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SMART MARKETING NEW YEAR, NEW PLAN How to get ahead in social media for 2014 Social media quickly changed the way businesses communicate with their customers, and it hasn't stopped changing since. It seems like every time you get into a comfortable routine for social marketing, trends change. That's not necessarily bad, but it does require marketing managers to stay on top of things. To give you a head start on your planning, here are some social media trends you can expect to see this year: Diversity A few years ago, any marketing consultant would have told you to start engaging customers in two places: Facebook and Twitter. Today, new social networks are popping up all the time (and many fizzle out just as quickly). But there are plenty that have gained popularity and become a staple in the social culture. With platforms like Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram taking hold, it's important to expand your business' social footprint and meet your customers on whatever social network they prefer. It can be a little overwhelming to jump into all those new networks at once, so you might want to ease into it. And these types of networks bring us to the next trends you can expect to see this year. Images Videos You probably have noticed a lot more images being used in posts and in content over the past several months (specifically with words on top of them). Pinterest, Tumblr and Instagram all focus on images as the main content, and that trend is flowing over into Facebook and Twitter. And it's also flowing over into content sites such as Buzzfeed. YouTube has been a solid media platform for years, but video is expanding in popularity elsewhere, too. In 2013, Vine (a video-based social network) gained lots of popularity, and so did Instagram's introduction of a video feature. Both of these platforms are limited to very short videos, 6 seconds for Vine and 15 seconds for Instagram. This suggests that the new trend with video is that shorter is better. With our busy culture and avalanche of media every day, people want information quickly. Images are key. They can be the difference between someone engaging in your post or overlooking it. With the overload of messaging that typical consumers are bombarded with each day, you need to make sure you stand out. Video is great because it can have more personality than images or written copy. Whether it's something funny, informational or emotional, video can convey things in ways other media can't. Mobile There is a clear shift from desktops and laptops to tablets and smartphones. The nice thing about using social networks is that it makes your content easily accessible across multiple devices, but what about your other media? Are you still requiring customers to print off coupons to redeem specials rather than letting them present the coupon on their phone? Is your website mobile friendly? We're getting to the point where it's not really acceptable to just keep doing things the old way. Not everybody has a printer these days. Not everybody has a laptop they can use to actually see all that tiny print on your website. Mobile is quickly becoming the standard, so you have to make sure you're reaching your customers there. As you're putting together a strategy for your social marketing this year, be sure to keep these trends in mind. If there's anything that social media has taught us, it's that trends are powerful, even if they're constantly changing. Keeping yourself engaged and up-to-date can be the difference between a successful campaign and one that flops. Chris Cummings is the Marketing and Communications Director for Smart Tan. When he isn't working, he enjoys spending time outdoors, going to concerts and traveling. He can be reached by e-mail at ChrisC@SmartTan.com 87 ❘ SMART TAN MAGAZINE ❘ SmartTan.com