5 Key Business Communication Trends for 2014

What trends to watch out for in the New Year.

It’s the start of the New Year and trends are already appearing for 2014. After doing some research, some key trends grabbed my attention that I believe should be paid attention to. I’ve compiled a list of 5 key business communication trends for 2014 that will be worth your time to read and become familiar with:

 1.    Social media turns into a necessity not a luxury

Whereas social media used to show that a company was ahead of it’s time, utilizing social media will now become a necessity. More jobs will be looking to hire social media managers, content writers, and those experienced on all platforms of social media. These days, if you aren’t current on social media, you’re outdated. So make sure you keep up to date with the latest social media platforms, and that all of your social media outlets are up to date.

2.    Twitter’s importance to surpass Facebook’s standing

This may seem impossible as Facebook’s user numbers have reached over 1.18 billion, but it’s exactly this reason why this is not out of the question. Twitter’s user base and system is still continuing to grow and change unlike the finished product that is Facebook. Twitter is starting to gain a high teen-based demographic, ideal for quick updates and posts, unlike the time consuming black hole that I’ve come to find myself in while intending to quickly update a status on Facebook. Don’t have a company Twitter account? Now would be the time to get involved.

3.    Visual content becomes vital to marketing strategies

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone familiar with current trends over the past few years. With the introduction of Vine and Instagram, visual content is an integral way to represent yourself, your brand and your company. Pictures are now a way to grab your attention and generate thought provoking content, which has already been proved as successful in past years by marketers. In 2014 this should only rise in popularity.

4.    Conventional videos will be out – micro videos are in

Cut out all the fluff and get to the real stuff. With short videos you are forced to demonstrate your most powerful visual content without a lot of wiggle room for unnecessary clips. The attention span of the general public is short enough to begin with. Long videos will no longer be viewed or able to hold the interest of consumers. With short, effective videos, you are able to get your message across and I can only expect this strategy to grow in 2014.

5.    Google+ will keep growing in popularity

Google+ is a contender for one of the most important social networks to be apart of in 2014. It’s increasingly proving to be an important aspect of SEO, and their integral business mixed with personal social network efforts is unlike other platforms. I think that in 2014 businesses and individuals alike will start to catch on to the unique platform that is Google+, so if you don’t have an account, you’re already behind!

What do you think are trends to watch for this year? Which social media platforms do you think will surprise us, for better or for worse?