In our last blog, Yan talked about Tumblr and how it can be a useful marketing tool.  Is it me, or are there more and more ?’text-speak’ style social media names cropping up?  In terms of trying to keep up with the latest marketing tools available, how do you know which to use to market your business?  You could feasible spend all day just looking at all these sites, never mind actually using them to send information.

We recommend to all our clients to use social media as part of their marketing plan.  Our job is also to look into all the new tools available and suggest which each client should, and shouldn’t use.  The key is that not all social media sites are useful for all companies.   Facebook is undeniably a great tool for B2C companies, and is stealthily moving into the B2B world, but should all companies be on it and posting updates every day?

So what social media trends will we need to keep an eye on as we move through 2013 to ensure our marketing and communication is effective?

At Appletree we still believe LinkedIn and Twitter are the most effective social media tools for B2B companies.  LinkedIn decided its user interface needed a makeover and re-designed its website to increase its social attractiveness.  Adding a company page for your business is a great way to interface with prospects and customers, as long as you update it regularly with relevant content.  Regular blogs are great for this.

Another to be part of is Google+ , which has continued to grow and now has 5 billion ?+1? buttons being clicked on every day and with over 400 million users.

We?re still looking at how Pinterest can be used effectively in the B2B world, and also

Whatever site you choose as part of your social media strategy, remember one thing: Content is still king.  Content is mainstream as the foundation and cornerstone of social media marketing effort.

As we go through 2013, expect to see more content marketing tools, tactics and strategies.  We’ll keep an eye on the how the social, search and content are increasingly integrated and intertwined.  If you want us to save you time in deciding which is the best one to use,  get in contact.