Even if you’re not making any personal New Year’s resolutions, you may want to make a few social media resolutions for the year to come. Here’s a list of some of the most important.
1. Stop using SMS.
Apple’s iMessage as well as applications like WhatsApp will bring the decline of the traditional text message.
2. Join Tout, the Twitter service for video.
Tout may do for video what Twitter did for 140 characters. Check it out.
3. Tame down the colors.
Remember when webpages were black, dark and heavy feeling? Yes, those days are behind us. In 2013 we’ll see even more focus on photos, clean design and lighter colors.
4. Use the word ‘guru’ less when referring to social media experts.
The term “guru” was vastly overused in 2012. It’s time to move on. Sensei anyone? Maybe.
5. Get a decent profile picture on Twitter.
Unless you want yourself or your brand to be associated with a faceless egg shape, get a profile picture. A decent one at that. More Twitter tips for the non-savvy tweeter here.
6. Connect offline too.
Yes, social media is a great vehicle to connection, but vehicles aren’t the destination–a coffee shop might be
7. Support a start-up.
A quick visit to Kickstarter’s discover page will give you a glimpse into the technology of the future–right now.
8. Use more pictures, less verbiage.
Yes, content is still king, but visual content is even more powerful.
9. Join the cloud.
From Amazon to Google Drive, the cloud is here to stay.
10. Ensure all websites and blogs you operate are responsive sites (learn what a ‘responsive’ site is by here).
People are consuming content via mobile platforms at an astronomically growing rate–make it responsive.
11. Get on Google+ and Pinterest.
They’re not only not going away, they’re growing. It’s time to jump in if you haven’t already.
12. Social media for business moves from ‘what is it’ to ‘how do we use it?’
Margie Clayman @MargieClayman– Vice President of Client Services, Clayman Marketing Communications, Inc. “I predict that in 2013 small businesses will start seeing social media more as a tool and less as an entity unto itself. Instead of asking what social media is, they will ask how they should be using it and why. In the end, this will increase the effectiveness of their social media marketing efforts.”
