Social Media Trends that organizations must follow in 2014!
Social media made a big impact in 2013, especially for businesses that turned to platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest to directly engage with customers and boost sales. It has now become more important for organizations to look back at the year that's gone; and determine what has worked and what didn't and make the most of the latest trends in social media to enjoy a fruitful 2014.
Social marketers should therefore follow the best and most important trends to help their brands connect with consumers and succeed in 2014. Given below is a list of five most important insights that social marketers should look into;
Clever and smart marketing
Last year has witnessed a tremendous change in how consumers make purchase decisions which has compelled brands to fight it out with one another like never before. Audience behavior has changed drastically with more emphasis on professional and personal needs. It has become imperative to understand client needs, their preferences and then create products and strategies to engage them. Gathering customer data and using it meaningfully is necessary. Moreover the marketing content used should not be just for promotion but something more useful and informative.
Analyzing Social data
Social networking sites include innumerable conversations, interactions and other actions every second which is an opportunity as well as a challenge for organizations. Social marketers can make use of this opportunity and analyze data that can help them strengthen their bond with customers. Such information posted on social media sites act as means to gain meaningful insight into the minds of consumers and assist companies to achieve their goals. Organizations should therefore have a dedicated social analytics team who can effectively monitor the activities going on in social media sites.
The need for integration in social media
Social media can no longer exist as separate entity but needs to integrate and coordinate with the rest of the firm's marketing strategy. According to Altimeter, almost 78% of organizations have a dedicated social media team but in spite of this firms lack coordination and integration. Hardly a meager 26% of the firms actually know how to approach social media holistically. In order to get the best outcome, firms must connect social data to other sources of data as for best results.
Videos are Hot!
Videos, particularly short videos continue to be hot and much in demand as an important part of social media marketing tool. YouTube is still going strong with no signs of exhaustion with almost 100 hours of video uploaded every hour. Applications such as Vine, with its 6-seconds video capabilities and Instagram, with its 15-seconds video capabilities including filters and integration within Facebook are a boon for brands.
Relevant, real-time content marketing is the need of the hour
Last but not the least, it's important to keep in mind that utilization of relevant content and not quantity is the key to a successful social media campaign. Appropriate content can drive traffic; engage audience and attract high-quality leads. Anticipating what topics clients would love to read about, and have content ready for them can be one of the biggest advantages for your organization.
2014 will certainly be a much more prosperous and exciting year for social media and organizations alike!
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