What's next for social media? You already know
02/05/10 10:32 AM Filed in: #socialmedia
#in
The
best definition of social media is that social
media is a "relationship". Like someone who just
moved into a new neighborhood the first thing
that most people do when they join a social media
site is to add a lot of friends. It's cool to see
updated on hundreds or thousands of friends but
soon you realize that these "friends" are not
really providing value to the relationship and
soon you start dropping or following a bunch of
people.
Some novel research on the social networking phenomenon has turned up a slightly surprising result: The most influential spreaders of news aren't necessarily those with the greatest number of online friends or followers. The upshot of this research? Well, like the recent revelation that you'll get more Twitter followers with fewer personal Tweets, it suggests something subtle: If you want to achieve broader attention to something you're Tweeting, you should perhaps concentrate less on getting huge numbers of followers. Instead, you should be trying to attract the key followers among the hoard, with enthusiastic participation in the network, and good onwards communicating power.
So think in terms of relationships. If a friend stops adding value to the relationship and you find yourself giving more than him/her why keep them as a friend? The same is true in social media. Think of it this way; when I get up in the morning and grab my coffee I head to my Mac to check eMail, RSS and Tweets. The more people I follow on Twitter the more Tweets I have and because I am on the West Coast often there are over 75 Tweets. Do you really think that I have time to read all those Tweets? I usually just scan them and click on Tweets that are relevant to me such as marketing trends or new charts. If I follow someone and they don't provide a lot of links and good insights then I have no problem saying goodbye to that person via "unfollow".
So where does social media go from here? Here are some of my predictions, not as an expert just using some common marketing sense:
1. It's about the information WHEN I need it in a form that doesn't require a LOT of time: If you want to check Facebook or Twitter and don't have a lot of time (who does today) then there has to be a better way to filter and get me the information I want or need. Sure Twitter lists helped but there still can be a lot of Tweets to read.
2. Social media growth in the US hits a plateau: Twitter is already experiencing flat growth and most of Facebook's growth is coming from outside the US. People are going to realize soon that they don't need to be connected 24/7/365 and that it can be a pain in the ass. Oh by the way? The growth of mobile that everyone is talking about is going to be in applications not necessarily social media.
3. You're not worthy to be my friend: Look for social media users to start to cull their friend lists and people they follow. The more they use social media the shorter the list.
4. Social media starts to carve out niches: LinkedIn for career and work social media, Facebook for families and friends and Twitter for staying on top of news.
5. Integration of social media with all browsers and software: Soon you'll see integration of social media with IE, Safari and Microsoft Office. Just finished a Presentation and want to send it to Slide Share? Just click here and it will get posted.
6. Social media for marketers offers more value in customer service than conversion: The number one reason people friend a brand via social media is to get discounts. However when consumes have a problem with a brand or product they expect brand and companies to be on social media to answer their problems.
In the end it's not numbers that are important in social media but the value that people bring to the community. The people that I follow on Twitter add a log of value and help me stay on top of the changing world of marketing. Those that tell me they just had a cup of coffee with a bagel are the ones who will find themselves Tweeting to an empty house.
Some novel research on the social networking phenomenon has turned up a slightly surprising result: The most influential spreaders of news aren't necessarily those with the greatest number of online friends or followers. The upshot of this research? Well, like the recent revelation that you'll get more Twitter followers with fewer personal Tweets, it suggests something subtle: If you want to achieve broader attention to something you're Tweeting, you should perhaps concentrate less on getting huge numbers of followers. Instead, you should be trying to attract the key followers among the hoard, with enthusiastic participation in the network, and good onwards communicating power.
So think in terms of relationships. If a friend stops adding value to the relationship and you find yourself giving more than him/her why keep them as a friend? The same is true in social media. Think of it this way; when I get up in the morning and grab my coffee I head to my Mac to check eMail, RSS and Tweets. The more people I follow on Twitter the more Tweets I have and because I am on the West Coast often there are over 75 Tweets. Do you really think that I have time to read all those Tweets? I usually just scan them and click on Tweets that are relevant to me such as marketing trends or new charts. If I follow someone and they don't provide a lot of links and good insights then I have no problem saying goodbye to that person via "unfollow".
So where does social media go from here? Here are some of my predictions, not as an expert just using some common marketing sense:
1. It's about the information WHEN I need it in a form that doesn't require a LOT of time: If you want to check Facebook or Twitter and don't have a lot of time (who does today) then there has to be a better way to filter and get me the information I want or need. Sure Twitter lists helped but there still can be a lot of Tweets to read.
2. Social media growth in the US hits a plateau: Twitter is already experiencing flat growth and most of Facebook's growth is coming from outside the US. People are going to realize soon that they don't need to be connected 24/7/365 and that it can be a pain in the ass. Oh by the way? The growth of mobile that everyone is talking about is going to be in applications not necessarily social media.
3. You're not worthy to be my friend: Look for social media users to start to cull their friend lists and people they follow. The more they use social media the shorter the list.
4. Social media starts to carve out niches: LinkedIn for career and work social media, Facebook for families and friends and Twitter for staying on top of news.
5. Integration of social media with all browsers and software: Soon you'll see integration of social media with IE, Safari and Microsoft Office. Just finished a Presentation and want to send it to Slide Share? Just click here and it will get posted.
6. Social media for marketers offers more value in customer service than conversion: The number one reason people friend a brand via social media is to get discounts. However when consumes have a problem with a brand or product they expect brand and companies to be on social media to answer their problems.
In the end it's not numbers that are important in social media but the value that people bring to the community. The people that I follow on Twitter add a log of value and help me stay on top of the changing world of marketing. Those that tell me they just had a cup of coffee with a bagel are the ones who will find themselves Tweeting to an empty house.
