Over 2013, we have seen a lot of social media trends emerge. We have raved about the quick development of all-in-one apps as well as the rise in popularity for single-service photo and video sharing apps like Snapchat and Vine. The growth of Pinterest and Instagram among teens and adults is very interesting to watch as well. With 2014 on the horizon, how can brands improve their social media marketing strategies to match such trends? These are four useful tips to help you start your social media marketing in 2014.
1. Diversify Your Social Media Presence
While Facebook and Twitter are still dominating the social media scene, many social media experts have seen the rise in a broader range of single-service social media networks. Vine and Instagram have significant growth, raising the competition with mobile video sharing. Pinterest has also been gaining more popularity, driving a huge amount of referral traffic across the web. In addition, Snapchat has become massively popular amongst the younger demographic and social media marketers as well, especially after its notorious decision by rejecting Facebook’s $1billion offer. As single-service social media services continue to dominate, it is important for brands to diversify their social media presence and engage with customers across a variety of popular platforms.
2. Share Photo & Video Content
Within the category of single-service social media networks, those that focus on photo and video sharing such as Vine, Instagram, and Snapchat have dominated in 2013. The best way to improve your social media marketing strategy is to both increase the amount of interactive content you are sharing across networks and to build your presence on photo and video-specific networks. Jayson DeMers at Forbes predicts that micro-video in particular is here to stay, which means that you should focus your attention on Vine and Instagram.
3. Shifting Your Content Marketing Strategy
While photo and video sharing are currently dominating the social media landscape, content marketing is still the ultimate key. In fact, all signs point to content marketing getting even bigger in 2014. Recent research shows that businesses which have blogs generate 67% more leads each month than companies that do not. Moreover, educational content is proving very effective when it comes to building an audience. This means that you need to revamp your content marketing strategy in 2014. The point is to keep blogging regularly and providing your audience with useful, engaging information in your content.
4. Focus on Local & Mobile Advertising
Another important social media trend in 2013 is the massive growth in both mobile marketing and location based advertising. As mobile devices become more and more important in the consumers’ daily lives, being able to engage with consumers in real-time has also become that much more important. Location based advertising via mobile devices allows brands to do this. In 2014, focus your social media marketing strategy on both local and mobile efforts to reach more customers.