We take a look at what the future holds for social media in 2017 and the trends that can expect to play a prominent role in 2017.

What social media trends can we expect from 2017?

We start of with the two immersive technologies Virtual and Augmented Reality, the former came to the fore at the end of 2016, and it's expected to continue its upward progress this year. The ability to view properties from the comfort of your sofa has excited people, and an upturn in usage for virtual reality is inevitable. And if that doesn't excite you enough, what about having the capability to view a property that has yet to be constructed. The potential of VR is huge and with the increased usage and popularity of virtual reality, 2017 should be the year where it really breaks out.

The latter has actually been around for a few years but it was Pokemon Go who turned it into a sensation. Augmented reality gives estate agents the ability to showcase properties from a 3D perspective. With a touch of a button, clients can visualise any amendments made to a property by modifying the features of the home such as paint colour or by trying out different pieces of furnitures. With more devices and technology being made for these applications, AR and VR should be more prolific in 2017. People are seeking a better interface for designing and creating, so expect to see several industries using VR and AR in 2017.

The year of Live Videos

12 years ago, a video-sharing network was established and yep you guessed it, the king of online video,Youtube.The video sharing sensation changed the world, from helping people get discovered such as Justin Bieber or Soulja Boy to revolutionising entertainment and even down to marketing purposes for businesses. Fast forwarding to 2017 and we are now entering an era where social media is taking it to new levels by giving you the ability to engage your audience with video contents in real life. Twitter set the pace by acquiring periscope but arch competitor facebook wasn’t prepared to fall behind, their too have a live video system as well as instagram. And with people intrigued by visual content, live videos of properties is bound to excite people who can view properties in real time, gaining much more information than they would from photographs. Not only is it a higher level of interaction with clients but a personal connection is also established as viewers can ask questions of the agent based on what they see and can expect a rapid response.

Chatbots the virtual assistant

Chatbots is used as a way of building more personal relationships with clients, as well as possessing the ability to complete transactions, answer questions and quickly respond to any comments. Facebook have integrated chatbots into their facebook messenger and they are becoming a vital way of enhancing the consumer experience. A crucial time saver for estate agents, as basic queries from clients can be answered by chatbots, reducing the need for phonecalls and potentially saving agents several hours a week. This is something that will become more popular in 2017 as businesses seek to optimize their customer service experience.

360-Degree Photos and Videos

360-Degree photos and videos will become mainstream in 2017. The big three social media networks, Facebook, Twitter and Youtube have made it easier to host by giving people the ability to upload and share in 360 content. Estate agents will also reap the rewards of this new technology, as they will be able to show 360 videos and photos of properties to their clients on various social media channels. Viewers will have the ability to control where they look within the image, and that is bound to attract people who loved to be engaged in new ways. Watch out for this space, the potential is huge.

How can we help at Estate Apps?

At Estate Apps, we’re always innovating to make sure we stay ahead in a constantly evolving industry and that means our clients and potential ones too. Some of the things aforementioned like virtual reality is not part of our services but we would be more than willing to help and guide those who have any questions. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you may have with relation to the upcoming trends.