2011 has been a great year for social media, especially in terms of social media sharing—this generation’s second coming of the word of mouth. Last year, Facebook made 52.1% of web sharing while Twitter came in strong at 13.5% which also showed growth at 576.9%. Google+ (introduced in the same year) got 373% of growth sharing while Tumblr rose at 1299.5%.
The influence of social media will definitely get stronger for 2012 as new blood and traditional sectors continue on adapting social media to its marketing, branding, and customer support. You can expect the rise of new breakthroughs like Klout. Klout created noise by launching an online application that can be likened to Google’s Analytics. Klout’s feature includes measuring social media influence. Measuring social media influence will determine your true reach, amplification, and the network you influence based on your social activities on the internet.
Social media will also widely affect search results. Earlier this January, Google has changed its search algorithm creating personalized search results based on your social presence on Google+. This has earned negative reactions from other search sites like Bing and website Gizmodo. Even Twitter expressed its disapproval on the move.
People also want control over their online social history. 2012 will have a great demand for tools that will quickly edit photos, wall updates, twitter status, etc. There will also be a demand for a single app that will be able to do all these edits. With that, you can also expect increased collaboration through social media within the work place. File sharing, instant messaging and remote collaboration are some of the elements that will push this need.
In 2011, television and social media started their collaboration. This 2012, watch for its steady interactive growth and visibility. Streaming and live tweeting events and updates will also be on the rise especially now that tablets and iPads are successfully putting their foot down on the market.
Social media games as a form of promotion will also be a boom. We can see these kinds of activities on twitter such winning a promo for being the (insert number) tweet. Discounts are still appreciated but nothing beats on winning an easy challenge.
Are you ready to experience these trends that will roll out on 2012? What are your expectations on 2012’s social media? What are the trends that you have adopted in your strategy?
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