6 Sizzling Trends for Social Media in 2012

We know it’s only half way through the year, but 2011 has been such a pivotal period for social media that we can’t help but do some crystal ball-gazing for 2012.

Social media monitoring and analytics have come on leaps and bounds over the past year, making the case for management to shift budgets to social marketing.

We’ve witnessed a bigger focus on real-time search, and welcomed investment into insightful research.

So what trends are going to influence our wonderfully dynamic sector in 2012? Here are a few thoughts from Simon Jones, Digital Visitor’s director of marketing:

1. Social media as a customer service tool

For speed and efficiency of high volume communications, nothing parallels social media. Remember Heathrow Airport’s use of Twitter to placate grounded passengers during last December’s heavy snow? Expect to see more and more organisations wising up to the potential of Twitter in particular for customer service purposes.

2. Creative competitions on social media

Facebook is an ideal medium for competitions. Invest time in making yours exciting and creative enough to grow your online audience while telling your brand and product story. However, take heed of the network’s recent changes to the rulebook – see Digital Visitor’s resource for further info.

3. Social media will have greater impact on search results

Expect to see more real-time, ultra-personalised information in search engine results. We’ve already seen Bing pushing relevant content from users’ personal networks to the top of search results. Then Google unveiled fresh competition by pulling in results from Twiiter, Flickr and other social networks, enabling people to make search decisions based on frends’ recommendations.

4. User reviews and ratings on company websites

Online reviews have been proven to impact on shoppers purchase decisions, so it’s likely that we’ll increasing numbers of businesses gathering and publishing user reviews and ratings.

5. Relevance in social media

Twitter’s revelation that it currently hosts 200 million tweets each day offers some indication of the volume of people flocking to social media channels. As brands rush in their droves to make contact there, it’s more important than ever to ensure that whatever you offer is instantly eye-catching and relevant. Check out this infographic to see why time really is of the essence.

6. B2B sector embraces social media

While B2C marketers were the first to inject some social into their marketing mix, we learnt earlier this year that most B2B marketers use social media marketing at some level, with LinkedIn their favoured channel.

This trend is set to soar as B2B brands realise the impact and benefits of social media marketing for their sector.