2011 is gone, and 2012 has rolled in without missing a beat. The social media industry keeps growing in leaps and bounds. I often hear business people say social networking is like the Wild Wild West! So answer this question for me personally. Would it be valuable if you knew the future social media trends for 2012? How wonderful would it not be to know what trends come in store for the year ahead? Could you adequately prepare for this rapidly changing industry? In the following paragraphs, I provide my 2012 predictions for the evolving trends in the social-networking industry. It certainly is gratifying when my predictions become a reality. My predictions are not based on almost any special powers. They are based on my industry research, what I read and what I see happening each day in my own work. My accuracy rate in the social media industry has been about 97 percent. However, even when I’m wrong it’s only because my timeline finished up being longer than I thought it had been going to be. I have a knack for spotting social media marketing trends. And this article lists four powerful trends unfolding at this time. You can benefit from what I say or ignore me, the decision is yours. Either way these trends will unfold as the year progresses. So read on and heed my advice. Ready your social media marketing campaigns to take advantage these trends for 2012 and beyond.

Prediction #1) SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Networks and Marketing will continue to grow at an alarming rate.

This past year Facebook grew from around 600 million to 800 million users based on whose numbers you believe. Twitter and LinkedIn also both showed growth and added many new features, (not to mention that they both acquired several new partners and internet assets). Add to this, Google started Google+, and Microsoft is reported to be in the works of creating their own social network. The adoption rate of small company will lead the way, but expenditures by large corporations will exceed that of both small and medium-size businesses. My first advice for you is; create and implement “a worker social media use policy” to regulate business hour usage. Second, develop a social media marketing intend to reach and engage this enormous market. Combining both engagement and ppc campaigns work best.

Prediction #2) One of the largest players in the social media arena will make a “miss step” in 2012.

I believe that one of the very best four SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING Network companies will make an expensive mistake causing them to reduce significant market share. At this time several of the larger social media giants like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn all share one crucial flaw. They try to make it almost impossible to communicate with them. Take Facebook, for example. Personal Growth don’t list any contact information apart from a Facebook page. Sure they have lots of help pages. Yes, Facebook includes a blog, plenty of YouTube videos, but provides no contact number where you could call and speak to a individual? They do have a Facebook page it is possible to enter suggestions about, but that’s it. What goes on when you get a strange message from Facebook, or you’re having trouble with your account? You post a message and never get a reply! Twitter and LinkedIn aren’t much better. They don’t list a contact contact number or address either. However, I have found that they do answer your email and posted messages, though it sometimes takes provided that seven days to get a reply.

In my opinion, of the very best three social media companies, LinkedIn supplies the best service. Google is new in this game. It’s not as easy to lump them in with all of those other social media marketing giants yet. However, I can tell you that Google includes a notoriously poor customer support reputation. It has been my experience with Google that the grade of service you receive depends on the person you get on the phone. The good news is that you can obtain someone on the telephone! Google does list contact numbers. My advice to any business is easy, be ready to create changes to your social media marketing campaign if need be. Furthermore, if you’re using the top four social media services, make a backup of your data. This is if you happen to opt to make “the switch” and ditch one of these brilliant players.

Prediction #3) Google+ will become one of the top 3, in the social networking arena by the finish of 2012.

I know I’m going from a limb here, but I really believe that is inevitable. Google’s share size and current customer base allows Google+ to grow at a considerably faster pace than other social media marketing sites. The exact number of Gmail users is not public, but we can say for certain that it is huge! I have read estimates ranging from about 190 million to 250 million accounts. Furthermore, Google owns so many internet properties, that they can easily integrate the use of these properties into their social network. This adds value to their social network. Increase this, the point that Google owns Google Search, Google AdWords, YouTube, Blogger and Picasa. Are you currently starting to obtain the picture? Google is gigantic. Google controls the lion’s share of internet traffic and advertising dollars.

Google has also been able to make a social-networking product that is user friendly, internet search engine friendly and innovative. These qualities’ have made them the web leader they are today. I am not sure they can keep this frantic pace forever, but for 2012, it’s a done deal. My advice for you is to review where you are spending your advertising money and see if it seems sensible using any of the Google properties. If you’re an individual, and also have been waiting on the sideline with Google+, stop what you’re doing and take the 10 minutes to create a Gmail and Google+ account. In the event that you curently have a Gmail account, this can only take you about 5 minutes. The bonus here is also you can create a Google+ Brand page without a lot of fuss.