New Year, New Trends

With the start of the new year, public relations gurus are already predicting this year's social media trends. But do they really know what crazy havoc could be wreaked during this year? Hopefully not another viral Miley Cyrus music video...

Social media is no longer defined simply by Twitter and Facebook, like it maybe once was. Social media continues to take on new faces and new ways of making itself prevalent in the lives of not only Internet users, but smartphone users. Social media sites are no longer "sites" but apps as well twisting and turning into social media experiences. As these unique forms of social media experiences continue to grow in number, so do techniques and tactics to use these different forms.

Companies and organizations now have a plethora of ways to target specific audiences through all of these social media experiences. But like mentioned earlier, there are techniques that go a long with using these networks in order to yield the best result.  

A post from Social@Ogilvy talks about three top social media trends for 2014, and specific tactics on using Snapchat, Twitter and Facebook.

The first trend they talk about is disposable content in relation to Snapchat. Otherwise not saving the content, but having information given and taken away quickly. Taco Bell was the first to really utilize its capabilities in relation to businesses and brands, but there is a whole untapped market there. Because the users of Snapchat tend to be a younger crowd, brands and stores can use it as a way to communicate to a very specific audience. If these companies catch on with the trend, 2014 will undoubtedly see an increase in the use of Snapchat by more than just individual users, but corporate accounts as well.

Photo courtesy of Chownow.com

The post went on to talk about Twitter and businesses having a conversation via 140 characters. Twitter is a great way to appear more conversational to the target audience, but only if it’s done right. A brand needs to be accessible and conversational while still maintaining a level of professionalism to protect the brand. The post suggested we ask “Am I being stupid right now?” before posting anything. Touché. Silly but effective. Hopefully 2014 will see brands interacting professionally, but in an exciting manner. For example, the UNT Union Twitter account is interacting with a future UNT Eagle. The Union has a casual conversation while still maintaining a level of professionalism. 

Photo courtesy of the UNT Union Twitter

Finally, the post talked about targeting specific audiences within a wider audience. Traditional ads are easier to use while communicating with a large population and a wider audience, but the rise of social media allows companies to converse with specific “communities." The post states that when companies do this they find out more about their target market’s specific interests.

The post just goes to show that no matter what communication is key. It always has been and always will be. The means by which companies and organizations can communicate are just growing in number and changing as technology develops. In 2014 there will surely be a development of communication tactics that utilize the power of social media and we will continue to see these trends roll-out throughout the year. 

Until next time, 

Nikki Darling