social media tips

In 2013, the importance of social media in a successful business marketing plan became undeniable. According to Eloqua, “a reported 78 [percent] of companies now have a dedicated social media team.” As we step into 2014, we continue to see the emergence of new social platforms and the impact that a strong social media presence can have on our business. In all likelihood, we can expect Eloqua’s reported percentage to grow ever upward.   How Social Media Evolved in 2013 and What to Expect in 2014   Throughout 2013, we watched as social media platforms evolved into cutting edge marketing tools. Twitter is now considered a strong marketing tool by over 90 percent of marketers, who now use it regularly to generate new and return business. The Twitter network boasts a stunning 232 million active users, who manage to send a jaw dropping 500 million tweets per day! Twitter also launched Vine, their version of a video tool, during 2013. In the past year, Facebook expanded their advertising platform and continued video ad testing. Meanwhile, Instagram celebrated a big year thanks to their introduction of a video and paid advertising program to their social platform. Also, a steady increase in picture and video sending popularity surfaced in the past year, indicating an interesting new inclusion of these marketing trends in future marketing strategies.   The Top 3 Social Media Trends for 2014 A review of social media marketing in 2013 has produced several “must have” trends for every 2014 marketing plan. As you round out your marketing budgets and put the finishing touches on your well planned strategies, here’s what you need to know in order to reach your customers more effectively in the New Year: Thoroughly understand your audience and product or service. In 2009, the University of California published a report in which they concluded that the average person sees over 34 billion bits of information every day. 34 billion bits of information equates to reading approximately two books per day. As a result of processing so much information, people are beginning to tune out; their attention is becoming a rare commodity. What does this mean for you? It means you need to have an acute understanding of your audience and how your product or service relates to them. In a high “Pinterest-ized” social media world, you need a visual, shareable message that demands and holds limited attention within seconds. Mobilized material is a must. People are leaving desktop technology behind and flocking to their smart phone and tablet devices. The Pew Internet & American Life Project published a research paper in which they determined over 90 percent of Americans own a mobile device, and 57 percent of them surf the Internet with those devices. Smart phones are quickly outnumbering other types of technology, ushering in what many are dubbing “the mobile revolution.” It is imperative that businesses take their digital properties beyond mere mobile optimization in 2014. Digital properties need to be responsive and adaptive, able to fluidly change and respond to the viewing capabilities of any mobile device. Audiences are also expecting the delivery of real time information based on relevance and location, which means digital properties must be search engine optimized for local search parameters. Audiences are expecting one-to-one personalization, and mobile technology is handing business owners the ability to give it. Out with analytic and in with predictive tools. Thus far, we have grown accustomed to simple analytic tools, the ones that give us basic information. Today, we are rapidly moving into the era of predictive tools. Predictive means that today’s tools use diverse techniques from data mining, machine learning, modeling and statistics to drive the analysis of current and historical information, thereby making predictions. It’s currently too early to tell exactly how this trend will evolve in 2014, but one thing is certain: simple tools no longer excite. The world and its audience are looking for ways to use all of the diverse data at their fingertips, meaning predictive technologies will find new traction in 2014.   These three general trends for 2014 all focus on a simple concept: effectively understanding and reaching your audience wherever they will be found. We can expect 2014 to be the year of positive customer experience and exemplary customer service.   3 Social Media Trends to Incorporate in Your Marketing Strategy 2013 has seen the most changes and largest leaps forward in social media advertising. 2014 promises to be a year of even grander developments. As a result, there are three trends in social media advertising you need to jump on board with: Facebook Video Ads. Twitter has been the big talk of 2013, and for some of us the appeal of Facebook has waned. Now is the time to rekindle the Facebook flame. Video advertising is turning into a huge 2014 social media marketing trend, as it rightfully should. After all, television advertising is still a fundamental tool in the modern advertiser’s toolbox. The world is shifting their television habit to the cyber world, which means video advertising is shifting alongside it. Facebook has been testing video advertising for a while now. They prominently feature videos in their feed organically. Their testing looks to increase in 2014, meaning video advertising is about to play a much larger role in Facebook ads after New Year’s. Overall, Facebook has become an undiscovered, underused advertising gem to many businesses that have had tunnel vision on Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram. You can find a few fantastic tips for boosting the popularity of your brand or business by reading our 3 Awesome Web Content Tips… blog. Twitter Ads. There’s no denying that Twitter had a big year in 2013. The platform grew substantially, even filing for and successfully completing their IPO (Internal Public Offering). Marketers the Internet over all agree: we can expect big things from Twitter. In 2013, Twitter awed us with a successful overhaul of their advertising interface and an increase in targeting functionality. They launched TV ad … Read more