What to Expect in 2014

Happy New Year and watch out! Social media is going to go further in 2014 than ever before. With more companies focusing on how they communicate through content, we will see many trends from 2013 blossom and some die.  Here are few things to look out for in 2014:

Free isn’t always free:

The pressure to get content noticed will increase in 2014 and paid social coverage will become necessary to gain visibility. While the major players in social media (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.) are free to join, they may require you to pay for additional services such as ads or certain levels of social reach.

Social Media frontrunners are noticing the rise in popularity so it won’t be long before they take advantage of company needs and start charging for better services.  We may start seeing social media channels offering services similar to LinkedIn, offering basic membership for free but requiring a paid membership for bigger and better services.

Social Media is on the Go!

Technology has forever changed and unlimited information is literally a finger swipe away. It will become increasingly important to optimize your website for mobile devices. All social media is designed to drive traffic back to your website and consumers expect an easy transition from the social site to the website. Thinking about how to interact with consumers through their smartphones will be a big player this year.

Seeing is believing

People are turning to image-based sites like Pinterest and Instagram more than text-based sites. While text is not completely dead, though some would argue it’s on it’s way out, companies have to start thinking about how to incorporate images in every post to complement the content.

Visual content plays a role in video as well. Consumers turn towards video content, whether it’s an ad or other types of videos, to learn about a company. Keep in mind that videos will be viewed on mobile devices!

Not your teen’s Social Media

With increasing popularity comes increasingly complex social media marketing strategic plans.  Sorry kids, simply knowing your way through Twitter isn’t enough these days. Anyone can make a Facebook page and post content and say they are a social media marketer, but it takes real planning to create a successful social media campaign.

This year is going to be an exciting time for social media!