2014 Social Media Trends

There are few people who would consider themselves a stranger to social media in 2013. About 14% of the earth's population are on Facebook. More than 500 million people have Twitter accounts and YouTube garners over 1 billion unique visitors every month.

As we enter 2014, businesses and organizations are recognizing the opportunities offered by online and social marketing and changing several facets of their business strategies. A common thread with all projected trends is duration and simplicity. Users want to see concise messaging and prefer images and short video clips.  

A 2013 study by Manta showed that 49% of small businesses surveyed increased the time spent on social media from 2012 to 2013. The same found that 26% of businesses spent a majority of their investment dollars on online advertising, marketing and social media despite 40% of businesses seeing only between $100 and $1000 Return on Investment (ROI) from social media activities. This suggests that while the ROI from social media has yet to be mastered, most organizations see a benefit to maintaining stable social channels.   

This article on Business 2 Community (B2C) forecasts Twitter will surpass Facebook in 2014. This plays into other reports which maintain that User Generated Content (UCG) will drive social marketing in the new year. Connecting with an audience by asking them to share experiences in photos and short status updates will be the key to attracting and retaining customers.  

In 2014, social media experts anticipate marketing will transition from monologue to dialogue as UCG is facilitated and consumers are invited to join conversations and engage in brand development. 

Several reports anticipate that images will outrank content for user engagement. A strong info graphic will not only hold the interest of users and keep them engaged longer but will also lend itself as brand advertisement.

Finally, hashtags will become the leading online search tool as every major social media channel accepts and encourages its use. The hashtag allows users to join conversations, follow events and search exclusively for products, thoughts and experiences.  

2013 Social Media Statistics 

• 1.5 billion Facebook users
• 500+ million Twitter users
• 500+ million Google+ users
• 238+ million LinkedIn users
• 130+ million Instagram users
• 70+ million Pinterest users
• over 1 billion+ unique monthly visitors on YouTube