As we pace into 2014, we need to take a relook at where we stand in social media marketing, the top marketing area in the space now, and how we can get on board to cope up with the upcoming trends in the coming year. Strategic Marketing Services has done an intensive research to discover the top 5 factors that might impact the fate of social media marketing in 2014.
Businesses will breathe social media
Though social media has been in the digital marketing mix for quite some time, 2014 will be the time for businesses to shift from ‘might have’ to ‘must have’. Businesses need to integrate social media in their mix to increase lead generation, referral traffic and the associated revenue. There are other benefits of social media like branding, increase in brand awareness, powerful word-of-mouth advertising and increased customer loyalty.
Google+ is going to be a major contender
Though Facebook has been the top leading channel that has come handy for businesses, Google+ is quickly picking up pace and is likely to be the second most important channel in the coming year. With the help of SEO page ranking and Google Authorship, Google+ turns out to be the channel that fits every need.
Networks performing on image-centric basis will see more light
Visual content will increasingly become a need than just another content channel. Pinterest will reach newer heights rendering support to retailers.
Micro-videos will see glory
With Vine and Instagram’s video-sharing feature increasing, the craze for creating and watching videos has also increased. People tend to move away from reading, even if it’s 140 characters, and prefer watching videos instead. Videos will be created mostly using smartphones.
LinkedIn will be a major player in B2B space
LinkedIn like always would see a steady growth among users. Rather than being just another social networking site, it will be a content creation and curation forum for professionals.
Finally, 2014 will be a year in which enterprises will realize the importance of social media and will have dedicated resources for the same.
Want to know what has changed from 2013 to 2014?
Check out Social Media Strategy for your Business in 2013!
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