Three Things Small Business Owners Need to Know About Social Media in 2015

As we move into the new year, many marketers and small business owners are taking this time to evaluate what they’ve been doing for the last year and make plans for 2015. In 2014, social media emerged and established itself as an essential part of any internet marketing campaign. According to the Huffington Post, 2015 will be “the year of quality over quantity.” Here’s why.

Facebook Still Reigns, Content is Still King
Facebook is still the top social media site — 71% of online adults are Facebook users as of September 2014, according to Pew Internet Research. There are more than 27 million pieces of content shared online every day. Facebook’s Edge Rank algorithm has been tuned to filter out bad and spammy content, which is forcing marketers to come up with more interesting and high quality content. Another important thing to know? Facebook’s video auto play feature is expected to define content strategies this year.

Twitter is Becoming an Online Advertising Mecca
One of the things that positions Twitter to be one of the most powerful advertising platforms is that the application programming software (API) is public. This means that marketers can easily create lists of users who are discussing a topic, which can then be used to understand their audience and create ads best suited for them.

Snapchat is Lurking in the Periphery
Another thing to keep an eye on in 2015 is Snapchat. Though the exact data isn’t known, the photo and video sharing platform could be bigger than Instagram, and in May 2014, there were over 700 million photos and videos shared on it every day. It’s expected to be equipped with even more features, which businesses could, of course, use to their marketing advantage.

Since 70% of social media users in North America are already connected to at least one local business, it’s essential for small business owners to make sure that they’re keeping up with social media marketing trends, which in 2015 means focusing on quality content creation, Twitter, and perhaps Snapchat.