As far as social media is concerned, 2011 was a decent year and the major social networking players
carried on growing and expanding through the year. There were also some new faces on the scene
with Google+ starting to make an appearance. The main concerns for users of these sites continues
to be centred around privacy even now that social media is making its first foray into the world of
business and marketing. But that was 2011 and now the time has come to look to the coming year
and think about what might be happening in the months ahead.
Here we look at some predictions about what is coming up in 2012.
The Relationship between Cloud, Social and Mobile Technology
It is predicted that we will see an interplay between the social, mobile and cloud technologies. Until
now we have only seen these technologies fulfil their capabilities as individuals in their own right
but in the coming year it is thought that we will see all three working together in combination with
each other. Additionally, it is expected that more and more businesses will start to use cloud storage
to manage their data, whilst more sites will be able to communicate with mobile technology so that
they can be accessed more widely.
The combination of the three technologies presents various opportunities to the business world and
internet marketers alike.
Social Media in Marketing
Whereas once social media was only used by young online users wanting to communicate with their
friends, it is now an online staple with users in almost every country of the world. As such, more and
more businesses and small online retailers are tapping into the opportunities social networking affords
and next year it may become so wide spread that it is an essential part of any firm’s marketing strategy.
It has even been suggested that social media may end up being the main channel of communication
between a business and its target audience.
Social networking for businesses in the form of salesforce chatter is set to carry on growing throughout
2012, becoming more familiar to the business world, in a way that Facebook is perhaps the most familiar
social networking tool for consumers.
Search Engines
The use of social media in conjunction with search is an idea we became increasingly aware of throughout
the last year. We saw twitter feeds emerging at the top of Google search results and Facebook likes
appearing in Bing listings, so much so that it is likely that two will eventually merge and become one and
the same. The development of search as an activity is likely to depend very much upon its interaction
with social media.
Integrating the Strategies
Businesses will need to look to integrate the various strands of their online marketing strategy so that they
are looking beyond the use of the social plugin. It will be necessary for them to look at their platforms, their
use of social media and their groups so that they can offer their online users and consumers a complete and
comprehensive experience. This might involve thinking about using social media to provide quality links
and content, for instance.
Social Networking Sites
Although commenting on the different social networks and their projected successes is usually quite difficult,
it is possible to make an exception in the case of Facebook. It is predicted that their growth and span will reach
further than that of Google to position itself as the main social networking site in the world. To maintain this
position it is likely that Facebook will have to grow beyond its current functions and look at other ways to
cement its use.
In terms of social media at least, the coming year should be full of interesting developments.
