It’s the middle of January so perhaps it’s safe for me add to the glut of predictions about the next twelve months. As far as social media is concerned, even the most skeptical communications people realize it has a significant role to play in most organizations. What will social media bring to the marketing mix in 2011?
Consumerism ‘as a game’
There have been countless articles recently citing the psychological compulsion of competing, collecting and rewarding. While Foursquare remains the poster boy for location-based apps, other businesses are starting to offer rewards to their consumers. ‘Review a product on our website and unlock 5 points’. ‘Become a fan on Facebook and receive a 10% discount on your next purchase.’ In a sense, this incentivizes consumers with a game acting as a virtual loyalty card, with the added benefit of offering visible kudos. This won’t be suitable for every business, but in 2011 this phenomenon will continue to grow significantly.
Knowledge
This heading may sound rather vague but ‘knowledge’ will be one of the most important developments in social media this year. When people started considering the marketing potential of social media, a million ‘social media gurus’ came out of the woodwork, LinkedIn proving the most popular breeding ground for these ‘experts’. However, the truth is that in 2011 brands and businesses now have access to a pool of marketers that have worked in social media marketing for 12-24 months now. Yes, the medium is still relatively new, but social media marketers have now amassed solid commercial experience, which organizations will utilize effectively in 2011.
Social promotions
So you’ve accumulated 10,000 fans on Facebook. And? While 2010 became the year in which we raced to build up communities for visible brand advocacy, 2011 is the year in which marketers have to start making effective use of these groups. It would seem consumer brands are very well positioned to start offering exclusive commercial offers through social channels, especially if these are tied in with incentivized activities such as reviews, ‘likes’ and newsletter sign-ups. And for B2B businesses, social channels can offer access to ‘exclusive’ content that keeps audiences engaged and informed. Social marketers sweated blood to build these communities in 2010 – 2011 will see them utilized.
Exploration of technology
There was a time when ‘being social’ constituted ‘having a company blog’. These days, mention ‘social media’ and that perception will have grown slightly to encompass Facebook and Twitter. But even this is missing the larger picture. Company videos; podcasts; social bookmarks; social email marketing; LinkedIn; blogs; Twitter; Facebook; Wikis; mobile apps; location-based services. Digital marketers in 2011 have a wealth of free, high-quality platforms through which to publish content, converse with consumers and market their products, offers and brands.
This year, expect to see big brands and small businesses alike making full use of the social spectrum – which will also highlight the importance of quality content.
Integration
2011 will see social media’s integration with digital marketing as a function. While social media marketing specialists have valid places within a marketing team, they are no longer bearded university grads who simply ‘get’ Twitter. Social media can offer so much to a brand’s digital marketing activity and aligning this activity with broader marketing strategy is essential to business success in 2011. We’ve all seen examples of ‘bad’ social media strategy consisting of random tweets and a monthly Facebook update – all too random to achieve any discernable commercial goals. Integrate social media activity with the grand marketing plan however, and we’ll reach more consumers through more channels with the intended message, signaling success for business and streamlined marketing communications.
There’s no doubt that social media has now been validated by the marketing profession – which bodes for very big things in 2011. Thanks to Cal Saunders for adding to the conversation.
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Filed under: Communication
