As the number of social networking platforms is increasing it is hard to know exactly where to commit one’s time and resources. It is important to understand where to invest our time and resources in the near future.
Necessity is investing in Social Media
Investing time and resources into a social media strategy is becoming a kind of necessity in 2013. By 2014 it will become a kind of necessity to integrate the social media efforts with their content strategy and are observing the impacts of social media in terms of lead generation, referral traffic and revenue. With time more companies are hiring social media strategists or full time social media managers.
Google + Will Become a Major Factor
Among the social networking sites, though Facebook continues to be at the top yet Google+ will become a significant factor in 2014. In fact Google+ now has the second largest number of monthly users. Google+ is not another social network but it is a site that provides search engine optimization services, social signals and it’s also a more personalized search experience.
Networks catering to Images Will See Huge Success
There will be a trend in 2013 as well as in 2014 to share images and videos rather than text-based content. Visual content will then become a critical piece of any solid content strategy and therefore image based social media sites will continue to grow.
Will Witness the Rise of Micro-Video
Micro video apps like Twitter, Vine and Instagrams video sharing feature will become popular in 2014 as more and more people will find interest in real time video sharing. With these video sharing apps users can share short videos from their smart phones.
Foursquare Will Decline Sharply
Foursquare will continue to struggle even in 2014 and it is just a matter of time before Foursquare folds and their users are absorbed into other networks like Facebook, Twitter, My space.
MySpace, Love it or Hate it, Will Grow
MySpace took several steps to increase their popularity. This social networking site offered iPhone app allowing users not only to network but also to receive private messages and listen to their own personalized radio station. By 2014 this social networking site will be as popular as Facebook and Twitter.
Linked In Will Become a Major Player for B2B Business Growth
Believe it or not LinkedIn is the best social networking site for professionals. LinkedIn has gained popularity with the launch of its programs. At present Linked In is not just a social networking site but also as the largest source of content creation for professionals. With time Linked In will become important for B2B marketers.
Final Thoughts
In future Facebook and Twitter have to compete with Google+ and other image and video based networks. All social media will endeavor to offer advertisers opportunities to better target their ads. In 2014 social media will gain significance as most business houses will commit time and resources to run their business using social media.
