Social Media Predictions for 2013

2013Social MediaPredictionseBook

ContentsWhat’s in store for social media marketing in 2013?We asked some of the world’s most respected and proven marketers what eBookchanges they believe are in store for social media in the new year.What did they have to say?Browse the index below to ﬁnd what each of the following social mediainﬂuencers predict for 2013 and beyond.1 2013 Predictions 6 Lee Hopkins 11 Ray Wang @leehopkins @rwang0 Overview 7 Lee Odden 12 Rohit Bhargava2 Anita Campbell @leeodden @rohitbhargava @smallbiztrends 8 Michael Brito 13 Shel Israel3 Ann Handley @Britopian @shelisrael @marketingprofs 9 Paul Gillin 14 Toby Bloomberg4 Gaurav Mishra @pgillin @TobyDiva @Gauravonomics 10 Philip Sheldrake 15 Valeria Maltoni5 Geoff Livingston @Sheldrake @ConversationAge @geoffliving

2013 Social MediaPredictions Overview eBookThe polled experts predict changes insome of these areas.Facebook and Twitter were absent from the experts list of social networks primed for growth.Making the list of networks likely to grow, the team consistently identiﬁed LinkedIn, Pinterest,Slideshare and...Myspace.The biggest opportunity for businesses in 2013 is to be a social business, not simply a business insocial.Please note that the opinions of those interviewed do not necessarily represent the views of Dell. 01

What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one maydisappear?Google+ is primed to grow the most, simply because you cantafford to ignore it. With Google tying it to other products suchas local search, and using it as a signal (however nebulouslythey deﬁne it) in search results, its not just another socialnetwork. Its shaping up to be much much more.We wont see any major social channel completely disappear,but I will predict that MySpaces recent redesign wont broadenits relevance. Its pretty much been relegated to bands andartists, and brands distinctly seeking the teen market.Can you share your best advice for a brand to connect withtheir audience on a one-on-one level?Make yourself and/or your team visible, with names attached.That way the public, customers and prospects know there arereal people behind the social accounts. For example, on Twitter,if you have a company account, identify who exactly is doingthe tweeting. On a company blog, identify the writers by name Anita Campbell(I dont know about your company but I dont have anyone in Founder, Small Business Trendsmy company named "admin"!). Use photos of your people too. @smallbiztrendsOur engagement on one site I own increased 20% after we put Website: smallbiztrends.comup a rotating Featured Moderators box and a Moderators pagelisting them all.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 02

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013?Social media is still a corporate blind spot forbusiness-to-business execs. In a recent article atMarketingProfs, we cited research that found 43 percent ofB2B executives say they never consider or rarely consider theirsocial media reputation when making a business decision.But, in 2013, I’m hoping to see that percentage decreasesigniﬁcantly, with B2B companies embracing social media toolsand platforms....And what needs to stop?Social spam—particularly friend spam. To wit: Why dorobo-DMs exist still? It’s heartbreaking how often I get arobo DM from a new Twitter follower.What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one maydisappear? Ann Handley Chief Content Officer,Poised for growth: LinkedIn, which I’ve long held is the darkhorse of the social sweepstakes. LinkedIn, surpassing Twitter, is MarketingProfsnow the social media channel of choice among B2B marketers @marketingprofsfor content distribution: 83 percent of them now do so,followed by 80 percent who use Twitter. Which social media metric is the most overrated? Which metric isPoised to disappear: Foursquare, unless they ﬁnd a way to make the most underrated?it less a standalone application and more integrated with othersthat can make use of its geolocation and recommendation Likes on Facebook.features (rumors of which have been rumored...). Shares on Facebook.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 03

What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one maydisappear?Im reading Nassim Nicholas Talebs Antifragile, and he saysthat any technology thats in use today is likely to be in themiddle of its life cycle, which means that the older a technologyis the longer its likely to last. So, older social networks likeFacebook are likely to grow their audience base the most andnewer models like social video are most likely to morph intosomething else.Can you share your best advice for a brand to connect withtheir audience on a one-on-one level?My best advice for a brand is to create social products andplatforms that do one of two things, and perhaps both: solve aproblem or connect around a shared purpose. Again, Nike Plusand Nike FuelBand are so powerful because they do both: solvethe problem of keeping oneself motivated to become and stayactive and connect people around the shared purpose of health Gaurav Mishraand wellness. Asia VP of Insights, Innovation & Social, MSLGROUP/ Publicis Groupe @Gauravonomics Website: gauravonomics.com Blog: futurecrafting.comDell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 04

