All Aboard! The Social Media train is rolling into 2014…Keep Up!

2013 has been a huge year for social media.

Here are a few statistics from www.socialmediatoday.com:

• Of Facebook’s nearly one billion users, approximately 200 million are mobile only.
• More than 95% of Facebook users log into their account daily
• 60% of Twitter users log into their account everyday
• YouTube reaches more adults than any cable network

The social media train is showing no sign of slowing down—this only means one thing; your business has to find ways to keep up. If you’ve been resisting; now is the time for you to begin planning for 2014. More and more consumers are turning to social media as a way to find out about goods and services. If you have no social media presence, then you’re missing out on reaching billions of its users.

Here are 7 tips to keep in mind when preparing your social media strategy for next year:

1. Get in the game. If you don’t currently have a social media site for your firm; that’s definitely a great place to start. The key lies in finding which social media channel is right for your business. It’s not necessary to be on every social network. However, I recommend that your firm have a company LinkedIn page.
2. Blog away. Social media users and potential clients are looking for quality content. Starting a blog is a great way to build up your content for social media. Once you start your blog, use your social media pages to push your blog posts.
3. Go Mobile. It’s important that your website translates well over mobile devices. As mentioned before approximately 200 million Facebook users are mobile only, which means they don’t use computers to access the web.
4. Promote It. Don’t let all your hard work be in vain. Be sure you’re promoting your social media on your website, in email signature and business cards. A very unique way of promoting your social media is through “social media cards,” business cards specifically made to promote your social media. If you’re really looking to turn heads, use a QR code on the card so smart phone users can scan the code and go directly to your profiles.
5. Commit. Setting up your social media profiles it’s just the first step. You have to come up with a posting schedule and commit to being consistent in your posting. There are sites such as www.hootsuite.com that helps you manage all your social media in one place; it even allows you to schedule post in advance to help save time.
6. Be Creative. What separates your content from everyone else’s? Find creative ways to engage your audience. Social media sites are becoming more and more image driven; it’s always a great idea to include graphics and photographs on your social media pages. Encourage your audience to post to your page as well.
7. Stay on top of the trends. Social media is constantly changing. There’s always an update or new feature. It’s a great idea to subscribe to tech blogs and blogs which focus on social media marketing.

All aboard! The social media train is pulling out of station 2013 and heading full speed ahead into 2014. I hope you’re ready.

Monisha Yowell is the Marketing Coordinator for Lawyers Mutual. Monisha connects Lawyers Mutual with our insureds and the legal community through the use of social media. You can reach Monisha at 800.662.8843 or monisha@lawyersmutualnc.com.