Social media has become such a popular buzzword that hipsters have already abandoned it twice and are now using it ironically. While we have our disagreements about the usefulness of social media in today’s SEO and online marketing world, there is something to be said about how social media helps companies get noticed.
And social media is still evolving. The techniques that worked well in the beginning are having less and less of an effect as time passes, and companies are finding new ways to take advantage of these social media platforms. Below are several expected trends in social media use in 2012.
Facebook Liked is Your Friend
Facebook’s “Like” feature is quickly becoming one of the most popular ways to get noticed online. Yet few companies are really taking advantage of it. One only needs to look at Occupy Wall Street to see how quickly information can spread via the Facebook Like button. Not only can hundreds or thousands of people see one piece of content posted on one person’s Facebook page, but liking/sharing itself has become far easier, and can be completed with the click of a button. Throw in the addition of the Facebook Timeline which allows people to view someone’s wall going back to the creation of their account and your presence will never truly fade.
This means, however, that you need to start developing content and media that’s worth sharing. Creativity and humor are going to be your new best friends, and some companies may need to push the boundary in order to find content that will spread across the platform.
Twitter Will Be For Maintaining Customer Relationships
While we’ve run Twitter accounts for several businesses, we’ve often been a bit skeptical about the usefulness of Twitter for most small and medium sized businesses. People Tweet with such frequency now that your company needs to dedicate hours to Twitter marketing simply to create buzz about your products with a select number of people. Starting a new Twitter account is useful, but using it as a marketing campaign is not ideal for every company.
However, Twitter does still have a variety of uses, and we expect that this year companies are going to start using Twitter more for maintaining relationships with customers, rather than creating new customers. With all of Twitter’s flaws, it is still an excellent communication platform, and a great tool for providing customer service or addressing questions/comments/criticisms. This is the most likely direction for companies to use Twitter in the future.
Competition Will Be Fierce
The thing about technology is that by the time you realize its value, it’s often too late. Social media has become such a buzzword that almost every entrepreneur has convinced themselves that it is the most valuable marketing tool available. Expect millions of new businesses to open up Twitter, Facebook, and other social media accounts hoping to cash in on a trend, hoping to succeed with little to no experience using either social media platform. With that many users, you need outstanding content to compete with the flood of other terrible content these businesses will create.
Running Your Social Media Campaign
Social media has its uses, which is why Great Leap Studios has helped numerous companies manage their accounts. But it may not be as useful as the so-called marketing gurus want you to believe. Expect to see changes in the way social media is used and valued, and always remember that there are numerous ways to market your website – it’s not about using the method that’s most popular. It’s about using the method that is best for your company.
