Social media is ever changing and there are so many trends, it can be difficult to know which ones to focus and profit from.

Nicola and I were chatting the other morning and we’ve drilled the list down to three essentials that you need to be doing to maximise the revenue potential of social media. By focusing on these three facets, you can stay focused and put your energy towards the trends that are going to have the most impact to your bottom line.

Pinterest

A few years ago, Pinterest was considered the “cute” social media, and many thought it wouldn’t go anywhere.

Fast forward to right now and you can see just how wrong the nay-sayers were. In fact Pinterest is having an impact on many different platforms as consumers embrace their visual design style.

If you’re not utilising Pinterest to help build your brand and find new customers, you need to start right now.

In addition, with Pinterest opening up new opportunities for businesses, there has never been a better time to start taking advantage of this service.

With a little innovation, you can make Pinterest work for just about any kind of industry.

The Mobile Shift

We already knew mobile was hot, but look for it to be “the” priority in 2013 – 14.

This means focusing not only on building mobile apps that can drive traffic and increase brand knowledge, but it also means taking advantage of mobile marketing mediums that can help drive business to an actual location. Mobile marketing is definitely the wave of the future and you need to get on board before you get left behind.

Mobile commerce is growing faster than anyone predicted. At first we thought this trend was being driven by teenagers and people doing hyper local searches such as “best restaurant is Bondi” for instance.

BUT…

That’s not how this is playing out. More and more everyday shopping is done online – books, clothes and even cars!

2 things to do VERY quickly:

1. Make sure your marketing is mobile friendly, your ads suit the mobile users, and that you treat them differently from a tablet or PC user.

2. You MUST have a mobile optimised website, if you don’t you’re losing money, simple as that. We’re building all our sites on platforms that adapt based on what our customer is using when they find us. You’ve gotta do the same.

The Rise of Video Monetisation

Video monetisation has been in the works for years, but sites like YouTube have finally found the magic way to make it work for everyone. In fact, online video advertising is actually starting to compete with traditional television advertising.

Although the format isn’t as forgiving, with the average ad lasting 15 seconds, it is definitely time to start taking this venue seriously.

From creating original content as part of a content marketing plan, to actively using video ads to promote your services, video is where it’s at in 2013.

YouTube has formed a HUGE part of many of our clients’ overall marketing strategy, and in niches that you would never think it would or should…. But it works, and it’s making money for them.

See Libby’s brilliant article about monetising YouTube videos here

Want us to look after your social media marketing for you? Then take a look at our results here

Neil