Social Media Marketing: What’s Hot in 2014

Social media will continue to influence businesses and personal lives of users. Which among these networks will take the top place in 2014?

We are almost in the second half of 2014 and web is constantly giving users new trends. This includes social networking platforms and it is sometimes giving us difficulty in coping. Still, it is important that we look forward to where it is going so that we will be able to cope.

Basing on how things are with social media marketing, this is how things will be this year:

Investing in social media will be an essential move this year. And it is coming already. Entrepreneurs are gradually recognising the need to combine their social media campaigns with content strategy. They see the influence social media can create in referral traffic, lead generation, and of course, in sales revenues.
Business owners know that these bring in benefits when it is done appropriately. Most of business owners sells products and services and may not technically skilled in developing and managing social media marketing. Hence, they see the need to employ local services of SEO experts who will develop social media strategies. Once social media are handled properly, some of its benefits are as follows:

–        Better brand awareness and company branding

–        Enhanced social signals which are considered as important factor in search ranking algorithm

–        Build client confidence and loyalty

–        Word-of-mouth campaign, thus, better audience influence and reach

Take note that social media is considered as one of the important foundations of SEO.

Google Plus will take its major stance. Although Facebook will continue to be the leading network in terms of its active users, which has an approximately more than one billion users, Google Plus is gaining its stance with more than three hundred million followers, and it is still growing.

Google uses platform together personal data such as location and demographics, Google Plus should not be thought of as just another social network. It is increasingly proving itself as essential part of Google way of bringing social signals, SEO, and customised search experience. Google Authorship may also become top factor in search ranking algorithm before the end of 2014.

Companies may also change course and turn to Google Plus since it offers “one-size-fits-all” system of social network that will benefit them. And as Google plus turns towards higher incorporation with other components and systems of web, its growth will be unstoppable, both in personal use and business.

Graphics-based networks will increase its popularity and usage. In 2013, the use of videos and graphics gained its popularity and initiate the trend in web sharing through video and picture sharing instead of the text-based content. Visual-based content continues to be consistent in becoming a vital part of content strategy. Some social network such as Pinterest will increase its credibility as “women’s network” and will be part of online marketing strategy.

How about the other image-based networks? Tumblr, Slideshare, Mobli, and Path will grow and companies continues to recognise the significance of “sharability” aspect of images in their websites and interesting blogs to obtain relevant benefits from social media content marketing campaigns.

Micro-Video will soar high. Well, developing a three-minute video and creating 140-character may become tiresome and boring. Mcro-video will change it all! Have you come across video-sharing features of Instagram and the Vine from Twitter? They are samples of micro video apps that offer real-time video sharing will become trending. They are not just any ordinary videos. Vine allows six seconds while Instagram allows three to fifteen seconds for each video. Too short, but users tend to opt for this and share videos from their mobile devices.

How interesting it will be how these “bite-sized” contents will alter video-sharing experience of the users. Let us see how it goes.

Foursquare may continue to struggle. Due to stale numbers of traffic, Foursquare started to experience difficulties in finding capital in 2013 and it continues to have this difficulties these days. There was even a prediction that Foursquare may be absorbed by big social networks like Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

MySpace will rise. They are performing some makeovers and changes and it seems MySpace is getting a second chance to prove itself. It offers services such as receiving private messages, developed iPhone apps that let its users to connect, and listen to customised radio station. It may not compete with the same category as the Twitter and Facebook but it may grow as a network of music lovers and bands.

LinkedIn will play significant role in B2B communities. LinkedIn still tops the social network for professionals. It has more than 230 million users and it aims to expand more. It introduced its Influencers program, it is finding its way as the biggest source of content creation for the professionals. This draws more users to join and the benefits of being “linked in” will have more significance in B2B marketers.

Wrapping all these,

• Twitter and Facebook will continue to be popular and the world will watch how they develop innovations to cope with the success of GooglePlus and the video-based sites; and as

• Facebook turns ten this 2014 and we know it will continue to put their efforts and time on mobile usability and will continue to offer marketers better opportunities to achieve their business goals. Twitter will continue to be the favorite of B2B community. I shall follow to see how GooglePlus will increase its market share.

There will be more to come and more to expect this year. Healthy competition among social media networks will provide meaningful experience to its users. New technology will come out and new innovations to create. And as for us, let us enjoy what they can offer!

Do you have some insights regarding the stance of social media this year? Share your thoughts so that we may know!