14 Social Media Trends for 2014 by Julia Borgini

With more and more brands hopping on the social media bandwagon in 2013, there are bound to be some shifts in the way we use it for business.

We’re seeing hashtags show up in print advertising and television commercials, and short-form videos like Vine and Instagram Videos becoming more mainstream. You might say social media is here to stay.

So it’s fair to ask what you can expect in the coming year in social media marketing. To answer that question, I’ve scoured some of the best lists on the web and gathered some of the top social media trends for 2014 for you.

Social Media Trends for 2014

1. The rise of social paid advertising.

All the major social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn) now offer paid advertising, and they’ll continue to work on making it better. Just looking at some stats, it appears that brands will want to use it:

• Brands that use the retargeted ads in Facebook users’ newsfeeds report 49 times more clicks than right-hand sidebar ads.
• LinkedIn Sponsored Updates see a 45% higher engagement than posts on Facebook or Twitter.
• Twitter offers three different kinds of paid advertising: promoted accounts, tweets, and trends.

2. Specialized social media platforms and sites are going to become more popular.

For the same reason you target your business and marketing, soon you’ll be able to target your social media campaigns.

Some existing platforms like LinkedIn already let you target particular segments and audiences with your updates. However if you want to reach an even more specific audience, try looking at a niche social media platform. Some examples includeUntappd, Ravelry, Gentlemint, ThirdAge, and Meet Pips.

3. Google+ will become a major factor in social media.

Often an afterthought to many social media campaigns, Google+ will see an increased presence in 2014.

Google reports that over 300 million people visit G+ every month. It’s a big part of their search algorithm, it rewards sites with high SEO IQ, and when you add in Google Authorship, it’s easy to see why.

See how to set up your own Google+ Company Page here.

4. Brands have to think of themselves as publishers.

As quality content continues to be important, brands are realizing that they need to hire good writers to work along with their marketing staff.

They’re realizing the value in assembling a good team of writers, marketers, analysts, and designers. Working with their own newsroom-like departments, or outside vendors like Press Feed will allow them to easily create a well-rounded and robust content strategy that offers everything from social, mobile, and graphic content.

5. Employee advocacy will be formalized.

Forward-thinking brands will codify processes and procedures for their staff that will empower their employees to speak up for the brand (and not be penalized).

Innovative companies will use social media to gain valuable insight into what’s happening within their company, so they can make better future business decisions.

Clearly, social media proficiency is seen as a core business asset rather than a liability.

6. Social media jobs will change drastically this year.

It’s out with the Social Media Manager, and in with the SEO Specialist, Social Media Strategist, Online Community Manager, Social Media Marketing Manager, Social Media Marketing Coordinator, and Blogger or Social Media Copywriter (say Business Insider and Hootsuite).

7. Big business will use social media even more in their campaigns.

According to John Jantsch of Duct Tape Marketing, they’ll use it to create brand awareness, to hire new staff, drive lead generation, and ultimately, serve customers better.

We live more and more of our lives online, so it only makes sense that brands will continue their research into social media and how it can benefit their bottom line.

8. Hashtags will be everywhere.

You’ve already noticed them on-screen in television, and they’re quoted all the time in ads and news reports—now FB is using them too. Make sure you know whathashtags are and how to use them.

9. Pay attention to news trends and use them.

Gary Vaynerchuck calls this “trendjacking” in his book Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook. It means you use a trending news topic, create social media content for it, and release it right away. It’s only useful for that period in time; however, it can be extremely powerful and compelling.

My personal favorite is Oreo’s You Can Still Dunk in the Dark during the blackout of the 2013 SuperBowl. But there are other great examples like DiGiorno’s live tweeting during NBC’s live broadcast of The Sound of Music, or some UK brands “celebration” of the Royal Birth of Prince George last summer.

10. Quality content will be even more important.

Ann Handley of Marketing Profs says it’s the foundation to all good content, regardless of content type. While I won’t quote the “should be retired” cliche about content and royalty, it is true. Produce only quality content, and you’ll win on social media.

11. Content must be relevant to be useful.

Consumers are easier to target in today’s market, so making the experience relevant will be important. That means using the right social media platform, hashtags and keywords, and producing the right compelling content to engage your followers.

Companies like ThinkGeekencourage users to submit Action Shots of themselves using the products, which is an easy way to measure the ROI of their products and social media reach.

12. Becoming more mobile.

As tablets and smartphones get more powerful, we’re using them more and more on the go. According to a Prosper Insights report, only 33% of mobile websites are “very good,” which means there’s a lot of room for improvement.

13. Brands will use more video, in particular, micro-video.

This is an extension of the fact that people like to consume video on their mobile devices.

The video platforms are becoming more reliable and brands are able to monetize them more easily. Video producers are capitalizing on this, and creating videos for brands that are of high quality and are highly entertaining.

