Social Media Trends Update

According to Forbes, there were 7 Social Media trend predictions made just before 2014… and they’ve taken the time to analyze how accurate they were in predicting how companies are marketing their brands so far this year.

Prediction 1:  Investment in Social Media will become a Necessity, not a Luxury.
Yes, this seems true… and quite obvious. The importance for brands to engage with its customers online ,through Facebook, Twitter, et al, is increasingly critical as more consumers spend their “free” time on those channels and not with traditional media (print and television). And while 92% of businesses say that social media is important to their business, the challenges become showing ROI for the marketing investment to the board and having talented staff to engage and maximize the online conversation.

Prediction 2:  Google+ will become a major factor.
Umm, not so much. Yes, 61% of businesses are planning on increasing their Google+ activities, however changes in the platform are making it difficult to be cost-effective in communicating effectively with targets when brands must first establish Author Rank and authority for content.

Prediction 3:  Image-centric Networks will see huge success.
Pinterest, Snapchat and Instagram are seeing steady increases in number of uses and activity on their platforms. Brands continue to find creative ways of engaging their customers and as a result both the companies and Social Media have found success.

Prediction 4: The rise of Micro-video.
Brands that use micro-video platforms, like Vine and Instagram video, can stand out by simplifying their message. While both platforms are currently hot with uses, Instagram is definitely providing a greater return on content engagement.

Prediction 5:  Foursquare will decline sharply.
In an effort to re-invigorate the dying platform, Foursquare recently split its app into two: The original Foursquare, and its new app, Swarm. Swarm allows users to easily find friends without the need to “check-in” and giving recommendations based on personalized usage and searching.

Prediction 6:  Myspace will grow.
While the once popular platform is still around and loved on the music scene, the slow increase in visitors is not much compare to the activity on Facebook, Twitter and even Google+… expect more changes as they try to remain competitive.

Prediction 7:  LinkedIn will become a major player for B2B business growth.
Yes, LinkedIn is the primary network for businesses, particularly B2B. Company page usage increased from 24% to 57% so far this year. Amazingly I think this trend is only going to grow as more B2B brands and professionals use the network.

What trends are you seeing? Has anything surprised you about consumer social media usage?

 

 

 

GOL! McDonald’s Viral Success

Getting into the spirit, McDonald’s latest video series to promote the World Cup has consumers not only in the spirit of the game, but also playing it.

Love this latest viral hit…