As many small businesses struggle to recover from losses in 2009 and 2010, what role will social media play in 2011? In How's Your Marketing Budget Looking for 2011, Social One reveals that some businessess are slashing, even eliminating advertising budgets in 2011. This will create a major shift and lead the way for an increase in the use of Facebook and Twitter for promoting and advertising goods and services. Here are the top five social media trends for 2011.
Facebook Coupons
An increasing number of small businesses will use Facebook to engage with customers, promoting "Fan" only type discounts, including coupons and giveaways. The Facebook Fan page is quickly replacing direct mail and email marketing. The option is relatively low-cost to establish. Anyone with a working knowledge of FBML (Facebook Markup Language) can create a Facebook Fan Page for their business.
Twitter Giveaways
Twitter will see a huge increase in business use in 2011. Consider that Facebook hit the market in 2003 and Jack Dorsey sent the first tweet on March 21, 2006 [Answers.com]. Twitter is perfect for measuring customer interaction and businesses have started using it to hold contests and give away products to successfully promote brand awareness.
Email Marketing Integration
2011 is bound to see a resurgence in email marketing. Not as a stand alone strategy, but as a part of a coordinated effort to engage customers on social media, while retaining those customers who haven't yet made the transition to social media platforms. Expect businesses to use web-based email marketing to provide links to Facebook, Twitter, articles, and blogs.
Encouraging in-Person Interaction
Expect to see more businesses using social media to organize in-person events and engage customers to visit in-store locations. Twitter and Facebook can be used to allow customers to RSVP to attend special events, and creates a kind of atmosphere where people get excited about meeting in-person or seeing products and services demonstrated on location.
Online Dating Using Social Media
Expect 2011 to see an increase in the use of social media platforms as a way for couples to connect online. Businesses who traditionally ran stand alone dating websites will use Facebook and Twitter as a tool to both advertise their service, as well as integrating services directly into Facebook and Twitter applications, including third-party broadcast services such as Hoot Suite and Foursquare.
Undoubtedly, 2011 will see some exciting new changes in terms of integration of traditional services into social media. These trends are great reasons for your small business to make the jump into social media. Use the opportunity to promote in-store events and make personal connections, while offering coupons to keep customers purchasing, even in difficult economic times.
Jule Rizzardo - Jule Rizzardo is a freelance writer, specializing in small business advertising and management skill development.
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