What's Next for Social Media Marketing?

I just read an interesting article by Stephanie Schwab called “Five Social Media Trends for 2011.”  For some of us, just getting started with Facebook, Twitter and maybe YouTube, the information in this piece was kind of mind boggling.  So I thought I’d try to translate some of it for those “non-geeks” among us. 

The exponential growth of social networks along with the advent of smart phones (51% of us now have smart phones) has put a new spin on marketing, and those of us who want to sell products and services (especially to the under 30 crowd) will need to understand and adopt some of these new strategies.

The first trend cited by Ms. Schwab was “Consumer Content Curation.”  For those of you (like me) who don’t immediately understand what this means, I guess you could think of a museum curator. The curator decides what should be displayed in the museum and how it is displayed.  So in social media, the idea is that as more companies jump into the fray, consumers are deciding not to “like” every page just to get a coupon. The idea of social media was never to turn our walls into shopping malls.  Consumers are turning off the companies that use their sites only for marketing or sales. Instead, they are turning to “real” friends to find out about products and services. The good news is that companies who create compelling, interesting and engaging content will get noticed, “liked” and shared, and they will remain in the “consumer steam.”

The second trend mentioned was “Niche Location.” Again, a concept that does not immediately spring to mind.  But Foursquare and Gowalla (both LBS or Location Based Services) have become quite popular, especially in urban areas. These sites let people find out where their friends are and exchange information on local attractions.  Xtify offers companies the opportunity to “create, manage, deliver and optimize geo-relevant messages to your user base.”  Shopkick allows consumer to earn points just for walking into certain stores or shopping malls.  Shoppers can scan bar codes to get coupons and other “deals.”  Macy’s, Target and Best Buy are just a few of the participating stores in the Chicago area.  Topguest links check-ins with airline and hotel loyalty programs automatically.  

The next trend mentioned was Social Gaming.  If you haven’t heard of Farmville, good for you.  But FarmVille has become a new testing ground for brand integration with new promotions for Farmer’s Insurance, the Megamind movie and even McDonald’s.  Ms Schwab predicts that “in the coming year we’ll see more, and deeper, brand integrations with existing gaming platforms, as well as more brands creating their own gaming structures for consumer advancement into preferred status, coupons, or freebies.” Just check out what people in waiting rooms are doing with their smart phones!

As I read on, the next subject was QR codes.  Okay, I had to do a Wikipedia search on this one.  Turns out the Japanese have been using QR codes for years and they are quite common in Asia, but still kind of an oddity in the US.  Wikipedia puts it this way: “A QR Code is matrix barcode that can be read by QR scanners, mobile phones with a camera, and smart phones. The code consists of black modules arranged in a square pattern on white background. The information encoded can be text, URL or other data.”  Still not sure what it all means?  Calvin Klein recently put up a billboard in New York that had nothing on it but a large square QR code.  When the code is scanned by smart phones, the viewer is taken to a commercial, featuring the models and information that once would have been put up on the billboard!  QR codes are showing up in magazines and other printed pieces. Some savvy businessmen are handing out business cards with QR codes.  When scanned, the contact information is automatically downloaded into a smart phone’s address book. Want to know even more, read the article: “How to Use QR Codes for Small Business.”

The final trend was Social Commerce.  Okay, Back to Wikipedia.  The term describes a set of online collaborative shopping tools, such as shared pick lists, user rating and other user-generated content, including advice on whether or not to purchase.  While this concept has been going on for a while, the game changer seems to be the mobile apps becoming available.  Steve Madden Shoes, for example, launched a mobile application that allows consumers to identify what styles and sizes they want, find the nearest store, the distance to that store, and get directions via Google Maps – all from their smart phones.  According to executives at Steve Madden, consumers want “speed and efficiency, information that is personalized, localized and customized.”  Consumers also want to be engaged, entertained and inspired.

Are you ready for 2011?