Booming Social Media Trends to Consider

There are many social media trends that have been introduced lately that are well worth considering for your business. Of course, this doesn’t mean that the standard social media practices that you have been using so far should be abandoned.

Some of the trends that will be presented here will work effectively for your business and some will not fit in to what you are doing.

Marketing that is based on a specific location

Location services are growing more and more popular all of the time. Many people are comfortable with the idea of “checking in” and the more prevalent this becomes, the more sophisticated safety features you will see emerging. Privacy options such as those that can block your location from public view will become increasingly common as well as features that are connected to your branding. If you haven’t become familiar with websites such as Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places, it is time to do so. Those websites will enable you to focus on your target audience’s likes, dislikes, and interests more accurately. The way in which you will be able to accomplish this is by offering promotions, discounts and/or giveaways when they check in to your business.

Text messaging campaigns

There is a growing capability and desire of small businesses to move their marketing campaigns to mobile devices. There are companies (such as MessageBuzz) that offers different levels of service and free trial accounts, which will allow you to try out a mobile-marketing campaign. You should begin by adding a mobile widget to your website, which will gather mobile numbers automatically and will create campaigns that are for specific regions or area codes.

Video platforms

There are several video platforms that concentrate on business and that make it easy to market videos. Websites such as Vimeo, Viddler and Dailymotion are starting to become more and more popular and focus on live streams, such as interactive broadcasts or streaming directly from blogs.

Tweet-a-thons

A Tweet-a-thon is a fundraising event on Twitter where people on Twitter get their followers to tweet about a specific charitable cause for a specific period of time. This is a very effective way to help a worthy cause in addition to strengthening the relationships that you have through social media interaction. The best approach when it comes to a Tweet-a-thon is the simplest approach. If too many details are introduced, it may make things complicated.

Open-source publishing

Open-source publishing, such as WordPress, is extremely popular nowadays. The reason for this is that WordPress makes it simple for websites to execute search engine optimization (SEO) with very little financial investment using plugins. If your website is not currently on a WordPress platform, it is an excellent idea to move it to one. The platforms are easy to use and do not require a great deal of coding.

Higher bandwidth

Acquiring a higher bandwidth is becoming more and more necessary, both from the perspective of your business as well as from the perspective of your clients. The higher bandwidth allows you to share your message more quickly with less downloading time. The sooner you increase your bandwidth, the better it will be for your business.

Monitoring discussions

You should demonstrate to your clients that you are paying attention to what they are saying and that you feel that it is important to respond to them. There are several approaches that you can take, including social media dashboards, and keyword-alert services. You will be able to monitor the discussions and participate as well.

Review websites

There are websites that are specifically dedicated to reviews from customers. The people need to be heard. When they have an issue, they want a solution. There are review websites that will consolidate common issues that have been submitted into a concise communication. Negative and positive feedback are both important for the success of your business. They both help you to grow and improve regularly.

Hunting for deals

There are many websites that offer valuable deals for little or no money. This has gained a great deal of momentum and is very popular now. Your clients will be happy and in return, you will be getting them to be loyal to you and your brand.

Platforms for presentation

Interactive web platforms are becoming more and more attractive. Many of the newer platforms offer easy-to-build presentation tools with social media, video and live feeds. It is very important for people who connect online to be able to see the presenter, not just listen to a voice. Choose the presentation platform that works best for your business.

Measuring results of social media

Having a good handle on your social media metrics is extremely important for the success of your business. People will want to hear the results. More and more ways to measure the results of social media will become available.

Conclusion

The social media trends that have been discussed here are all of great value; however, they may not all be right for your business. You should consider them all and then make an informed decision about which ones you would like to use. One thing that is for certain is that whichever ones you choose will only enhance what you have now and help you to achieve greater success for your business.

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