Putting the 13 in 2013

Bright Light Marketing would like to wish you all a very Happy and Bright 2013. And keeping in the spirit of the New Year we take a look into our crystal ball and make some predictions for the year ahead. Firstly we look at our top 13 Predictions for 2013 and since Social Media features heavily, we also give you 13 reasons why you should use this method of communication for your business too.

Here’s to a very successful and enjoyable 2013.

Yours Fiona, Janice and Fiona

Here are our top 13 Predictions for 2013

1. European Commission predicts UK recovery for 2013 – It’s only by 0.9% but growth it is, which has to be a positive and a reason for optimism as we start the New Year.

2. Continued Rise of Social Media in 2013 – It is predicted that 27.7 million people in the UK will be using social media in 2013.

3. We will still be talking about the weather – This is a very accurate prediction, it’s a national obsession but on the positive one reason for this is because summer 2013 is predicted to be hot, hot, hot.

4. Pictures rock – There is a huge rise on photo sites such as Flikr, Instigram and Pininterest and this is because we like to see things visually. Good quality photos are of course a key selling point.

5. People trust Social Media – Research shows that people are more likely to trust companies who use social media and more importantly buy from them.

6. End of the X Factor – Yes after 10 years the X Factor is expected to get the axe. In the Bright Light Marketing office we are hoping it won’t be the only one and that 2013 will see exciting new UK TV programmes not the same old!

7. Genuine and personal – The continued disillusionment with big brands will continue, people want to buy from authentic genuine companies and businesses need to get this across in their promotions.

8. Customer service is key – Bright Light Marketing mention this a lot because people expect good customer service but don’t often get it so businesses that focus on this can really stand out from the crowd.

9. Continued demise of printed newspapers – Newspaper circulation has been falling year on year with a subsequent decrease in advertising sales. This is expected to continue in 2013 with more and more people consuming news on line and the continuing rise of citizen journalism.

10. Experience – People are less focused on consumer goods and more focused on the experience that they have. Businesses need to focus on this and make the experience that they give their customers extraordinary.

11. The mobile phone is king – More and more people are going to use their mobile phones for browsing and buying online. Businesses need to make sure that their websites can be viewed by mobile devices.

12. Email is not dead – People have been predicting the end of emails. This may be the case in the future but at the moment emails are still a key communication tool and e – newsletters are an excellent way of communicating with your customers.

13. BLM individual predictions – Fiona Mackinnon predicts that the British and Irish Lions will beat the Wallabies, Fiona Drane predicts that Andy Murray will win Wimbledon. And Janice? She predicts that Bruce Springsteen will rock at Hampden!

And 13 reasons to use Social Media in 2013

1. Huge rise in popularity of Social Media – As we mentioned in the 13 predictions article. Social Media is set to rise and that means that some if not a lot of your customers will be using the medium so you need to too.

2. Awareness – Social Media and in particular Twitter is a great way of increasing awareness of your business to new customers.

3. Customer testimonials – Customer testimonials work really well in any communications. This is also the case for Social Media and build trust in you as a business.

4. Sell your products – Social Media won’t just raise awareness of your products it will actually result in sales. Bright Light Marketing know this from personal experience and also has worked with many businesses who have found the same to be true.

5. Showcase your business with photos – Again as we mentioned in the predictions article, photos sell and Social Media is a great way to show photos of not just your business but also your team members and as a result sell your business.

6. Recruitment campaign – Social Media is a great way of recruiting new staff and promoting job opportunities within your company.

7. Learn from others – No business is an island and we can all learn from each other and social media is a great way of learning from others businesses.

8. Extend your network – As well as learning from other businesses you will also extend your network if you use Social Media. LinkedIn is particularly good for this but Twitter is also very effective and this will result not only in increased awareness but also word of mouth referrals.

9. Customer feedback – Customers trust companies who use Social Media and they will interact with you on all Social Media platforms so it is a great way of building up more knowledge about your customers.

10. Internal communication – Bright Light Marketing work with a range of companies large and small and find that Social Media isn’t just an excellent way of keeping your customers up to date but also members of your team.

11. It’s free – Using Social Media is time consuming but that is all, it’s a free medium that really works. So use it.

12. Showcase your expertise – Social Media allows you to show why you are an expert at what you do on a daily basis and if you do so people will seek your advice so give it.

13. It’s fun – Social Media is not just about business it’s about communicating with other like-minded people and we can guarantee that it’s fun to do.

13 reasons that you should consider using Social Media in 2013. Bright Light Marketing are social media experts and have been successfully running social media campaigns for a diverse range of clients for the past few years. If you want to talk about how we can help you to start your Social Media journey please phone Fiona Drane on 01750 505053 or email fiona.drane@brightlightmarketing.co.uk.

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