With another year in the bag, the changes to the social media marketing landscape seem to keep evolving. Relentlessly.
Businesses are kicking off this year’s social media marketing plans, looking back at what they’ve learned throughout the past year and evaluating what 2014 will bring.
It’s (Really) Time to Move Beyond Just Facebook
Because of its size and number of users, Facebook is often delegated as the most important social media site. However, expanding into other outlets this year will prove to be very valuable for businesses of all sizes.
Google Plus will be increasingly important for developing brand presence – especially for small businesses – because of the growing integration of SEO, features like “Review” and a more personalized search experience. If you’re not on Google Plus already, 2014 is the year to get it going.
Current staples Twitter and Pinterest will continue to grow in 2014. With Twitter going public and the addition of Twitter Ads, it will continue to be a major player for brands of all types. For B2B companies, LinkedIn, with approximately 240 million professionals, will emerge as the primary player in the B2B market.
Additionally, social content networks like YouTube, Instagram and Vine will help develop brand personality and push people into your sales funnel. Relevant images and videos as literal representations of your brand will become hugely important for nurturing consumer relationships. With the explosion of mobile and more than 40 million Vine users, we’re about to see video content marketing increase sharply in the upcoming year.
Lead the Community while Letting the Community Lead You
As Social Media Marketing continues to evolve into different platforms, content and delivery evolve with it. An important development for brands that started with the temporary blackout during the 2013 Super Bowl, will be creating interactive consumer content, built around developing social trends and instantaneous events.
Thanks to Oreo’s wildly popular live tweet during the power-outage of Superbowl XLVII, companies like Nabisco are starting to realize the marketing value of developing content around current events. Often referred to as “newsjacking,” this strategy is a great way for brands to generate interest by publishing not only timely content, but also hugely relevant content–in an instant.
Make sure to also interact and engage with consumers who are commenting and sharing. Turn these people into brand champions by developing conversations and relationships with them. To amplify engagements, supply followers with supplemental content.
Trying to Advance Your Social Media Marketing in Minneapolis?
With social media marketing, like other forms of digital marketing, it often takes time to turn impressions into purchases. As long as you are consistently releasing engaging content based around your audience and relevant events, you will see the benefits in time. Maybe, if you take time to plan and execute like Oreo, you may see the benefits happen during halftime.
Would you like to incorporate SEO into your social media marketing Minneapolis strategy? Let’s talk. Give Snap Agency a call at (763) 548-2297 or contact us by email to request a free consultation.