Key Social Media Trends to look for in 2012

In keeping with our New Year’s resolution to follow through on our posts, I’m passing along some info that I found interesting in my news feed over the past few days.

Social media had its share of growing pains. It’s no longer the exclusive province of challenger brands. Large corporations entered social media all-in to try to find footing in this expanding medium. Some brands found success, while others found peril and PR nightmares.

The following are a few trends to look for in 2012:

Big Business Has Woken Up

The way corporate entities approach social media is shifting. Many companies realize that simply setting up Twitter, YouTube and Facebook accounts is just not going to cut it as a social media strategy. Brands will need to seriously shift perspective by treating social channels more like communication channels and less like an advertising channels in order to make a difference. From my perspective this transition has already occurred, judging by the extent to which brands’ Twitter accounts are now used as channels for CRM and customer support, managing pissed off or happy customers in near realtime.

ROI Is Still Huge

ROI will remain a key metric to any social media strategy. The concept of engagement is now becoming more and more an excepted metric. Corner office adoption of social media is improving, and more CEOs are recognizing the benefits of humanizing their brand.

Customer service, research and image branding could all be considered social media intangibles, yet all three are obviously important in business. Social channels impact every single aspect of business from human relations to finance, sales, and operations. It’s important for everyone to understand how social media affects their role and responsibilities. Opposite of television, social media is a dialogue vs. a monologue and if a brand is able to collect opinions real-time via social channels like Facebook polls, they can save a great deal of money on formal research studies.

Social TV Integration

Many shows have already begun to integrate social TV, either through polling or integrating social elements within the show. See my example of how both the UFC and WWE are already integrating social media into their programming. Social media played a pivotal role in the last presidential election, and it will likely be more integrated into political broadcasts.

As each news channel fights hard to keep their viewers engaged, networks like CNN and Fox have made significant strides to engage their audience, although some would argue that this social media integration has come at the expense of hard-hitting journalism and analysis.

TV Is Going Online in a Big Way

2012 will be the first time that the Super Bowl will be streamed live. The Super Bowl is generally viewed as the mother of all advertising spectacles; it will add a new dynamic into the digital component to advertising and social media integration.

There have been a lot of discussions about social media fatigue and whether brands refuse to play for that reason. With over a billion people on social media it’s irresponsible for any brand not to have some sort of presence. 2012 will be the year for brands to go beyond cookie cutter campaigns and really determine how it not only adds value to their company, but how it adds value for their customers. 2012 will be crucial for companies and social media. For those who don’t see a direct correlation between social media and sales consider:

 Niche Social Media Channels will Expand in a Huge Way

With the wide acceptance of mobile, many brands are finding meaningful engagement with audiences on Instagram, Pinterest and several other niche channels. Tumblr’s simple interface is rapidly being adopted by 20 & 30-somethings (plus a few of us old-timers).

“Social media is an ideal tool for moving people up the fan ladder, from being a casual fan of a brand to a loyalist, because the communication channels allow people to build stronger emotional connections with brands.”

In the parlance of my generation: 2012 should be an E-Ticket ride in Social Media (those of you under 40 should look up that term on WikiPedia).