Social Media in 2011

What do I see happening in Social Media in 2011?  To tell you the truth, a lot.  I see a lot of brands switching their markting styles to incorporate social media.  I see online advertisements being more effctive than television and print advertisement.  And I see an older crowd joining social media.

More companies have been noticing the effectiveness of social media in moving their products.  It is leading to a shift from advertisements to fans becoming the greatest influencers of others opinions.  Everyday people are influencing others. looking at what brands people are talking about.  People love to talk about products.  Try a twitter search for any major company- you’ll see what I’m talking about.  When I search “Apple” there are hundreds of posts about people using their ipods, their iphones, and other products.  There’s also people complaining about the price of Apple products.  It’s very interesting, and all I had to search was the brand.  I think eventually people aren’t going to read consumer reports, they are going to search a brand.

Online advertisements are becoming very successful as well.  Google has been having great success with their advertising on Youtube.  There are mobile ads in my iPod and my Droid.  It’s crazy, and I see these companies (or the app makers) with tons of revenue just from advertising in their useful programs.  Just look at Angry Birds.  There are advertisements in the game that are amazing for getting a brand across.  I haven’t seen an advertisement that I can interact with yet, but those will be even more effective.

You’ve probably noticed more and more older individuals joining social networks.  This is the largest growing segment on Facebook.  Just think about all of the potential for brands to interact; and not just those young, hip brands.  Products for older individuals will  be very successful in social media.

People want to interact with others about products.  It’s it our nature.  It’s one of the major shifts that will divide companies and cause many to fail.  You want your products to work.  You want your products to get talked about.  And most importantly, if people are having issues with your product, you want representatives to be able to assist them in Social Media.  The companies that adapt will survive.  Those that don’t…well I wouldn’t want to be working for them.

I will be continuing my job hunt, hopefully I’ll be getting something soon.