As we all know 2013 was the year social media officially made its mark.

It seems more and more clients we come across are already using social media in their marketing, BUT are they using it correctly?   For our clients, it is a daily job to stay on top of what is working, make changes to those that are not, and focus on ROI and make it better.  With this ever changing technology there are many things to keep on top of.  As social media marketing experts, we follow trends, test campaigns, try new things and continue to stay on top of the latest and greatest. The past few weeks there have been a lot of articles written about the latest 2014 trends.  We follow these trends and have a few of our own.

Content is Key.
Content marketing is still a very strong area that we focus many of our efforts on.  In order to engage users, you must have something to say.  YOU are the expert in your field, however long you have been in business there is plenty of knowledge you can provide your followers / visitors.  Keep them engaged with knowledge. Write articles about the top questions you get from your customers, let them know the hottest areas in YOUR industry.  Be an authority and make sure to continue to add fresh new and engaging content to your website.  Use social media to promote this content and encourage your visitors to share with others.

Have a Plan.
Many customers we speak to go about their social media without any planning.  We recommend a social strategy be in place if your even going to touch social media and expect to see results.  Having a plan helps you set goals, and these goals can be analyzed to see if you are getting a return.  There are so many social platforms out there, and whether you are going to focus your efforts on 1 or 10, you need to plan ahead.  Put a strategy in place and plan ahead.

Can Social Advertising Work For You?
Our first answer to this is – you won’t know if you don’t try.  Various industries succeed in different forms of advertising then others.  Social advertising is a new medium, but one that should be tested.  There are so many variations of ads that you can work with.  You should work closely with a company that understands the differences, knows what you are looking to do, and helps you set goals to make this happen.  You’ll need to set some limits and make decisions on what is successful and when to call it quits. Remember to research, optimize and experiment.

Collaborate All Efforts
If your using social media, have a strong content marketing strategy and use email  marketing.  Connect all of these to make them work together. Your social media efforts should promote your content strategy.  Your content strategy and presence on social media should be promoted in your email blasts.  Your website and offline marketing materials should promote users to sign up for your email marketing campaigns.

By following these trends and tips, you should be well on your way to online success.  Remember – in this type of medium, testing and experimenting are key.  Make sure you can gauge results and stay on top of whats the NEXT hot thing.