What’s Trending: Social Media 2013

One trend that is undeniable in social media for 2013 is continued growth. Over 70% of Americans are already using at least 1 social media site. With Facebook over 1 Billion unique users, expect to see other sites make significant jumps. So, where will people turn this year for social media and how can businesses capitalize?

Mobile devices, such as smartphones, tablets, and readers, are having a huge impact on all things techie these days. And why not? If we can get news, interact with friends and generally keep up with everything we like and need on our smartphones or tablets, all the better for us. Better to buy a gift or catch up with an old friend through a mobile app while sitting at the dentist’s office than to read a 2-month-old issue of Car & Driver.
Social media marketing will be delivered more and more to mobile users whether companies want it or not. So, if you’re planning your marketing strategy and tactics for 2013, keep in mind the medium on which your message will be received.

There are a multitude of studies showing the success of visual marketing – using great, engaging photos and videos – to gain attention and spread brand awareness. This is no surprise though. There’s a reason most people prefer to watch a game on TV than to listen to it on the radio. Unless you’re a poet laureate or best-selling novelist, expect your content delivery to be much better received if you include a compelling image or video with your message.

[youtube_sc url=”http://youtu.be/YFUMZ_o6l2s” title=”2013%20Trends” autoplay=”1″]

If you ever heard this growing up, “You have 2 ears and 1 mouth for a reason,” then welcome to the club. In advertising, this is a difficult thing to do because we want so badly to tell everyone how great our product or service is that listening to others just doesn’t happen all the time. To be effective in social media may mean delivering a different message – or a message in a different way – than what you’re used to with traditional ad campaigns like print and radio. Social media is an interactive medium where you can easily lose control of the conversation (and may encourage it). There is tremendous opportunity here for those marketers willing to listen and shape their message within an existing conversation. Expect consumers to look for and even demand responsive marketing online rather than billboard-style messaging.

Staying actively engaged is probably the biggest key to the success or failure of a program. Being engaged on Facebook doesn’t mean logging twice a week and liking a bunch of posts. Nor is it just retweeting people’s updates. Both of those are natural things to do as part of interacting on the sites, but it’s not enough. A good social media plan does take time and energy, and it evolves faster than Parisian fashion. That’s part of what makes it fun, interesting, and it’s also what allows you to separate yourself from the noise. If you don’t have time or the desire to keep up with it, call or email us.

Best of luck to everyone in all your business endeavors in 2013. Pursue your passion, and you will find success.

cSocially Media

Links to blogs on similar topics:

http://www.inc.com/magazine/201212/adam-bluestein/social-media-will-get-bigger.html

http://www.blackenterprise.com/technology/brands-use-2013-social-media-trends/