2011 is at its end and social media marketers across the globe are all looking forward to 2012, and why not?
• The social media share of the advertising pie is clearly getting bigger. And, as the advertising pie itself returns to real growth (hopefully), social media’s importance will increase exponentially.• Consumers and businesses are relying on social media more and more for research, recommendations and brand communication.• All of us SMM experts, gurus, mavens, and ninjas are rapidly becoming influential, mainstream marketers instead of “specialists.” (Check out your Klout scores!)• At this point, your companies and clients have probably signed off on a bigger budget for next year’s SMM and expectations are sky high.
Our future is so bright, we’ve gotta wear shades, right?
There is only one small problem: no one knows what is going to happen in the space in 2012.
Consider this:
On January 1, 2011,
• Google+ didn’t exist.
• Instagram had one million users (in 3 months!) and had just doubled in size to four employees• Myspace was still considered a necessary evil• Facebook Timeline was not even an idea yet.• Fewer than 300 YouTube Brand Channels had launched in 2010 and each required a media spend• Tumblr was coming off a two day service outage• With a $41M VC round behind it, iPhone app “Color” was about to launch with its goal of “nothing less than to become the ultimate local discovery tool.”
As 2011 draws to a close,
• Google+ has 50 million plus users• Instagram is the top mobile (only) social media network, with more than 15 million users• Facebook Timeline just launched on a global basis with brand timelines soon to arrive• YouTube Brand Channels has a fresh redesign and are open to businesses without a minimum media spend• Tumblr has doubled in unique monthly users (approaching 40 million/month) and is logging approximately 50 million posts/day). Even President Obama blogs on Tumblr!• Color has yet to gain any traction in the market and is remaking itself as a Facebook play
My point is that in 2012, your motto should be “Be Prepared.” (Shoot, someone’s already using that motto?) In other words, prepare your management and clientele for change in 2012. Put more money into the “contingency” or “experimental” category (and create those categories, if you haven’t already) in your budget. Set expectations now, because change is inevitable and you will look like a hero when you can say, “I told you so…. And we’re ready!”
Have a great holiday!
CB
“Future So Bright” music video:
