Social Media Trends 2013

Social Media Trends 2013


Social Media today has considerably evolved and brought along with it many marketing theories and technologies. Social Media Marketing encompasses a lot of primary and secondary functions of an organization without much hassle and given its wide diameter & reach, more and more brands are engaging in this medium. Visual Media, a leading Digital marketing Agency located in New Delhi India notices some of the ongoing Digital marketing trends as follows:

Price

Companies are now spending twice or more on Social Networking & Social Advertising as compared to Traditional Media thanks to its economic reach (Yes! As compared Television, Radio, Print) and it creates a bridge directly between the brand & the consumer. This engagement possibility enhances the Digital marketing experience of the consumer making him/her aware of a lot of facts that they were not aware of or didn't think before coming across the brand on say Facebook or Twitter. According to a report by Hub spot as quoted in an article by Phil Mershon social spending habits are on the rise in small businesses too.
Outsourcing to Digital marketing Agencies vs In-House Management

Larger Enterprises with different departments for each division or function prefer outsourcing to Digital marketing Companies as it becomes the responsibility of the Social Media Agency to coordinate, assess and assimilate knowledge, information & content from different department of the enterprise. Having a single point of contact is much easier for proper S.M Optimization & performance as it delegates the responsibility in an orderly manner.

Small & Medium Enterprises prefer In-House operations of Social Media Management Agency as coordinating with each other on events or subjects to be promoted are more convenient by virtue of location, smaller team size, etc. Each member can contribute their information to a small team of Social Media Marketers who then compile and optimize the information before distributing the same on Social Media Networks. An in-house approach also provides the person engaging with the brand, with a sense of authenticity that each reply comes from someone representing the company.
Further, there is another type of enterprises who use Social Media Marketing for troubleshooting or addressing the at Technical queries of their customers & prospects. For example, Vodafone IN assists Vodafone India customers on various issues, complaints & distribution of information. Such an entity would either require partial Social Media Outsourcing or completely in-house Social Media support so as to refer to guides, technical departments and managerial decisions.

Purpose

The essence of Social Media Marketing lies in networking and engagement. It should encourage a reader to  your content enough to make the content and/or your brand popular among his network. A common practice: User Generated Content - is the ideal scenario where a question can get many answers generated and it becomes a powerful platform of discussion. User Generated Content for example, YouTube is used by viewers and for viewers! Implies, Viewers upload content which is immediately visible to other viewers. Facebook - a comprehensive platform - empowers brands to make smooth interfaces on their Facebook Fan Pages in order to get maximum Facebook Fans and Fan Engagements.

Politics

It had to be used someday and today, Digital marketing is one of the most powerful mediums of expression used by citizens of governments across the world. The ‘India Against Corruption Movement saw tides of people on their Facebook & Twitter accounts flooding them with queries and comments mostly in support of the Lokpal Bill which is still in pending consideration from the Government. Although as of now, any expression on Digital marketing Networks is not recognized by the Government as an official plea - but the time is not far where Governments too will allow moderated viewpoints & grievances to come through via Social Mediums. A popular service, Consumer Complaints.in in India has been one of the pioneers of this revolution. Social Media Marketing is being increasingly considered by Politicians and Parties as a tool to express their concern, ability, power & sympathy for the potential voter and hopefully we shall see a pleasant outcome from our future leaders!

Mobile Revolution

With the increased accessibility and portability of Mobile Broadband and 3G/4G services, the consumer could not have asked for a better period of time with respect to technology. Facebook for Blackberry, Twitter for iPad, Hoot suite for Android, etc are some of the must-have tools commonly used for Digital marketing Networking while on the go. The purposes vary in nature: Video Calling, Email Checking, Sharing of Digital Content, Music/Video downloads (hopefully no piracy), Real Time multiplayer Gaming & Networking, Emergency Services, Location Based Marketing, Low Latency Push-to-Talk and Push-to-Video Message Services, etc.

Social Media Worth Exploring

Social Media Worth Exploring

Social media is a perfect vehicle for connections between family and friends. While it has many marketing opportunities there is a more personal side to social media worth exploring.

For instance, families used to connect only through the occasional letter that may be passed around from one family member to another and photos of grandchildren were passed along in Christmas cards.

Today social media is having an impact on how scattered families can remain connected. Beyond the useful emails, the use of social media can allow families to access a number of methods to help keep others up-to-date on family news.

Slide Shows - this is a photo tool that can allow you to send highlights of a special event in the life of your family such as a birthday party, anniversary or family trip. In a matter of moments your family can gain access to a visually pleasing presentation of your most immediate adventures.

Social Networks - many social networks provide a privacy setting that only allow approved members into your personal network. For all intents and purposes this type of network allows you the privacy you may desire in sharing family news, audio, video and photos in one convenient setting. Other family members can also set up a privacy account, which allows a no-cost alternative to family connections.

YouTube - Video sites like YouTube can be repositories for family videos. In most cases, however, the video information remains available to the public for viewing. If privacy is a primary concern there are programs such as BigUpload that will allow you to host a video or other large file and select email addresses to receive access to the files for download.

Family Forums or Blogs - the use of a forum or blog can allow the various personalities of your family to shine through. They can also allow you to coordinate potential gatherings or gift exchanges. Due to the dynamics of family there might even be the occasional bit of tension - even cyberspace can't change that.

The use of social media offers great opportunity for families to enjoy the privacy you want with the connectedness you desire.

When you participate in a social network you can also branch out to visit other friends without disrupting the privacy you need. If you desire a more public profile you should check with the social network to see if they allow a second account. If they do, the second account can be used to keep in contact with a more public audience.

Social media provides a unique opportunity to connect families in the 21st century. Perhaps it is an idea worth pursuing.

Scott Lindsay is a web developer and entrepreneur. He is the founder of HighPowerSites and many other web projects.