Four areas of social that I see becoming more prominent in 2011. Fingers crossed that I'm right.
1. Facebook: Facebook will continue to innovate and dominate. They just surpassed Google for goodness sake. From Places to Deals to Community and Friendship pages Facebook was throwing out a new curveball every few months in 2010. My tip: It's Facebook's world, and each change they roll out is usually part of their bigger master plan. I try to spend less time complaining about the small changes and more time trying to figure out what direction Facebook is heading in order to stay ahead of the curve.
2. Traditional Media: Social Media will continue to invade Traditional Media. Not only are businesses hosting profiles on social media they are incorporating social into their more "traditional" elements - advertisements, websites, email campaigns. My tip: Putting social front and center on marketing materials not only makes you look relevant, but more importantly sends a message that you are open to a two-way conversation. It's also a great way to extend the conversation beyond a TV ad, piece of point of sale, brochure, etc.
3. Mobile: Mobile + Social is going to continue to revolutionize the space. Whether it is tapping into the GPS function for a social check-in or using your phone camera to instantly upload pictures from an event, meal, night out with friends...mobile allows people to tell their stories right then and there. It also allows people to reap instant benefits. I think more companies will take advantage of Foursquare, Facebook Deals, Stickybits in 2011. My tip: If you own a space where customers come to or are hosting an event think about ways you can provide a social experience via mobile, because you know they are going to be checking that phone at some point.
4. Social Media Consultants/Agencies: (Slightly biased here) Social is a full-time job and to do it well people will need some extra support. It's one thing to set aside time to update your status, it is quite another thing to stay on top of the ever-changing world of social media. Keeping up with the new players, the trends and how to best leverage all those Facebook changes can be time consuming. My tip: If you don't have time to dedicate to social or don't have the interest, find a partner who does. It can be a crazy but exciting world out there and a little help navigating it never hurt.
Here's to 2011 and more exciting things ahead. What do you see growing in social in 2011?