13 SOCIAL MEDIA TRENDSfor 2013February
2013

2013 Trends

1. 1.The image-powered social web
gets even more powerful

1. Image power • 2012
was the year of Pinterest and Instagram • Both platforms (and the other major ones) showed that the average web user loves consuming image-based posts • In 2013, this phenomenon will only gather more momentum • Smart brands have recognised this and are using imagery in the right ways to generate the right interaction

2.The 6-second video app called
Vine might get huge

2. Vine time • Vine
has been the most talked about new social platform of the year (so far) • Just like Twitter before it, Vine has put a limit on the form of content it shares (video) • It solves the biggest problem people have traditionally had with moving imagery: producing quality long form content • When you only have six seconds, you can tell a story without that pressure • It’ll be interesting to see how brands capitalise on this potential opportunity

Twitter’s evolution takes it down
two very specific paths: Live events and customer service 3.

3. Tailored Twitter • Twitter
is the only true real-time social platform (of scale) • Brands have started to realise that unless their Twitter presence has a big real-time component, they won’t be very relevant • Customer service is one way they can do this • The other is using major events to enter large-scale conversations • Look for this to become more pronounced in 2013

4. The rise of semi-guaranteedengagement
on all platforms (but especially Facebook)

4. Semi-guaranteed engagement • Facebook
continues to develop new ways to make money from its captive audience • The introduction of promoted posts in 2012 was one such development and brands quickly got drunk on the potential reach of these amplified updates • However, brands need to ensure that these posts genuinely add value to the Facebook eco-system if they want to achieve any real value from this investment

5.The long-overdue maturation of brands
on YouTube (hopefully)

5. YouTube for real? •
The majority of brands still see YouTube as a place to get famous on the back of a viral videos • In 2013, I’m hoping we see more brands use YouTube as a place for on-going engagement with their audiences, creating and curating content by adding value • This might be in the form of sharing the wealth of knowledge that can be found within organisations • Or, it might be through content that entertains while telling useful stories • Fingers crossed!

Community management willmove in-house more
and more6.

6. In-house management • Agencies
have made a bit of money over the last few years by being able to provide the talent and resource to effectively manage social media profiles and communities • Brands will bring this responsibility in house more and more in 2013 to save money and provide a more genuine consumer experience • Agencies need to recognise this and develop other ways of adding social media value beyond this service

1. 7. More sophisticatedThe long-overdue
maturation collaboration with online of brands on YouTube influencers

7. Sophisticated collaboration • Genuine
collaboration between brands and online influencers happened more in 2012 than in any previous year, but it was still more a rarity than a regular occurrence • Brands will be forced to think more collaboratively if they want to work with the people that have the resonance with the people they want to reach • This should happen more in 2013 (hopefully)

1. 8. Physical events will
be The rise of semi-designed with social sharing at guaranteed engagement the heart of the concept

8. Offline / online •
The relationship between offline production and online amplification is talked about a lot • In 2012, we saw more and more physical events, and especially sponsorship activations feature elements that appealed to people’s propensity to share experiences of note • In 2013, the ‘social event’ within the physical event will be more obvious than ever before

9. Public figures will seek
out more advice around being better online participants

9. Celebrity challenges • Public
figures that have been able to develop big social media followings have predominantly done so on the back of the things they’re famous for • This has meant that haven’t necessarily been the best online participants • In order to maintain an engaged audience, these public figures need to think more about what they can do to add value to the lives of the people that follow them

10.‘Big data’ is replaced by
‘unified data’

10. Meaningful data • There
is no shortage of data out there, but how much of it is actually actionable? • Smart brands have started to think differently about the way they collect and use all forms of data to better inform business decisions

The obsession with numbers gets
worse11.

11. Meaningless numbers • One
of the big trends from 2012 was the attempt from many to create a universal value for social media engagement • But, like all social media metrics, things like engagement rate can be manipulated • I personally don’t see this changing much in 2013 (or anytime soon)

12. Facebook will look verydifferent
in 12 months time

12. Changing Faces • Facebook’s
one constant is change • It always responds to broader online trends and is always evolving (as it should) • This won’t change in 2013 • What will these changes look like? Who knows? But they’ll happen. Guaranteed.

13.Brands will continue to make
catastrophic mistakes

13. Catastrophes continue • Social
media is still a very new discipline (in the whole scheme of things) • The media is still obsessed by it • So, brands will make big and small mistakes and we’ll hear about them again and again and again • As long as lessons are learned, these mishaps won’t be futile (again, I hope)

ABOUT

About Adam Vincenzini • Currently
head of social media at Mango, part of DDB Worldwide • Previous to that, head of digital at one of the UK’s most highly regarded independent agencies • Also worked with the Australia Cricket Team for a number of years, especially in its early stages of digital asset development and community engagement

My online footprint Twitter: @adamvincenzini
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