Predictions for the next step for social media marketers

Oh the joy of forecasting the 2014 social media landscape and all the potential changes that come with it. In the social realm, changes occur quickly and often but results show themselves slowly. This means that it takes time for new changes to show traction one way or the other. As I look ahead to the new year, and try to gauge the next avenue to guide our brand to the next level, it is always best to look back at what worked in 2013 and what fell flat. Last year, and the year before for that matter, it was all about content marketing. Remember this line "Content is King?" Last year every social media marketer had to not only be able to create content but create great content that was tied to the company brand in order to continue to attract visitors to their sites. This year I believe will be all about visual thinking; being able to tell your company story through images with the emphasis on photographs. We've seen the statistics that images, infographics and photos get shared more via social media. The evolution of social media will see social photography, as Emeril Lagasse would say "kicked up a notch," over the next couple years the same way we have seen the advancement of blogs, podcasts, and other forms of content marketing. Diversification and adaptation are the two main staples in a marketers life, with each craft mastered coming a new tool of the trade. As we have fine-tuned our writing, blog and white paper creation became a major tool in our social media strategies. With images gaining better traction than posts that are solely text, we must adapt to the changes. I would never suggest to stop writing, but I am suggesting that you invest in diversifying and become a visual thinker, by integrating images, photos and paintings into your social media marketing. Think of it in terms of storytelling; a great storyteller doesn't just draw you in with his voice and the spoken word but also by his presence, body language and facial expressions. Eric Wilson is the director of social media at NEREJ, Norwell, Mass.