For quite some time, social media has been “it” and that means social media marketing is as important as ever. Heading into 2014, there are some trends that are going to rule the roost in regards to how it is going to impact an ever changing audience.
The following are some of these trends that are expected to grow in the New Year:
- Short videos that tell stories
If you frequent social media, then you have probably noticed that everyone is posting short videos or slideshows that tell a story. In an age where people want information and they want it now, short videos are the solution to those who do like to get information via video. Twitter’s Vine app or Instagram’s 15 second video are examples of how to do this.
- Contextual content
Content marketing has been a favorite marketing strategy all around the world for quite some time and it is going nowhere. A website owner doesn’t have a website without content and the Internet has no information without it, so expect it to hang around. In social media marketing, it is important that the content is relevant to the social media channel that you are suing so that you can reap the benefits. Using contextual content is expected to become more important this year.
- Social media performance
The performance of social media is expected to grow. As more individuals in the 60+ age bracket learn to use the Internet and their families introduce them to social media, they are undoubtedly going to start using it as a way to communicate and get in touch with their favorite brands.
- Social media is expected to evolve
Every social media platform from LinkedIn to Facebook and Google+ is expected to evolve. As the habits of consumers change, so do the social media sites. For instance, video advertising on Facebook became something completely different at the end of 2013.
- Google+ will continue to become more important
Google+ is a good example of a social network that is constantly evolving. Google+ carries weight in SEO, so it is a very important social network to use when sharing content and making others aware of your business.
These are just some of what we can expect from social media in 2014. As the year progresses, we will get a glimpse into what 2015 will offer, which is expected to give businesses even more to work with when reaching a targeted audience that may prefer different types of interaction.
