Social Media: Social Media Expert Predictions for 2013
1. Twitter will personalize Twitter feeds
Twitter will start customizing its feeds based on the algorithm that social media experts call TwedgeRank or TweetRank in 2013. This algorithm will measure the influence of the person tweeting based on the proportions of followers, the average number of retweets, favorites and mentions, the influence followers and additions to Twitter lists. Other factors to be measured will include engagement, alignment, severity, and interests. When brands start complaining about low engagement levels on Twitter, an advertising platform will let them buy TwedgeRank for their tweets.
2. Google+, the new essential place
A presence on Google+ will be a must, not because of the social elements, but because it will be the control center of your official online presence. Google will offer new products and services connected to Google+, forcing companies to use it to benefit from certain advantages. In the purely social sphere, Google+ will be limited since it has not captivated users like Facebook, Pinterest or Twitter. Even if your friends or clients aren’t on Google+, they still need to be there.
3. Google+ has appeal to niche segments
Google engineers have created features like communities that can further enhance engagement on this neglected social platform. Google Communities offers similar features to Facebook, but Google+ has an advantage due to the video integration with Google Hangouts. Google Author Rank has immense potential for making connections between authors and their content, where authors will receive scores based on the placement of the content and connections in their field. Google+ will influence your findability in searches in 2013.
4. Instagram gets bigger
While Instagram is still a relatively smaller platform, 2013 will be a big year for the newest social network. Research shows that users plan to increase their use of Instagram at a much higher rate than any other social network. 85% of Instagram users log into their profiles at work, far more than any other similar network. The success of Instagram lies in its ease of use for content creation and its ability to increase posts on other social networks.
5. Mediapreneurs focus on building email lists
2012 saw the trend followed by media entrepreneurs, such as creators of podcasts, blogs, and web shows, encouraging people to subscribe via email rather than Facebook, Twitter, or Pinterest. The reason is research showing that buyers and engaged audiences are more likely to come from your email lists. This doesn’t mean that social media will lose its importance, just that people will focus more on asking for email addresses during 2013.
6. Marketers use less social websites
Social media users are now becoming more savvy and will spend their time on fewer social media websites and marketers will adapt accordingly. Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are now most late in the adoption curve, while Pinterest, Google+, and Instagram continue to gain users. Marketers realize that it is better to have a strong presence on one or two platforms rather than spread resources across all platforms. Entrepreneurs, consultants and small businesses will have to choose where to invest resources to build followers and fans for maximum impact in 2013.