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013? What needs to stop?The one Id like to see more of is organic linking and sourcing ofmaterials. Were living in a time when information is calledinto question more and more frequently.Sourcing information becomes more and more critical,especially when people take a position on certain issues. Wewant to be credible information brokers, and this is necessary.When something is an opinion, we should state that.The behavior that I think needs to stop is the blatant slammingof other people and brands. If we cant make a point withouttaking someones head off, then our social skills are lacking.Hiding behind a keyboard to say something to someone thatwe wouldnt say to their face is just wrong.Civility, mindful speech and decency in discourse are worthygoals and shouldnt be dismissed, in my opinion. I know Istruggle to achieve them sometimes, but they are worth theeffort. Geoff Livingston Author & Marketing SpecialistCan you share your best advice for a brand to connect with @geofflivingtheir audience on a one-on-one level? Website: geofflivingston.comI really believe in events. Online becomes much moresubstantial when someone meets you face to face. Try to createways to meet your stakeholders in person so you can cultivate adeeper substantial relationship.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 05

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013? What needs to stop?I would love to see more businesses take social media seriously.Far too many businesses treat social engagement as somethingfor the receptionist or an admin clerk to ‘do’. I would love tosee them stop this and realise that those who run your socialmedia channels for you are company spokespeople with thepower to ruin your hard-won reputation in just one tweet.Can you share your best advice for a brand to connect withtheir audience on a one-on-one level?Connecting with your audience is not something that happensovernight, or can be achieved in a short series of funny statusupdates. It is achieved through the consistent communicationof values, insights, discoveries and experiences of organisationsover time. One funny, timely photo with witty text may garneryou some quick likes, but those likes pretty quickly becomedislikes if you fail to live up to the expectation you haveset – of being funny, witty, and so on. It would be better time Lee Hopkinsspent to research your audience more – what are their likes, HopkinsFounder & Social Mediatheir dislikes, what makes their world rock or sad. Armed with Strategist, Better Communicationthat information you can better prepare thoughtful Resultscommunications that create real, lasting and meaningful @leehopkinsconnections. Website: LeeHopkins.com Blog: LeeHopkins.netDell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 06

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013? What needs to stop?Just one? OK. Lets talk about the hashtag shall we? Heresthree hashtag behaviors that need to stop as soon as you ﬁnishreading them.1. #followfriday - #ff has jumped the shark. Its over withpeople. Done. Buh bye.2. Speaking of #hashtags, #lets #just #stop #with #the#hashtagging #of #every #word #in #a #tweet #OK? #You#keyword #spammer #you.3. This one I am guilty of myself, so Ill come clean for all to see:Using the #hashtag in places it wasnt intended. Like onFacebook. And Birthday cards. Or the specials chalkboard atcoffee shops.What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one maydisappear? Lee Odden CEO & Author,There are a few ways to look at growth in a meaningful way. TopRankOnline MarketingTheres quantity, as in which network adds more people. But are @leeoddenthey the right people for your business? Theres also quality, as Website: www.toprankmarketing.comin who adds the most people that actually use the service. Blog: www.toprankblog.comGoing to a party where no one talks to each other is #boring.Oops, there goes the hashtag.Then there are things like rate of growth or geographic growthlike in the U.S. versus internationally. I think Pinterest andGoogle+ will continue to grow rapidly as will YouTube.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 07

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013? What needs to stop?More: Creative and real time content creation that is relevant,meaningful and tells a story. (think Oreo) Less: Branded contentthat looks like a gloriﬁed press release and/or corporatewebsite. Branded content is good but it must add value to theconversation.What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one maydisappear?The New Myspace. Yes, I said it. The look/feel is stunning. Theusability is polished (and in some cases better than Facebook).The platform is not for all brands though; only the ones thatcan successfully align themselves with music. On the decline,I would say Foursquare. I see more people checking in tolocations with Path and Facebook. Michael BritoCan you share your best advice for a brand to connect with Senior VP of Social Businesstheir audience on a one-on-one level? Planning, EdelmanThis is really difficult for a large brand with a large community. @BritopianHowever, the best way to appear "human" from a brand Blog: www.britopian.comstandpoint is to "be human". This means that brands mustempower, enable and activate their employees to engage inconversations with the community. Employees are not only thebest "brand advocates" but they are also trusted by thecommunity and by their peers – per the Edelman TrustBarometer.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 08

