In an article entitled “The Future of Social Media: 50+ Experts Share Their 2013 Predictions,” Brian Rice put together a list of predictions from different leaders in the marketing, sales, and customer service industries. As noted in the article, the changes implemented by Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn as well as the rising clout of Pinterest have changed the social media landscape in 2012.
Millenials Communicating in the Workplace
Millenials (most of whom are 18 to 25 years old) will transform workplace communication using new technologies, according to Jane Horowitz. “Today’s college student and those about to enter college (our next wave into the workplace) will reshape, along with new technologies the workplace over the next decade. The way this generation, (Millennials) communicate in their social lives will be introduced to the workplace, and then transform it; fostering new ways of sharing ideas and collaborating to achieve outcomes. Goodbye email and PowerPoint presentations. Hello file-sharing, multi-media presentations. Everything we use and come into contact with will be converted into data that will be available at our fingertips to make informed and therefore smarter decisions. Marketing, sales and customer service professional will need critical thinking, analytical and problem-solving skills,” described the founder of More Than A Resume.
Changes in Social Marketing within Companies
However, departments within companies should still find a way to streamline their communication efforts, mentioned Devin Redmond. “It’s very common these days to walk into a business and find that different departments all have their own social accounts and social marketing tools to connect with customers, recruit employees, and drive marketing campaigns. That new reality and infrastructure has become a rapidly increasing sprawl that can be disharmonious and prone to risk for their company and their own efforts. This will lead to a push toward greater social infrastructure management as companies try to get a handle on social media sprawl to improve their efforts without having to worrying about mishaps, abuse, and social media mistakes,” stated the CEO and co-founder of Social iQ Networks.
Quality Versus Quantity in Social Media Engagement
On the other hand, customers may start to disengage from social networks altogether, said Rick Mathieson. “Look for a nascent social media backlash to gain traction among consumers and the brands trying to connect with them. While 20% of Facebook users say they log on once or twice a day, 52% say they plan to spend less time there in the future and that’s an emerging dynamic across the socialsphere. In 2013, look for a new emphasis on quality of engagement versus quantity. When engaging in social media, look for the emphasis for many brands to finally move away from ‘How’ the mechanics of going social to the ‘Why’, by clarifying objectives and building social media strategies to meet them,” explained the author of Branding Unbound and The On-Demand Brand.
Developing Mobile and Tablet Applications
In order to survive, companies should look into diversification and explore the worlds of mobile and tablet applications, suggested Carrie Peterson. “2013 will be the year of social media mobile and tablet application for marketers. As consumers become more and more socially savvy and are using their mobile devices for research and purchases, it is imperative that marketers hop on the mobile train with a solid strategy and targeted ad campaigns. These campaigns should integrate behavioral targeting, relevant content per the niche demographic, and social share features to maximize reach and social word of mouth,” described the social media director at Internet Marketing Inc.
Understanding Customers More
The focus on social media will push companies to explore other options beyond the traditional social networking sites, according to Jeff Browning. “2013 is the year social leaps beyond projection / syndication and becomes more about listening, understanding, and driving better products and relationships that drive business. Vendors and agencies that provide useful big data analytics (ideally blending the inside and outside the enterprise) will become big dollar rockstars. Over 50% of C-level will finally realize social does not equal Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn,” stated the senior director of Online Strategy at F5 Networks.
To view the full list of predictions, you can read the article at business2community.com.
(Featured Image Credit: Kexino)
