27 Feb 2014

Why 2014 Will Be the Biggest Year for Social Media

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There is no denying it: social media is exploding into a tool beyond sharing pictures with family and friends. In recent years, we’ve seen social media evolve into a marketing tool used by businesses, brands, and digital marketing agencies. In 2014, social media continues building upon its tools to strengthen businesses, attract new customers, and retain existing customers. So what are the biggest trends expected to take off in 2014?

Social media marketing integration into core business structure.

As we live out our lives increasingly more online, businesses continue to research and incorporate social media marketing into their structures. The ultimate goals of this integration are:

Benefits for customers.
Stronger marketing skills.
Relevancy as social media continues to pick up speed with businesses.

It’s only two months into 2014, and already 78% of respondent companies have established their own social media teams. As a result, there are more positions needed to manage every aspect of social media marketing; positions that go further than “Social Media Manager.” These job titles include:

SEO Specialist
Social Media Strategist
Online Community Manager
Social Media Marketing Manager
Social Media Marketing Coordinator
Blogger
Social Media Copywriter

It would benefit businesses to make this smart and strategic move. Most business owners cannot afford to separate this marketing tool from the rest of their digital marketing strategies.

Bigger budgets for social media marketing.

With the rise in paid social advertising, businesses will expand their budgets for social media marketing. Did you know:

Brands that utilize targeted ads on Facebook newsfeeds receive 49 times more clicks than ads placed on the right-hand sidebars.
Nearly 100% of respondents plan to increase their budgets for social media marketing.
Of those, 46% are specifically allotting more funds for social media marketing activities.

With so many brands appearing on social media, the attitude will shift from “should do” to “must do.” Allocating bigger budgets for social media marketing will become a necessity, not a luxury.

Social media marketing will mobilize.

With tablets and smartphones becoming more readily available, we are using them more often than laptops or desktops. There is a lot of room for improvement for mobilization in 2014: according to a Prosper Insights report, a mere 33% of mobile sites are described as “very good.” However, 90% of consumers in the U.S. own a mobile device, and over half are capable of surfing the web. It’s important that every website be optimized to mobilize. How?

Businesses will need to think about interacting with their customers and vice versa.
New mobile apps, SMS, and emails will be optimized for mobile phones.
Mobilizing social media marketing means creating content that is specifically targeted for mobile phone users.
An increase in personalization and the creation of one-on-one engagement with specific customers through their phones.

Real-time content will be used for social media marketing.

In addition to new and creative content, businesses should focus on real-time content that is helpful, relevant, and targets audiences. Real-time content happens when there is no delay between the times you write/type, and the time you publish. Facebook and Twitter are great examples of this. However, with the instantaneous nature, it’s easy for content to get lost in search engines. Social media teams should learn:

To identify topics that their audiences are talking about.
How to condense, digest, and share that content.
The peak posting hours for each social media site to ensure maximum engagement and views.

If done well, the content can go viral across the social media realm. On Twitter, hashtags are a great and creative marketing tool to incorporate into your content. They’re relevant, current, and always changing. Updating real-time content is the sign of an active business.

Social media marketing will incorporate more visuals.

Think of the most popular social media sites: Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, and Vine receive a lot of traffic. Most of their web designs and premises have a heavy visual influence. This is an extension of people using their phones to consume visual content. Here’s why:

70% of sensory receptors are in our eyes.
50% of our brains are used for visual processing.

Human beings are visual creatures. While text isn’t dead, it’s important that brands think of creative strategies to integrate visuals with written content. Effective social media marketing should go beyond text to integrate visual elements such as graphics, pictures, infographics, and statistical charts to attract attention and increase their audience.

LinkedIn and Google+ will be used more.

What was seen as an afterthought in 2013 will be utilized a lot more this year. Google+ is quickly becoming a favorite social network among businesses and customers. A couple of reasons are:

As of 2013, Google+ boasted 540 million active users.
Compared to other social media search engines, the Google+ search engine has qualities similar to Google’s search engine, making it easier to find information.
A new feature, Google Authorship, allows one to connect a piece of content with the Google+ profile of the author.

LinkedIn is also a great tool for generating and distributing targeted content that businesses use to brand and showcase products or services. With over 1.5 million groups and over 50% of LinkedIn users being business decision makers, it’s not a bad site to implement into brands’ social media marketing strategies.

Social media marketing will use more automated processes.

These integrations between automation software and social media marketing will allow management processes to run much smoother. The biggest process is single-portal access. Within single-portal access, brands are able to:

View all social media sites on one page.
View real-time feedback from customers and other businesses.
Share content as well as learn from campaigns as you are executing them.
Engage with customers and build relationships.
Strengthen your customer service elements.

If businesses want social media to work for them, automated processes are the way to go. Some automated processes to help get you started are Buffer, TweetDeck, and HootSuite.

Social media marketing will use more contests and promos.

Audience engagement is the key to success. Real-time content helps, but an even stronger way is the use of contests and promotions. Putting a limit on the contest is always a great way to boost traffic and engagement. Twitter is a perfect site to utilize this strategy. An example could be: “The first 100 people to retweet this will get 50% off their next purchase!” Contests and promotions are a great marketing tool to drive traffic to businesses’ social media sites, gain new customers, and keep existing customers engaged. Some tips on regulating contests and promotions:

Keep in mind the benefits of email marketing. Asking for emails for entry to contests helps brands grow a list of email leads.
Introducing mobile-friendly contests means that customers can access contests anytime, anywhere.
Using analytics makes it easier to track contests and promotions. It helps you view engagement, clicks, follows, and likes.

Social media marketing will incorporate more offline materials.

QR codes have been picking up popularity among social media marketing teams. Their ability to hold more information and their ease of use makes them popular among businesses. However, in 2014 QR codes will provide more than just real-time content and enhancing customer experience. QR codes will incorporate colored or 3D print technology, which provides customers with information about brands’ websites and social media channels.

These are just a few social media marketing trends businesses will be implementing this year. Make sure to keep an eye out for how businesses are using these trends and for any other new developments in marketing this year!

Until next time, Think BIG and Give THANKS.