The year 2013 revealed that social media is no longer a trend as it once was. Not only is it a weekly, daily, or even hourly habit, it’s also how many companies conduct their business and how many people get their news.
Below are some of the major highlights of the past year. From twerking to selfies to Psy’s “Gangnam Style”, 2013 was a stunning year for social media.
Is Facebook at its Pinnacle?
This past year, Facebook admitted to a reduction in organic reach. On one side of the coin, the end of 2013 revealed a stock price the highest it has ever been since its IPO.
On the other, teenagers, the foundation of the Facebook legend, are beginning to stray away from the social networking platform. With new introductions like the upcoming Trending, Facebook may make a 2014 comeback
Mobile usage skyrockets
In 2013, 25% of brands developed a mobile strategy in order to increase their web presence. More people are using their mobile devices than ever: Mobile ad revenue is projected to be at $3.5 billion by the end of 2014 – almost quadruple what it was in 2009.
Two great examples of this in 2013:
In May, over 30% of Facebook’s advertising came from mobile devices. Later in the year, YouTube’s numbers revealed that over 25% of its global watch time came from mobile devices.
On the go is the way to go.
Images (and video) dominate when it comes to content
From January to December, images were no doubt the highlight of 2013’s social media. It may be that people are just lazy (it takes a lot less time to snap a photo than to write an SMS), or the creativity of an image tells a lot more than a few words. Either way, the past year’s highlights reveal that images – both still and moving – are here to stay.
Twitter’s Vine launched in January with its shareable six-second clips and turned out to be the most-downloaded app in April.
Seeing their opportunity, Instagram came out with a Vine alternative in June. With 15-second clips and their famous filters to top it all off, Vine sharing dropped almost 40% with the release of Instagram Video.
And…if you’ve never heard of the “Harlem Shake”, you were probably living under a rock the entire length of 2013. Click here to reminisce over the viral videos of last year.
Investors + social media = true love
Social media is a promising business. To some it’s sexy; to some it’s silly; but a vast majority of everyone in the world uses it. According to an eMarketer report, almost one in four people were involved in some form of social media worldwide in 2013.
The past year revealed that there are main trends in keeping your social media venture alive and kicking.
1. Take after Yahoo, and sell yourself to a giant company.
2. Keep your business private, as Snapchat did when it tuned down a $3 billion offer from Facebook in November.
3. You follow in the footsteps of Twitter and go public.
You’re bound to find an investor interested in your online networks!
Native advertising claims its place
Why native advertising, you ask?
It doesn’t look like an ad – it shows up in your Facebook feed as a post your friend liked, for example, and “tricks” you into liking it. It appears to be a part of your news, rather than an ad persuading you to buy something.
Native advertising appears to be here to stay, and Instagram proves this by giving brands the chance to advertise on their platform.
It was a big year for 2013 – one that paved the way for an even bigger 2014.