Re-posted on Rockwell Art & Design
Original Article By Cindy King | http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com
Published January 2, 2012
#1: Businesses consolidate social media activities
As the social media landscape becomes more crowded in 2012, businesses will pick their battles and dig in. What used to be simply Facebook and Twitter is now Google+, LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter (and who knows what’s next). On top of this, you have many specialty networks like Foursquare, Yelp and Instagram.
The old mantra of “be everywhere” will quickly be replaced with “be where it matters to our business.”
The major four players have all gone through massive changes in preparation for the battle for users. But don’t let a shiny new wrapping be the motivation to focus on social network A or B. Instead, it will be essential to focus where you’ll see results. And that may not necessarily be Facebook or Twitter for your business.
Have you picked your battle?Michael Stelzner, founder and CEO of Social Media Examiner. | Image source: Flickr
#2: Photo and video social networks will blossom
We’ve been nibbling around it for a while, but 2012 will be the year of the multimedia social network.
Photo- and video-based social interaction will grow. There is more meat on Instagram and Viddy and Tout than bun, and that enables the whole point of social networking—making and perpetuating connections and seeing the world through someone else’s eyes.
I don’t expect these services to dethrone Facebook, as many people simply are not comfortable with multimedia. But already you’re seeing power users reduce their Facebook (and Twitter) musings in favor of multimedia, where a picture (or video) speaks louder than 140 characters.
Given that the camera on your smartphone is almost as good as your actual camera, the multimedia-driven social networks are here to stay and will be an emerging force for brands in 2012, too.
Multimedia-driven social networks are changing the playground.Jay Baer, author of the popular social media blog Convince & Convert and co-author of The Now Revolution.
#3: Brands embrace real time
Brands need to master the art of opportunistic marketing and the art of real-time response. To break through the online noise, they need to stand out with their creative thinking around capitalizing on current buzz and trends.
For that, brands need the right infrastructure and agile processes that will allow them to intuitively and immediately pick up on the marketing opportunities. They need agencies that can adapt, react and support them in real time as well. Brands need to be ready for real-time response.
#4: Strategy takes center stage for social media
I firmly believe that 2012 is the year most business start to turn the corner on embracing and understanding social media marketing and using it more strategically. We’ve had enough of the hippie, tree-hugger, Kumbaya nonsense and want to start using social media as a strategic business driver.
Now is the time. Businesses will start to show their chops in 2012.
The tree-hugging time is over. It’s time to focus on social strategy.Jason Falls @JasonFalls | Jason Falls, principal of Social Media Explorer and author of No Bullshit Social Media. Image source: iStockPhoto.
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~Georgia Gietzen,