As the year draws to a close, individuals will summarize the major events that occurred in 2010 while experts, on the other hand, will try to predict upcoming social media trends as 2011 steps in. Last year it was predicted that mobile technology would play a big role in the development of social media – this has been proven with the triple-digit rise in social media consumption through mobile devices. Additionally, social media was predicted to become more exclusive and “less social,” which was exactly what happened with the re-launch of Facebook groups, the emergence of Path, and the partnership of major brands with Foursquare’s geo-location platform. These are the trends social media practitioners should watch out for in 2011 (from Ravit Lichtenberg of Ustrategy and David Armano of Edelman Digital):
• Social engines’ integration to companies’ decision-making strategies – social media and search engines will play a larger role as companies decide on strategic resolutions and execution of an organization’s objectives, marketing plans, and sales process, just to name a few.
• Video, mobile, and community platforms will continue to become critical catalysts as social media continues to evolve in the year ahead.
• People’s psychology will change with social media. The plasticity of our psychology is largely affected by how social technology impacts our lives.
• More integration will happen as more and more companies incorporate social media into their marketing strategies – not just regionally, but globally. Not only used for marketing strategies, companies are expected to utilize social media for crisis management and other business-related issues.
• The advent of tablets and cheaper smartphones will make 24/7 connectivity possible. Technology will be more powerful as ever as social networking becomes possible in and out of the house and the office.
• Foursquare’s location-based networking will open a window of possibilities for other social media sites. Facebook’s response to Foursquare’s location-based platform is about to be rolled out globally so businesses can make use of this more than Foursquare’s.
• Google will join those they cannot beat. After Google’s failed attempts to imitate Facebook’s social networking platform, the biggest search engine decided the best way to beat Facebook is by indexing them to pieces. Google’s algorithm has started with Twitter and the next step could easily be Facebook.
• Video, mobile, and community platforms will continue to become critical catalysts as social media continues to evolve in the year ahead.
• People’s psychology will change with social media. The plasticity of our psychology is largely affected by how social technology impacts our lives.
• More integration will happen as more and more companies incorporate social media into their marketing strategies – not just regionally, but globally. Not only used for marketing strategies, companies are expected to utilize social media for crisis management and other business-related issues.
• The advent of tablets and cheaper smartphones will make 24/7 connectivity possible. Technology will be more powerful as ever as social networking becomes possible in and out of the house and the office.
• Foursquare’s location-based networking will open a window of possibilities for other social media sites. Facebook’s response to Foursquare’s location-based platform is about to be rolled out globally so businesses can make use of this more than Foursquare’s.• Google will join those they cannot beat. After Google’s failed attempts to imitate Facebook’s social networking platform, the biggest search engine decided the best way to beat Facebook is by indexing them to pieces. Google’s algorithm has started with Twitter and the next step could easily be Facebook.
There are certainly more trends that could easily be predicted in 2011, with the way social media continues to revolutionize internet marketing strategies. Expect SEO and social media authorities to release more trends as the year draws to an end and 2011 fast-approaching.
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