Over the course of 2013, we've seen a range of social media trends emerge. I've discussed the development of all-in-one apps as well as the rise in popularity for single-service photo and video sharing apps such as Snapchat and Vine. I've also talked about the growth of Pinterest and Instagram amongst teens and adults alike. With 2014 on the horizon, how can brands improve their social media marketing strategies to match such trends? These four tips will tell you.
1. Diversify Your Social Media Presence
While Facebook and Twitter still dominate the social media scene, 2013 has seen the rise in a diverse range of single-service social media networks. Vine and Instagram have both seen significant growth, raising the competition with mobile video sharing. Pinterest has also been rising in popularity, driving a significant amount of referral traffic across the web. In addition, Snapchat has become massively popular amongst the younger demographic. As single-service networks 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. 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. Revamp Your Content Marketing Strategy
While photo and video sharing are currently dominating the social media scene, content marketing is still here to stay. In fact, all signs point to content marketing getting even bigger in 2014. Research shows that businesses that have blogs generate 67% more leads each month than companies that do not. Furthermore, studies also indicate that 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 - make sure that you're blogging regularly and providing your audience with useful, engaging information in your content.
4. Focus on Local & Mobile Advertising
Another trend that we've seen in 2013 is the massive growth in both mobile use and mobile advertising. Hand-in-hand with mobile marketing comes location based advertising. As mobile devices become more and more important in the daily lives of consumers, 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, re-focus your social media marketing strategy on both local and mobile efforts to reach more customers when they need you.
How do you plan on revamping your social media marketing strategy in 2014?