Cameron Joye is Community Manager, Brand Advocate and Thought Leader at Engagor, where she blogs regularly. She loves engaging with people the world over, so tweet her @Cameron_Joye!
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If all of the buzz social media has been getting in the month of January alone is any indication of what 2014 is going to be like for social media, I think we have a lot of exciting things to look forward to!
2013 was clearly a year where we have seen a greater transition towards social in so many ways across the board. We encounter social media in numerous facets of our lives; now it’s hard to imagine a day in the life cut off from the digital space.
1. Is it time for Facebook to reinvent?
It seems there isn’t a day that goes by now where we don’t see several articles contending over whether Facebook is “in or out.” Everyone has a different opinion, but there is some undeniable evidence that perhaps Facebook is losing the attention of its younger audience. The exclusivity that made Facebook once so hot is now gone, and everyone’s mother, grandfather and wacky aunt are now logging in and checking out our social lives.
Younger generations are adapting and exploring new ways to communicate, share and network with one another. They’re opting for more visually based networks like Snapchat, Vine and Pinterest, and private networks such as WhatsApp, Line and Viber where they’re not under the watchful eye of prying parents. It’s up to social networks to understand, evolve, and integrate with trends to meet the changing needs of users or be left behind.
2. People are opting for visual social networks
Our attention spans are shrinking! Or so it would seem when you take a look at today’s digital landscape. When we look at what’s hot amongst the socially savvy, the social networks of choice right now are Instagram and Vine. And although it’s been around for quite some time, YouTube is still ranking high but with videos continually shrinking in length.
Companies are racking their brains on how to make content shorter, catchier, more unique and amusing. Everyone wants to see entertaining videos, pictures, and eye-catching infographics. The new ways we find to cram all of our advertising into such convenient little bits and bytes are mind-blowing. It’s a very challenging yet rewarding time to be working in the fields of social media, marketing, and PR.
3. Is your brand making conversations with the right people?
Now more than ever, we are flooded by content in every aspect of our daily lives. Everyone has their hand in the social media game and companies intensely compete for consumers’ attention. Many would argue there’s too much content out there and people are starting to tune it out.
The new question is, “How do you stand out in a digital space that’s so loud and overcrowded?” It’s up to companies and brands to decide how they can reach their target audience in the most engaging and original way. Brands have to pay close attention to the kind of content they’re streaming to their audience and what most successfully reaches the kind of people they want to be having conversations with.
4. Social advertising continues to dominate and evolve
Advertising saw some huge changes in the past year, and there’s undoubtedly more to come in 2014. Forget banner ads, those are nearly dead and buried! Networks notice a lot of money can be made in social advertising, and they’re looking for ways to lure and incentivize brands to spend big bucks.
Facebook has been playing around with its advertising scheme and is now trying to make the ads in the News Feed more appealing and less invasive than before. Twitter is jumping on the bandwagon and getting in the game with promoted Tweets. And to top it all off, there’s a big push to develop a mobile ad strategy. Because people now spend more time in front of their mobile phones than their desktop monitors, marketers are seeing a massive opportunity to reach their audience in a new way.
5. Is social location marketing an improved way to reach customers?
We all know the app, Foursquare, that allows people to “check-in” to places they’re visiting. It’s a fun way for friends to see what you’re up to but also enables businesses to reward you through special offers. In 2014, brands and businesses will take this a step further and start tracking their customers regularly.
Why not encourage customers to shop at your store or eat at your restaurant by providing them with special offers via their mobile phone? Many customers are more willing than you might think to allow businesses of their choice to track their location via smartphone. Businesses then have the permission to automatically see when customers have come to their place of business without them even checking-in!
There’s no doubt it’s a really awesome time to be involved in the digital space. Social media is changing the way we see and interact with the world and people around us. All those who were holding out and resisting the social media revolution… I’m afraid it’s a futile effort and the world will be moving forward with or without you!
Photo Credit: Flickr user Jason Howie (jasonahowie)
