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Social Media Trends for 2013: What Will Change?

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There are many predictions for 2013 as far as social media is concerned across the internet.

Increase in online marketing budget and better content

It’s not a secret that that online marketing is the best and most cost effective way to achieve marketing goals like increasing the demand for a product as well as sales. We are seeing companies increase the budget for online marketing and creating better content to ensure a successful marketing campaign. In 2013 this will be more and more evident as 2012 was a stepping stone towards investing in social media campaigns.

Cross-platform storytelling

This is set to be the norm in 2013, as brands start to use several different platforms at the same time to support their social media campaign giving them the ability to deliver a single minded message. The difference with 2012 is that the message will be more adapted to each platform instead of being just copy pasted which will create a different yet related buzz serving the same marketing goal. It’s also clear that companies will focus on visual platforms including videos.

Big data

Companies today gather enormous amount of data from various different sources online and offline. Processing it to give the marketing department the needed information accurately has become more difficult. The biggest software companies have been working hard to be the first to provide a solution that will make data manageable in 2013.

Mobile

2012 saw technology move towards mobile devices and serving consumer demand for mobile applications. That’s where companies will shift their efforts in 2013. Mobile becomes more intense together with social media giving the freedom and privacy that laptops and desktops can’t give. Mobile application will become a necessity and every company will have to create more stimulating and original applications. With most users keeping themselves updated over their mobile phones, everything from online advertising to commerce will be made mobile-friendly to ensure accessibility at all times.

Companies in the Middle East are catching up very fast and 2013 will witness more companies from the region investing in online marketing and social media. Where is your company heading in 2013?

10 Tips to Become a Digital Marketing Guru

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Online and Social Marketing are fast becoming the most popular, and in some cases, most effective means of reaching potential customers and clients.

In this particular article inspired from a recent post on Mashable, you aspiring digital marketers out there will get a few tips on techniques and practices to help you excel in this fresh and exciting field.

1- Experience, Experience, Experience!
Getting hands on marketing experience is one of the first things to do. You don’t need a degree in Marketing to gain valuable experience. The best way is to do an internship at a company or agency that has a major focus in online or digital marketing. Also, having something to add on your CV is a definite plus.

2- Be very familiar with the Jargon
In a nutshell, to excel in this field, you need to be able to analyze marketing campaigns to understand what works and what doesn’t. Therefore, you need to be pretty knowledgeable with industry lingo. There are many courses available at your disposal, both online and offline that are really helpful and educational.

3- Build an online presence
This one might be the deciding factor between two people getting a certain job. An employer might simply choose the person with the most online presence, or ‘personal brand’. If you can show that you can build your ‘personal brand’ online, then others will rest assured you can do the same for them.

4- Dabble in a bit of everything, but specialize in one thing
Marketing is a broad field, with so many disciplines within it, such as search marketing, affiliate, email, mobile, display etc… The best way to really get the best experience all around is to dabble in all of it. Then focus on one of the avenues and excel in it. Having a specialty inevitably makes you an expert in that field, thus a valuable asset to anyone hiring.

5- Get in the mix- Attend any and all industry meetings and conventions
Get out there and get ‘social’. Great networking possibilities are offered at Digital Marketing Conferences, as well as opportunities to fine tune your skills in their workshops.

6- Stay up to date
This industry is ever changing and evolving, and to stay on top of things you have to make sure to keep up with all latest news and trends. The most effective means of doing that would be to subscribing to industry blogs and newsletters.

7- Get technical
It’s always a major plus to know the basics of coding (CSS, HTML, Javascript, Ruby), and how the web works in general. As a Digital Marketer you will be working closely with developers or designers on various aspects of marketing design.

8- Perfect your CV
It’s always good to make your CV stand out from others. Be creative. Get certified. For ex ample, Google offers a certification program for Adwords. Certification proves proficiency. Also, get your CV on LinkedIn and start asking for recommendations on there.

9- Be passionate and curious
This could easily be just a simple philosophy to follow in all aspects of your life, personal and professional. To always be on the lookout for the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’. Doing that, inevitably you will become more aware of trends out there. Knowing how and when to ask the right questions is an asset, especially in the Digital Marketing world.

10- Get off the computer and get some fresh air!
Staring for hours at the computer all day long can take a toll on your body and mind, not to mention social life. A wise man in the industry once said,“Because transparency is important, it’s important to be a good person in the real world,” he says, “It’ll translate into the digital world — you can’t fake being a good person if you’re a jerk in real life. Unplug for your own sanity, but also to continue growing as a person in life.”

Measuring up to Social Media Efforts

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While the progress of your social media efforts can be observable, the old mantra still rings true:  How can you tangibly assess social media value, gauge effectiveness and ROI? How can social media translate in sales and lead generation and when can one expect that to happen? Those are all viable expectations. The take-home lesson however is that Social Media Management requires commitment and patience. Modern times have left us with the impression that technology should shorten sales cycles. When it comes to social media, technology has placed you close to your ultimate consumer like never before, but with fewer barriers it has also left you vulnerable and more open to risk. Your success in terms of sales and rate of return on ad spent will strongly depend on your content and level of engagement over time. “It is not a bolt to be tightened into place but a seed to be planted” and if you embed social media into your corporate culture, you will soon notice how this seed will start greening the landscape around it.

In short, what you should expect to reap from social media is worth a lifetime of seeding:

– Increased satisfaction, brand loyalty and awareness stemming from more efficient customer service. Get a feel for what your current or potential customers are saying as it happens.

– Competitive insights, business intelligence and innovation through identifying similarities and differentiating features. Join communities that advocate your products. Join that of your competitors.

– Efficient use of Public Relations and identifying influencers. Look for consumer endorsers and ambassadors and provide them with relevant content to activate a viral distribution of your brand across channels.

– More effective organic visibility and an extended brand reach through Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

– Reduced market research costs for product development and audience analysis. Listen to consumers, empower them, enable them to take charge and gain benefits while they do.

– Reduced hiring and HR costs and less churn.

Social Media measurement is not merely about displaying number of tweets, followers, fans or impressions. How you determine your success largely boils down to restating your initial objectives and goals, so try to tailor your metrics accordingly. With this in mind, look for the real value of your online plan by asking for meaningful and concrete results such as user behavior before, during, and after interacting on your social platforms, as well as blog retention rates, audience analysis, the sorting and monitoring of social media conversations, and lead generation data both online and offline. Keep a regular eye on both the frequency and depth of engagement with consumers.

The choice is yours: Do you want your ads to interrupt consumer conversations, or do you want to become what consumers are actually talking about?