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It's still January, so it's not yet too late for me to talk about trends and predictions for 2012. Instead of making my own — and risk having egg on my face a year from now — I've gathered some noteworthy blog posts on this topic.
These soothsayers seem to agree that:
It will no longer be seen as a different form of marketing, but all marketing programs will integrate social media tools.
Content is the fuel of social marketing, so naturally, as social marketing takes off, businesses will realize the importance of content and invest in creating high-quality content and distributing it effectively.
Don't pooh-pooh Google+. Google is already flexing its muscles with its own social network, and if you don't yet appreciate how Google+ will, at the very least, affect your rankings, you'll have egg on your face.
It's all about your consumers. If you don't listen to them, respond promptly, track their interests and behaviors, then your marketing efforts will fail.
Below are some of the posts I “consulted” to come up with these conclusions:
Social Media Marketing and Business Trends 2012
No shocking predictions here. Priit Kallas points out trends that are staring us in the face.
The State of Social Marketing 2011-2012
Brian Solis is one of the more intelligent voices in social marketing today. In this post, he brings our attention to the Social Consumer and how businesses view social marketing.
B2B Marketing: What Are the Biggest B2B Opportunities for 2012?
B2B marketing practitioners and thought leaders show that businesses, not just consumers, are well entrenched in social media, too.
Publish or Perish: Business Marketing 2012
I keep hearing that marketers should act more like publishers and less like sales people. This post develops that idea.
Cash In on Content and Social Media Marketing in 2012
If 2012 will be the year of content, then these are the steps to take (if you haven't already).
B2B Content Marketing Statistics: 2012 Budgets, Benchmarks and Trends (Research Report)
Not content to look into a crystal ball, the Content Marketing Institute and MarketingProfs surveyed companies to see how they will be carrying out social media marketing in 2012.
How do you predict social marketing to go in 2012? What platforms or tools do you think will dominate? In anticipation of these trends, how will your business do social marketing in the next 12 months?
Share your thoughts by posting a comment below.
photo credit: Outdated Productions
Lexi Rodrigo is a communication and marketing professional for multimillion-dollar businesses, co-author of Blog Post Ideas: 21 Proven Ways to Create Compelling Content and Kiss Writer's Block Goodbye, and host of "Marketing Insights LIVE!." Connect with Lexi on Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
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There’ll be a move away from outbound marketing to inbound marketing and SEO will become more social as Google allows for social search. Expect to be added to more circles and you should be adding back if you want your content to reach an audience wider than your inner circle.
@Nica, Virtual Assistant – Good points about Google+!