to ask customers for reviews (and actually get them) by Brian Patterson, published on 4/21/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 190, Google+ 53, LinkedIn 372
5. 6 possibilities for the future of social media marketing by Jayson DeMers, published on 8/22/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 748, Google+ 175, LinkedIn 792
6. 10 ways to increase your social media engagement like never before by Jordan Kasteler, published on 6/21/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 866, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 727
7. 10 tactics for handling haters on Facebook by Chris Silver Smith, published on 3/21/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 582, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 220
8. 5 reasons your Facebook Ads aren’t working by Blaise Lucey, published on 7/21/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 837, Google+ 73, LinkedIn 575
9. The engagement crisis in content marketing and social media: Why it’s happening and how to fix it by Blaise Lucey, published on 3/3/2016.
   Social activity: Facebook 586, Google+ 0, LinkedIn 1224
10. Why you should be looking at Facebook’s Audience Network by Andrew Waber, published on 5/25/2016.
    Social activity: Facebook 160, Google+ 21, LinkedIn 160

Methodology: Columns published in 2016 are ranked in order of pageviews measured by Google Analytics. Data includes all columns published through November 30, 2016. Social data provided by SharedCount. 

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About The Author

Desiree Everts DeNunzio is Associate Features Editor at Search Engine Land and Marketing Land and a longtime digital media editor and writer. Formerly, she was an associate editor at PBS MediaShift, where she contributed to Digital Content Next's Intelligence Report. She's also worked for CNET, GigaOm and Wired magazine.

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