With new social networking platforms appearing
from behind every corner, it can be hard to know
exactly where to commit your time and resources.
And as we move into the latter-half of 2013, it's
important to look ahead to where social
networking is going, and how we can get on board.
As I think about the trends in social media so far
this year, I've compiled a list of my predictions as
to where we're headed as we inch towards 2014.
1. Investment in Social Media Will Become a
Necessity, Not a Luxury
While I'd argue that investing time and resources
into a social media strategy is most definitely a
necessity in 2013, I believe the tipping point in
public sentiment from 'should have' to 'must have'
will occur in 2014.
Businesses are already coming to terms with the
need to integrate their social media efforts with
their content strategy, and are seeing the impact
of social media in terms of lead generation,
referral traffic, and revenue.
As businesses see these very real and measurable
benefits, I believe we'll see a move away from
assigning social media tasks to existing
employees, and see even more companies hiring
social media strategists or full-time social media
managers.
The benefits of social media are many, but they
include:
Improved social signals (which are a factor in the
search ranking algorithm).
Company branding
Improved brand awareness
Word-of-mouth advertising
Increased customer loyalty and trust
Improved audience reach and influence
Social media is also one of the three pillars of
SEO.
2. Google + Will Become a Major Factor
While Facebook continues to lead the pack in
terms of number of active monthly users (1.15
billion at last count), Google+ is quickly gaining
steam, and in fact, now has the second highest
number of monthly users (343 million).
With Google using the platform to collect
personal information (think demographics,
location, etc.), Google+ should no longer be
thought of as 'just' another social network. It's
increasingly proving itself to be an integral part
of Google's grand scheme in terms of SEO, social
signals and providing a more personalized search
experience. This is especially apparent with the
importance of Google Authorship, which I project
will be one of the key components to Google's
search ranking algorithm by the end of 2014.
I believe that businesses who are finding
themselves spread thin with their social media
efforts will increasingly turn to Google+ as the
closest thing we have to a 'one size fits all' social
network.
As Google+ moves towards even greater
integration with other aspects of the web – as
they've already done with their foray into local
search – I think we'll see its growth skyrocket,
both in terms of business and personal use. For
information on how to start using Google+, read
"How to Breathe Life into Your Google+ Profile."
3. Image-Centric Networks Will See Huge
Success
We've seen a consistent trend in 2013 toward
sharing through image and video, rather than
text-based content. Visual content will
increasingly become a critical piece of any solid
content strategy, and social networking site
Pinterest will continue to shed its reputation as a
'women's only' network and become an integral
part of retailers' marketing strategies.
Other image-based social media sites like
Slideshare, Tumblr, Path, and Mobli will continue
to grow, and businesses will need to become more
mindful about the 'sharability' factor of photos
on their websites and blogs in order to derive
significant benefit from their social media
content marketing efforts.
4. We'll Witness the Rise of Micro-Video
It seems that writing 140 characters and taking
3 minute long videos is becoming too tedious for
many of us. Micro video to the rescue!
With the emergence of micro video apps like
Twitter's Vine and now Instagram's video sharing
feature, we're seeing even more movement
toward real-time video sharing. And not just any
videos; with Instagram allowing 3-15 seconds per
video, and Vine allowing precisely 6 seconds,
users are even more likely to create and share
videos from their smartphones.
It will be interesting to see if and how these
bite-sized pieces of content will change the
playing field when it comes to video-based social
media.
5. Foursquare Will Decline Sharply
With stale traffic numbers, and significant
difficulties raising capital in 2013, Foursquare
continues to struggle its way towards 2014.
With other social networks like Facebook,
Instagram, and Twitter offering location-based
features, it seems like only a matter of time
before Foursquare folds and their users are
absorbed into these other networks.
6. MySpace, Love it or Hate it, Will Grow
With their radical makeover and re-branding
efforts earlier this year, MySpace appears to be
getting its second wind. Offering an iPhone app
that allows users to network, receive private
messages, and listen to their own personalized
radio station, MySpace seems to be on track for
growth in 2014.
7. LinkedIn Will Become a Major Player for B2B
Business Growth
Still holding steady as the #1 social networking
site for professionals with 238 million users,
LinkedIn isn't just sitting on its heels. With the
launch of its Influencers program, LinkedIn is
positioning itself as not only another networking
site, but as one of the largest sources of content
creation and curation for professionals.
As it grows and attracts even more users, the
advantages of being "linked in" will become
enormous for B2B marketers.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Nigeria.
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