Want to be involved in Social Media in 2012? Read this:
Mobile – Mobile, tablet and desktop will all carry equal weight. Mobile accounts for more than 50% of all searches and most businesses have not considered this fact. By 2013 smart phones and tablets will basically be free.
Google is now Social Media – Google connects your WordPress website, connects your smart phone, interfaces with Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Klout, Groupon, Foursquare and Yelp. Google is social media – there is no line anymore. Every time you see one of those little green Android characters, that is Google in your face. Google is Youtube, Google is search, Google is how you find businesses on Google owned search on Google owned Android “phones” and primary search on iPhones. It’s iPad, Kindle Fire and Firefox!
Creativity – All of the sudden everyone is an “expert” and everyone is a “digital professional” but very few people are truly creative. Being creative will be the life saver in the sea of blogs, articles and other mindless content currently flooding the Internet. Think about your product or service and think about “Rice Krispies”… it’s puffed rice. Probably the most boring product on the planet by default but you know the tagline! No matter what your product is, there is a way to make it fun, creative, inspiring and ultimately “SHAREABLE”.
Staff Training – This is a MUST. You cannot allow an individual to run wild on a public platform unless they know the proper etiquette, techniques and most of all how to improvise and be fluid! As more and more companies look to hire social media experts the pool of true talent is being ravaged… so check up on your social staff to make sure they aren’t just yapping with friends or posting inappropriate things on YOUR behalf! I am seeing a lot of social staff using this as an opportunity to just kind of hang out on the Internet all day, monitor them!
Ongoing Social Media Assistance – Complexities of how to go about working in social media exceed business owners ability to post specials to a Facebook page. Budgets for this type of work become as important as a lease or electric bill.
The Finger is the Mouse – People will use their fingers to navigate more than the traditional mouse and with this a full shift from traditional website design with tiny type and links to larger scale everything. Consider the 3″-8″ screen and hot dog fingers when embarking on your new website journey!
Digital Diversity – The days of being a logo designer or a photographer or a web designer are gone. Logos are being crowdsourced, digital cameras are so amazing that everyone can muscle through “good enough” pictures and web designs can be purchased for $200. Digital diversity lies in the ability to harness ALL that is digital into a service and being skilled at everything that falls under the umbrella of digital services. One stop shops or individuals with a full grasp on the entire creative and technical process will be in high demand.
Klout and Quantifiable Social Activity – The sea of so-called experts will grow exponentially but services like Klout will rise as a way to validate and verify a social media professional. Companies are hesitant to invest in this because they often have to rely on a magic man but services to track and monitor the “expert” and the efforts will become a standard for small, medium and large business.
Social Etiquette – Small businesses are often guilty of a terrible social presence. Social media is not a platform to spam, advertise and bombard with your latest offering. Creation of content that expresses the heart and soul of your business through a humanized presence is where it’s at. It’s the same as calling an automated phone system or a human. No one likes automation!
Reciprocity – I remember explaining “open API” to a comedy talent manager 3 years ago and how with the rise of Facebook came a rise in creating open, reciprocal doors in every web site. The Internet has become one big massive “if you scratch my back, I scratch yours” situation, making it “social” by default. It’s not about YOU or YOUR BUSINESS anymore, it’s about a collective. Banding together like-minded or local businesses is the way.