The good news is that almost half of all video watchers complete the entire video, with a whopping 79% completion rate on those on auto-play .

14. SlideShare becomes a key influencer.

With over 60 million monthly visitors, and 130 million pageviews, SlideShareis one of the most visited websites in the world. Users can share presentations directly from the site, or embed them in their own.

It’s one of the easier ways to share content. It offers a unique relationship between content and distribution that brands and business should harness.

Source: http://blog.crazyegg.com/2014/01/22/14-social-media-trends-2014/

4 myths about reviews you’re still falling for by Tara DeMarco

Reviews have become commonplace – table stakes, even – and yet so many businesses share common misperceptions about online feedback. To correct some of these, I talked with Gradiva Couzin and Jennifer Grappone, online marketing consultants and partners at Gravity Search Marketing.

Gradiva and Jennifer have spent over a decade improving the online presence of a wide variety of companies in entertainment, software, local services, nonprofit, and retail. Their new book, Five Stars: Putting Online Reviews to Work for Your Business, explores techniques to cultivate positive reviews, show them off, and learn from customer feedback to improve your business.

Myth: “Only angry customers write online reviews.”

Reality: Gradiva and Jennifer: Most online reviews are positive. Here are some statistics as reported by major review venues: 82% of Bazaarvoice reviews are positive, as are 79% on Yelp and 75% on TripAdvisor. In researching for our book, we learned there are many different experiences and emotional states that can trigger a review. Being angry or disappointed is one of those states, but being happy and grateful is another. Both extremes are likely to result in a person posting an online review. In fact, a 2011 study published in the journal Marketing Science found that “individuals with either high or low post-purchase evaluations are more likely to contribute ratings, whereas individuals with moderate post-purchase evaluations are less likely to contribute ratings.” You may have noticed this tendency yourself: Look at Amazon and you’ll often see a preponderance of five star and one star reviews, with only a small number in the “meh” zone of twos and threes.

Myth: “The overall star count is the only influencing factor for consumers.”

Reality: Studies show that shoppers do read the textual content of online reviews and respond to the text rather than relying solely on the star count. Shoppers also look for signals that they should trust the review, and one big factor in trust is the volume of reviews. A 2012 study in the Journal of Hospitality & Management suggested that consumers want to see approximately five to ten reviews of a given hotel location in order to trust that the reviews are reliable. Another study from the International Journal of Electronic Commerce suggested that having a larger volume of reviews can convey a feeling of justification to a consumer, who may reason that if so many people bought a given product or service, it must be worthwhile.

Another factor is the reviewer’s identity. It’s well known that consumers are more influenced by people who they perceive to be similar to themselves. So the more details you can provide about a given reviewer the better, as details will help shoppers make decisions based on their own criteria.

Myth: “It’s pointless to respond to reviews.”

Reality: One of the points we advance strongly in our book is the idea that a business’s or brand’s public responses to online reviews are not just for the original reviewer: They provide important information to everyone else who will see the review.

Responding to poor reviews can more than double purchase intent.Download the Conversation Index Volume 6 to learn which types of reviews merit a response, and which responses pack the most selling power.

Here are a few of the good things that responding to reviews can do for your brand:

• Prove you’re listening. Responses to both negative and positive reviews indicate that your brand is listening attentively to its customers. A well-crafted response to a negative review can show potential future customers how well your brand handles difficult situations. A Bazaarvoice study with Wakefield Research found that seeing a brand response to a review makes 41% of consumers think the brand “really cares about consumers.”
• Make your brand human. Proving you’re listening also sends a positive message, and may serve to discourage overly cutting reviews because it shows that there is a human on the receiving end. The same Bazaarvoice study found that 35% of people who see a brand response to a negative review think the brand “has great customer service.”
• Correct product misuse. Brand responses can provide helpful, corrective instructions when a review includes descriptions of incorrect product use. This will not only clear things up for the original reviewer, but it can also prevent the same errors from being repeated by others. Bazaarvoice found that shoppers who saw the brand review responses that included instructions for properly using the product were 186% more likely to purchase than those who didn’t.

It’s not uncommon for a reviewer to change a negative review after a situation is resolved to their satisfaction. According to a Chatmeter.com study, among 2012 holiday shoppers who received a retailer response to a negative review, 34% deleted the original negative review, 33% turned around and posted a positive one, and 18% bought more. We’ve heard the same thing from marketers and business owners that we interviewed: Reviewers will sometimes change or even remove a negative review after the brand reaches out with a polite apology and an effort to make things right.

As a general rule, negative reviews on sites that matter to you should get a public response. Leaving a negative review publicly unanswered inherently gives the last word to your detractor. That said, we don’t recommend responding to reviews that cross the line from criticism to incoherence – there’s no good reason to add extra fuel to their fire.

Myth: “Nobody reviews utilitarian products.” 