What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one maydisappear?This should be a make-or-break year for Myspace. Can itredeﬁne itself as the prime destination for entertainment foryoung people? I dunno. This is also a critical year for AOL andYahoo, both of which are in urgent turnaround mode.In terms of audience base growth, Instagram still has a lot ofpotential. Its popularity will parallel the growth of smartphones. I also expect to see Google+ show nice growth in2013, if only because Google is concentrating so many of itsservices around it.Which social media metric is the most overrated? Which metricis the most underrated?No question that fans and followers are the most over-ratedmetrics. There are dozens of services that sell Twitter followersby the thousands for just a few dollars. What value does a Paul Gillinfollower count have in that context? Its difficult to choose one Social Media Trainer,most-underrated metric. I would say engagement metricsin general deserve more attention. These include shares, Consultant & Author, Proﬁtecture @pgillincomments, downloads, retweets, subscriptions, lead generationand anything else that prompts human beings to take action Website: gillin.combased upon the quality of something theyve read or seen.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 09

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013? What needs to stop?Id like to see more active listening. Think about how much timeyou invest listening and learning at an industry conference forexample, versus talking. Now carry that ratio over to socialmedia and you will ﬁnd that the respect you pay and theinsights you acquire will pay back in terms of your own contentand contribution. You will secure greater resonance and higherrelevance within your community. What needs to stop? Flawedmetric design that encourages inappropriate behaviours.Which social media metric is the most overrated? Which metricis the most underrated?Any output metric not correlated to your speciﬁc outcomemetrics is not just overrated, its irrelevant. If you dontunderstand how typical output metrics (friends, followers, likes,retweets, etc.) relate to your business success, why are youletting them guide what you do day to day?Metrics only work when they are designed to work in harmony Philip Sheldraketo guide and gauge business performance. Your business and itsgoals are unique. Its market and place in it are unique. Your Managing Partner, Euler Partners @Sheldrakestrategy and tactics are unique. So, therefore, your design and Website: www.eulerpartners.combalance of metrics will be unique. This isnt a great surprise as Blog: www.philipsheldrake.comthats how it is for every other part of business.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 10

What is the one social media behavior you would like to seemore of in 2013? What needs to stop?Id like to see improved context. Relevancy is key to success.Context should come in terms of location, time, role,relationship, sentiment and even intent! What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one may disappear?Pinterest-like services that take the visual and make it easy.Also private social networks like Path will grow as folks becomedisillusioned by Facebooks lack of respect for privacy. Which social media metric is the most overrated? Which metricis the most underrated?One metric that isnt effective is engagement. We will movefrom engagement to meaningful interaction. Some actions aremonetizable, others are non-monetary transfers of value Ray Wangcreation. The reﬁnement of interactions will be the key changein 2013. What will go away? Share of Voice? Why because Principal Analyst & CEO,interactions will tell me if your big share is meaningful or not. Constellation Research @rwang0 Website: www.constellationrg.comCan you share your best advice for a brand to connect with Blog: www.softwareinsider.orgtheir audience on a one-on-one level? Stay authentic. Be true to your brand and self. Authenticity ishalf the battle and an important one.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 11

What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one may disappear?For B2B marketing, I am very excited about the new potentialfor using SlideShare even more centrally as a part of a thoughtleadership and lead generation tool. The reason that the typical"white paper" marketing strategy has been around forever in theB2B space is because you know your audience isinformation-hungry and sales cycles are typically longer.Slideshare is a visual medium (when used correctly) and for thesame reason that Pinterest is taking off for consumer brands aspeople share photos -the same thing is poised to happen forSlideshare. And if that werent enough, their integration withLinkedIn (the leading networking platform for professionals)will only make it more important to have a strong strategyfocusing Slideshareas a part of marketing in 2013.Can you share your best advice for a brand to connect withtheir audience on a one-on-one level?I think it still comes down to being human. This year I published Rohit Bhargavaa comprehensive 100-page-report on 15 trends that will Founder & Author,affectbusiness in 2013 (www.15trends.com) -and humanity is a Inﬂuential Marketing Grouptheme that reoccurs throughout it. Now, just saying that you @rohitbhargavaneed to have a more human brand and actually doing it are two Website: www.rohitbhargava.comdifferent things. It does require a stronger focus on creating areal voice for all communications. It also takes a deeperunderstanding of customer questions and how you can answerthem. Ultimately, I think it will come down to ﬁnding thebalance between tone and substance. Creativity forcreativitys sake just doesnt cut it anymore.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 12

