Some Predictions About Social Media in 2012
It has been a pretty interesting year for social media. We saw the introduction of Google+, a change which could lead to fundamental differences in the way that search engines work. Facebook introduced Gestures, which could rob the “like” button of its importance when any verb can be transformed into a button.
Twitter solidified as a mainstream platform, reflected by a fourfold increase in advertising costs. Groupon turned out to be slightly overvalued after Facebook retaliated, and augmented reality started to show some promise. Shareable phone apps that exist solely for entertainment were another interesting trend.Looking back on the year, it once again becomes obvious just how much things can change in a short period of time. This begs the question: what’s next? Here are some things we can expect to see in 2012.
The Rise of Social Search
Google has already made some big changes to its search engine. The introduction of the Panda update reduced the effectiveness of several popular SEO tactics. The Google +1 button gives users the ability to tell the search engine whether or not they like a page.
The introduction of Twitter data into the search algorithms was an interesting step, even though Twitter eventually cut off the fire hose of information. The search engine will inevitably mine Google+ for a similar reason. Social shares will influence the search results, but that is just the beginning.
The search results have become increasingly personalized by location and user input. Information collected from Google+ will be used to show users results that they may be more interested. The idea of a universal ranking in the search engines is quickly becoming obsolete.
The Demand for Privacy
Facebook admitted this year that its site tracked users online behavior even after they left the website. They claimed that this was a bug in their system. Whether or not this is the case, this is part of a long list of concerns that people have about privacy and Facebook. With Google+ using user data to influence their search results, and likely their ads, the possibility of a backlash looms for 2012.
While these concerns are unlikely to slow the adoption of social media, they may impact the way that social consumers relate with brands. Social consumers have always been distrustful of brands, and this behavior is likely to intensify. Brands will have to find the right balance between becoming a part of the online conversation without butting in or coming off like an eavesdropper.
The Rise of Social Businesses
The 2011 Pivot Conference revealed the confusion that most businesses still have about social media. Seventy-seven percent claim that they know what their social consumers look like, but only 35 percent can reliably say that they’ve actually asked their consumers what they want from their social engagement with brands.
Fifty percent of businesses said that they would be out of the experimental stage and have a clear social strategy by the end of 2012, while the other half said they would still be in the experimental stage. This either means that half of businesses are overconfident in their strategy or that half of businesses already have a good idea of what a strong social marketing presence looks like. Either way, businesses will need to be well versed in social media in order to succeed by the time this shift takes place.
Mobile Will Surpass the Desktop
Research company Gartner has predicted that 2012 will be the year that Google Apps becomes a viable competitor for Microsoft Office. They believe that social networking applications will be developed for mobile devices before computers, rather than the other way around. Routine use of mobile internet is quickly approaching ubiquity.
There is a good chance 2012 will be even more interesting than the past year. Competition between Facebook and Google+ could result in accelerated change in the industry. What this means for marketing and consumers in general has yet to be seen.
Jeff has been blogging for 4 years and contributing on blogs since 2007. He is a professional IM and SEO consultant. In his free time he guest lectures for business and marketing students at various colleges in NY. At the moment, he is writing for a real estate agency in NY that offers Queens condos for sale.