Reality: It’s true that certain products are just a bit review-challenged. Think of a cell phone charger or a toilet brush. They either work or they don’t, which can make it hard to get people talking. This is why, without following best practices, utilitarian products may not get many reviews.

Fortunately, there are ways to encourage more reviews for utilitarian products. Prompting customers for specific details, for example, asking about reliability or durability, can help you get more reviews for these types of products. Matching the review request to the product, for example, “Did this meet your expectations?” instead of “Tell us what you thought!” can create an atmosphere in which your customer feels like they have something useful and important to contribute. And of course, making it as easy as possible to get in and write a review is never a bad approach.

Source: http://blog.bazaarvoice.com/2014/04/11/busted-four-review-myths-youre-still-falling/

Could Google Glass Be a Part of Your Business Technology Strategy? by Ritiko Puri

Could Google Glass Be a Part of Your Business Technology Strategy?

MOBILERitika Puri

MAR19

Google Glass, the small computer worn like eyeglasses that allows users to surf the Web, email, text, take photos and videos—as well as many other functions—is bringing science fiction to life.

The big question is whether Google Glass is a business technology strategy and tool your office can use to enhance productivity and reach a whole new realm of information mobility.

It’s hard to believe that Google unveiled its first Glass prototype more than two years ago. Now in beta, the product has life-changing potential; especially in the areas of healthcare, teaching, media and shopping. Users can learn, share details about their lives, and process information in real time. Since Google Glass switches focus from a hand-held device to one that becomes a focal point, basically, because you’re wearing it—everything that’s happening through the device brings the information to a whole new level.

In fact, platforms like Google Glass introduce limitless possibilities. As Forbes writer Will Burns puts it, “The applications of Google Glass extend as far as the eye can see, and as deeply as the mind can dream.”

Is it time for your business to jump into this new technology ecosystem? Perspectives on this are split, raising even more questions than answers.

1. ARE HUMANS READY FOR THE AUGMENTED REALITY GOOGLE GLASS BRINGS?

While the concept of augmented reality is well-established, Glass takes the concept of ‘always on’ to new heights — take a photo with a wink, translate photos in real time, read email instantly, and record video without holding up a camera.

The big question, however, is whether the human body can handle it.

Google has conducted significant research to make sure that the device is safe — and for many users, it will be. But people with specific health conditions should proceed cautiously. Eyesight, for example, falls on a spectrum. And ophthalmologists and medical researchers agree that there is reason to be concerned as headaches and dizziness are potential side effects of Glass.

As with any device, usage of Glass will vary. ‘Always on’ is one extreme use case — others will be using Glass in short increments.

The bottom line is that businesses need a clear understanding of these different use cases before developing products on the Glass platform and  Google Glass developers need to study their target group’s physiology in addition to their consumer preferences.

2. ARE YOU THINKING ABOUT CONTEXT AND YOUR OFFICE ATMOSPHERE?

Google Glass is a touchy subject. The ‘cool factor’ is high among technology enthusiasts — but so is the potential for awkwardness in social settings.

Consumers don’t necessarily like advertising that they’re ‘always on’ technophiles. Incessant ‘Ok Glass’ commands can be awkward and disruptive in social settings.

A Seattle bar made headlines last year when it banned Glass, just days after it was announced. Bartenders and consumers alike are afraid of unsolicited video recordings — patrons caught on tape when they’re vulnerable.

While Google Glass has the potential to be ‘cool’ and useful, it’s equally likely to make bystanders feel awkward and uncomfortable as it really is a designed for one-person use.

Consider that the success of your Glass project will be dependent on context. Focus on sociology as much as technology when considering Glass as part of your business technology.

3. ARE THE BENEFITS OF WAITING WORTH THE COSTS?

Some companies may want to think about waiting before putting money behind a new platform as time will clarify uncertainties about Glass’s market adoption. And for other organizations; Glass as a business technology strategy may make sense as the applications of Glass in the workplace are compelling and clear.

Consider the case of vision insurance and lens provider VSP Global. The company is working on applications for Google Glass in medical settings.

VSP and Google recently struck a deal to offer coverage for prescription lenses and frames and there is interest in having Glass as part of the healthcare system.

Businesses need to decide whether Glass makes sense—and is worth the investment—for their business model.

GOOGLE GLASS: BUSINESS TECHNOLOGY STRATEGY OR FUN GADGET?

There are no certainties that Google Glass will take off — but the probability is high. In reality, the answer to the question: “Does my business need a Glass strategy?” is far from black and white. In some markets, Glass will probably crash and burn. In others, it will likely become a staple.

Ultimately, you need to look beyond technology — psychology, physiology, and sociology are major factors that will guide your strategy. After all, business technology strategy is something all companies need to keep top-of-mind in this ever-evolving technological Information Age.

Source: http://www.workintelligent.ly/technology/mobile/2014-3-19-google-glass-business-technology-strategy/