Monday, January 3, 2011

What Does Our Social Media Future Look Like?

Happy New Year! Hope everyone had a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

Where is our social media future headed? The following Microsoft video dates back from 2009 but its impact still hits home as we begin 2011.  The video features what our technology future looks like in 2019 - which is just eight years away. 

This Microsoft video made me think about where our social media future is headed - what trends will we see in 2011 and beyond?

Here are some trends to watch for this year:

  • Location-based marketing: Service-based companies such as restaurants, hotels, and retailers will see a huge spurt as people feel more comfortable using FourSquare and other location-based apps.
  • Mobile marketing campaigns: Text campaigns for mobile users will explode this year. Small business owners will take advantage of this affordable mobile marketing. A great way to connect easily and quickly with customers!
  • Cause social marketing & tweet-a-thons: Charities and non-profits will jump on board and utilize Twitter to mobilize their online fundraising campaigns. This is great for promoting causes and building relationships with online donors - the future of non-profit fundraising! 
  • More review sites: We'll see an influx of consumer-review sites - an effective way to track your online reputation, and allows you to pay attention to what customers and clients say about your company brand.
  • Plug-ins and more plug-ins: Plug-ins will skyrocket and hundreds more will surface each month to make our social networking easier and more efficient.

I can't even BEGIN to fathom what social media will look like in 2019. Or will something bigger and better come along to blow social media out of the water?

Where do you think social media is headed? What are your predictions for 2019? 

 

4 comments:

  1. Good post Therese. I agree about mobile marketing and review sites. I think social media is going to continue on its growth track, but I don't know if it's to the point yet where it'll be adopted by mass consumers and small business owners on a grand scale. We're so immersed in it ourselves, but when I talk to people in the real world, they're not involved or don't understand it yet. Hopefully you can help change that!
    Barb

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  2. Good predictions, I think, Therese. And I have observed a few tweet-a-thons, and some have been truly overwhelming in terms of response and reach. Prizes and fundraising for a cause have been good incentives.

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  3. Great blog,
    social media marketing companies tap into this area to incorporate their promotions and allow it to spread into the networks.
    Thanks.
    sarita

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  4. Thanks for everyone's comments!

    Barb, I think there is still a lot of education that needs to happen to get small business owners to join the social medial world. I agree that they don't understand how it can truly benefit their marketing goals, and it's just one of many marketing tools!

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Therese Pope, Copywriter/Content Developer & Digital Buzz-icist

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** Digital & Social Media Strategies