What a year! 2011 is nearly over and it’s time to look back. Rather than talk about Steve Jobs, the Zynga IPO, or any other social media news I want to look back on some 2011 predictions I made early in the year.
Keep in mind that I really didn’t go out on a limb with any of the predictions. It’s safe to say that social media will only continue to grow in the future, but some sites or applications, if successful, will be swallowed up by bigger companies (Facebook). In any event, here’s a look back at my predictions…
1) Video Marketing becomes more and more important to your online business success:
It’s safe to say that this prediction is true and will continue to be true. More and more people are searching on Youtube now, which is part of the reason why the search results and Youtube channels have been adjusted. Youtube remains the third most viewed site (after Google and Facebook), and Youtube also remains second to only Google in terms of number of internal searches.
2) Local Advertising & Marketing will continue to grow:
If you’ve noticed, Google has adjusted its search results to incorporate more local business results. Sometimes these results take up the majority of the page. This prediction was definitely accurate.
3) Software for tracking social media marketing efforts will be cheaper and more available:
There are more and more applications available to track social media efforts, and most of these companies have partnered with Facebook. Even Google Analytics has evolved to incorporate more data pertaining to social media. Real-time mobile statistics, demographics info and social engagements are now all measured by Google Analytics.
4) Review sites will grow:
I really didn’t go out on a limb with this one, but it’s safe to say that Yelp is as big as its ever been. During 2011 Google stripped out 3rd party reviews, making Google reviews much more important to your Google Places listing. Look for review sites to continue to grow in 2012.
Happy New Year, and stay tuned for 2012 predictions!
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About The Author: Tom Sullivan is the senior account executive at Turbo Social Media. He has managed accounts for a wide variety of businesses, from small “Mom and Pop” businesses to multi-million dollar corporations. His success in business stems from his entrepreneurial drive and his desire to do “whatever it takes” for his clients to be successful.
Tom received his BA in Business Management Economics from the University of California at Santa Cruz. He is a former collegiate rugby player and he enjoys playing softball, golfing, camping, and snowboarding in his spare time. 
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