In 2014 it’s predicted that social media marketing budgets will double for most SME’s. Never before has the power of social and mobile buying been so prominent, with the upcoming ‘Cyber Monday’ looking to be more mobile sales driven than ever before.

In fact, figures suggest that online advertising will account for a quarter of the entire global advertising market within the next 12 months. 2014 will be a year for SME’s to become content savvy and to allocate specific budgets for social media efforts. Failure to do this may see a loss in sales and awareness of their products and services due to a staunch increase in tech savvy competitors.

Let’s consider the top Social Media trends predicted for the forthcoming year as we bear in mind that there are now more mobile phones than people on this planet!

Content Marketing Strategies:

It will become paramount for all SME’s to have a digital presence with an astute and well planned content marketing strategy in place in 2014. Mobile responsive websites and fast load times will also be crucial as potential customers are becoming less patient, the faster technology delivers information.

On-going Employee Engagement Across Social Platforms:

Not only are more SME’s turning to the likes of Twitter/Facebook for use as a private intranet, but more companies are budgeting to have all staff trained up as socially savvy. 2014 will see more companies making it mandatory for employees to promote, engage and respond across social networks.

Google+ can no Longer be Ignored:

Google Glasses will be released in 2014 and ‘augmented reality’ will see an increase of usage by at least tenfold. Companies that have neglected to use Google+ as part of their social strategy may well see themselves at a disadvantage as more and more users accumulate across this platform.

Educate and Inform:

Although Social Media is a conversational platform, content that informs and educates is more likely to be shared. SME’s will need to distribute content that makes them thought leaders and curators of news from within their industry in order to garner a social advantage over competitors.

Focus on Visual Content:

Don’t forget the power of a succinct video to sell your product or service. Consider the virality of a customer testimonial or indeed a smart, informative, short piece of footage. You may also want to consider video competitions aimed at your target audiences. Tablets are predicted to be 50% of all PC’s shipped in 2014, what better time to make use of video and social combinations.

Don’t Forget the Power of Integration:

Don’t forget that social media marketing and traditional marketing efforts can go hand-in-glove. Keep your branding streamline across online/offline content, and don’t be afraid to use a successful social campaign as the basis for an offline PR release.  2014 will see more and more magazines/publications move online, start influencing journalists and building online relationships in your sector now!