Some Big Predictions for Social Business in 2014

We can expect to see social business become even more popular in 2014, and these are some of the biggest predictions for social business in the coming year.

Considering social business is still a relatively new phenomenon, it is constantly evolving and we can only speculate as to where it will go next. 2013 saw the rise of the concept, and these predictions for social business suggest that we can expect to see it get even bigger and more widely understood in 2014.

Mobile as the Focal Point

We saw the rise of mobile in 2013, and that trend is sure to increase in 2014. As mobile devices become users’ primary devices (around the world) the importance of optimizing your mobile strategy for search and social is crucial.

Google’s Eric Schmidt admits that mobile has now won the race for the most important medium. For brands to succeed in the social and digital space, they need to be everywhere. This no longer simply means well-placed ads. Today, being everywhere means having a comprehensive mobile strategy in place that allows customers and leads alike to reach out to your brand and start a conversation.

Big Data into Actionable Items

A major buzz term in 2013 was ‘big data’. We all heard about it, and more and more people began to understand what it was, but leveraging big data was not on every brand’s radar. Why? Well, effectively, most brands just saw big data as a tool for large companies, and not something that SMBs could use. This will all change in 2014.

We can expect to see a major shift in 2014 towards the use of big data by brands of all sizes. At t2, we coined the term and concept of Responsive Branding, which is in effect the leveraging of big data in order to create campaigns and marketing strategies that cater to the tastes and preferences of your audience. We can certainly expect this trend to increase as (simplified) big data provides brands with insights they would have never had.

Imagine knowing what your audience wants without ever having to ask? This is where big data is headed this year.

Repercussions of Social Media Marketing Myopia

Slowly but surely, social media has become a necessity. Brands – from small to large – that want to grow can no longer ignore the importance of social. A while back, we introduced the concept of Social Media Marketing Myopia. What is it? Essentially, the concept relates to brands that refuse to adopt to large-scale change, thinking that their company or industry does not need it. The results can be detrimental.

Now that we have arrived at an age where social business is becoming the norm, we can expect to start seeing companies face the effects of Social Media Marketing Myopia. Those slow to adopt will now be forced to expedite the process and implement a strategy in order to catch up with their industry.

A Rise in the Importance of Micro-Video

Microblogging started with Twitter. Twitter bought Vine – a micro-video publishing network. After Facebook bought Instagram, Instagram introduced Instagram Video, another micro-video network. Brands have warmed to the idea of micro-video marketing and audiences have started to enjoy it as well.

In 2013, we saw brands like Dunkin’ Donuts create commercials made entirely from Vine videos. As we head into 2014, we can surely expect to see micro-video marketing increase in importance.

Google+ Will Skyrocket

We have long said that Google+ can be a brand’s best friend. Why so many refuse to work with it is quite surprising. After all, search rankings are still of great importance, and we know that social signals factor heavily into improved search rankings. So, logic would suggest that the social network owned by the largest search engine on the web would be of pretty significant importance to improved search rankings.

This is going to become even more true in 2014. With the Hummingbird upgrade now in full effect and the age of traditional keyword search behind us, social and soft search will dominate the playing field. This means that signals from Google+ will become all the more important. Google has long said that they intend to shift their focus on the social layer of their model. This means Google+ (and YouTube) will be a brand and SEO’s best friend.

And there are our five big predictions for social business in 2014. What do you expect to see in the realm of social business in 2014? Tell us in the comments below or on Twitter!