What’s new for social media in 2014?

Visual content in social media is more important now than ever, according to Katie Lance, CEO and owner of Katie Lance Consulting – a full-service social media agency specializing in social media strategy and content development.

Lance, the former chief strategist and social media director of Inman News, was a speaker at the Real Estate Connect conference in New York City last month. She shared some of the new features that can be found on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Facebook

There are some key things happening with Facebook, says Lance. “Seventy-eight percent of users are accessing their Facebook with a mobile device,” she said. “What does this mean for you? Think of your content. If you are a broker or an agent, how is your content looking on this small little screen? Your content strategy is more important than ever before.”

Facebook insights have changed dramatically, according to Lance. “If you have a Facebook page and you haven’t seen the new insights, I encourage you to check them out. There’s a tab that says ‘posts’, and you can see exactly the people who like your page and when they are most active. If you have 500 or 5,000 people who like your business page, when are those people on Facebook and when are they engaging in your content? This is one of the most important analytics you want to look at for your social strategy in 2014.”

Lance added, “Facebook ads have changed dramatically. If you are a brokerage or association, there’s great event advertising you can do. If you want to get more likes or promote your posts, it’s very inexpensive. Facebook is free and if you’re a business owner and you’re trying to think about how you can increase your reach on Facebook, Facebook advertising is a great way to really do that. Facebook video ads are the big thing we are going to see in 2014.”

Twitter

There are five key areas you want to pay attention to with Twitter this year, says Lance. “The feed has changed. When you scroll through your news feed, you can see photos and videos now versus just the link. It is important that you are thinking about your content strategy. Visual content is more important than ever before. Lists are huge. Creating private lists on Twitter and connecting with people who are tech-savvy is a huge opportunity,” she said.

According to Lance, Twitter is investing a lot of money in its analytics program. “Topsy.com is one of the best platforms for managing analytics. Advertising on Twitter is great in that you don’t have to spend a lot of money,” she said.

Video is important as well, says Lance. “Vine is the newest Twitter creation. The six-second video has taken off by leaps and bounds. There are some incredible companies that are doing big things with Twitter,” she said.

Instagram

“There are so many great things happening with Instagram,” said Lance. “The demographics are really something you want to think about. If you want to target Millennials and Generation X, they have jumped off Facebook and are on Instagram. Instagram is a fantastic opportunity. There are no ads right now. That will probably change in 2014.”

Lance concluded, “Visual content is more important than ever. Visual content allows you to tell your story. Real estate companies that are doing an amazing job with social media are doing so because they are telling their story.”