What is the one social media behavior you would like tosee more of in 2013? What needs to stop?I would like more people to be more conversational. That isboth the beauty and the power of social media.Incivility needs to stop. It seems to me that that people onsocial networks were adversely inﬂuenced by the style and toneof the recent presidential campaign. They feel the best way tobe right is to demean people who disagree with them.What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one may disappear?Tough question. I think category-wide growth will be steadyindustry wide in 2013. But that growth will taper. Social media ismaturing as a channel. It is coming to an end of disruptivegrowth and is now being worked into the systems andprocesses of most modern organizations. I think this year, wewill come to understand what difference social media makes asa mature and trusted platform. Shel Israel Author & Consultant @shelisraelWhich social media metric is the most overrated? Which Website: blogs.forbes.com/shelisraelmetric is most underrated?Likes is by far. Companies think that by begging, “cajoling”,bribing and otherwise campaigning for you to click on thestupid button, that will somehow improve sales, relationships,engagement, inﬂuence or any other legitimate goal. I see scantevidence that this is so, and the efforts to pursue it wasteenergy and money.Dell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 13

What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one may disappear?I’m going for Pinterest with Tumblr along for the ride. As fordisappearing, probably some of the smaller Pinterest-likecommunities. People like you make it look so easy but we knowit takes signiﬁcant resources to build a successful community.I can’t help wonder what will happen with the G+ communityfeature.Which social media metric is the most overrated? Which metricis most underrated?Without a doubt the number of fans/followers is the mostoverrated and also the least exciting. With the sophistication ofbots can you identify how many people are for ‘real’? Or howmany people follow for a contest and then forget about youuntil they unfollow and refollow for the next contest? Thosemetrics can be intoxicating until you dig into thebehind-the-scene meaning and ﬁnd it was an illusion. Toby BloombergNot exactly a metric but it is an underrated insight is the Director Social Media Integration atquantitative analysis of your fans’ comments; that’s where thegold nuggets are found and people pay so little attention to Cox Media Group Digital &them. Strategy Team @TobyDiva Website: www.divamarketingblog.comDell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 14

What is the one social media behavior you would like tosee more of in 2013? What needs to stop?My wish is for businesses to increase their power by reducing it.To realize the full opportunity of social, get to know yourcustomers: what job(s) they’re trying to do, why they make thechoices they make, what role your brand plays in their lives,how they experience your service and products. Play a moreactive role in the value exchange.From the user research we conduct as part of digital experiencestrategic roadmaps for brands at Empathy Lab, we find time andtime over that people value service that is respectful, effective,and personable. Start there, and use your interactions to learncontinuously.What social media channel do you feel is primed to grow itsaudience base the most in 2013 and which one may disappear?Google+ will continue to grow in 2013, while Facebook willexperience a slow-down. That’s because people will figure out Valeria Maltonithey can get more done with Google+ because Google brings Author & Senior Director of Strategy,together content, search, with sharing, and several productivitytools like Calendar, the frictionless ability to launch/join a Empathy LabHangout videoconference even from Gmail with the ability to @ConversationAgeembed a Google Docs file. Website: www.conversationagent.comLocation-based application Foursquare needs to findintegration within a larger system. Intelligent integration is the on relevance. This is where real time in people’s lives meets overname of the game. time in business terms.We are at an inflection point with social technologies, whereutility within a larger context will dictate user adoption basedDell - 2013 Social Media Predictions eBook Follow us on Twitter @DellSocialBiz 15

2013 Social Media Predictions eBookVisionaries featured in this eBook know that nurturing a social media communitycan help: Evolve your products and services. Advocate for your brand. Grow your business.Are you inspired to grow your own social presence in 2013? If so, Dell Social MediaServices can help. They include: Best Practice Seminars Listening and Insights Services Advisory Services Listening Command Center Build-outsVisit www.dell.com/socialmediaservices for more information or email SMservices@dell.com.Continue being inspired. Grow your social presence and grow your business when you engage withbusiness professionals like yourself at the Dell Social Business ConnectionJoin the conversation on Twitter & Facebook.