Social media 2012 trend report

The new year has arrived and many media outlets have reported top social media trends to pay attention to in 2012.  Here is a recap of some of our favorites:

What is clearly important? Beverly Macy of The Huffington Post says “social enterprise will get better at sifting through the digital river to recognize what’s really important.” Businesses are now wise to the fact that social media isn’t going away and it’s not something to be feared.  Companies will start to figure out how to use it to their advantage.

New Media Becomes Routine. Niall Harbison of SimplyZesty.com, a social media and online PR blog, reports predicts that social media will depart from its experimental status and become an integral function of most company marketing and business plans.  Harbison suggests looking for “it to move to move across businesses to departments like sales and recruitment.”

The Game of Life-Ever notice how you earn points, badges, rewards and more just by patronizing your favorite establishments?  David Armano’s Harvard Business Review blog post suggests looking for the trend to emerge in areas of HR, government, healthcare and business management.

Mobile Sites and Apps Are a Must.If you have them, you are on top of your social media game. Mac Ocampo from SocialMediaToday.com says mobile sites and apps are vital to getting noticed.  In a world of instant access to everything, brands are often missed if they don’t have these presences.

Where Physical Ends, Virtual Begins….and Vice Versa. Companies are learning how to integrate it more easily into the lives of their customers. Harvard Business Review and Social Media Today reported on how brands such as Coca Cola, Dominos and Acme Jeans were converging the digital and physical worlds together to gain learn how what customers thought about certain products.

Watchout Big Box Stores. Here Comes the Micro-economy. Harvard Business Review and Social Media Today agree that social sharing sites like Pinterest and Kickstarter have the potential to allow smaller brands enough exposure to give big companies stiff competition this year.

Good luck in 2012 and all of your social media endeavors.  For more information on ways to expand your business's reach online, please feel free to contact Baker Creative today!