By now, most everyone has heard of social media and many businesses have at least attempted to incorporate social media in their marketing campaigns.  Social media has taken the online world by storm, first with MySpace and then with Facebook and Twitter, and these sites have completely revolutionized online marketing.

But where do we expect to see social media go in 2011?  For the most part, we don’t expect any big changes.  Social media is a growing phenomenon, and simply put, we expect it to continue growing.  Many companies, including small and mid-size businesses, are currently experimenting with using social media in their marketing campaigns.  Because social media marketing is a low-cost alternative to traditional marketing such as print ads and direct mail flyers, businesses are able to use it to reach more people while budgeting less for marketing overall.

A lot of businesses currently use online marketing and a large portion of those use social media in some fashion in their marketing campaigns.  The number of businesses marketing via social media outlets is expected to grow substantially in 2011. Some experts believe as much as 80 percent of businesses will have used social media marketing by the end of the year.  Businesses are also expected to start devoting more of their budgets to social media marketing, indicating that this form of marketing is leaving the experimentation stage and becoming more of an expected part of online marketing.

Another trend we have seen in social media marketing is a lot of new contracting and consulting businesses springing up.  This is to be expected for a relatively new form of marketing that has taken on such epic proportions as social media.  In 2011, as social media marketing becomes more commonplace and businesses learn what to expect from it, we predict the number of contracting and consulting companies start to narrow.

Businesses are learning to be more results-focused, and marketing companies that don’t produce results are going to start to die out.  As a result, social media marketing as a whole will become a tighter, more results-driven market — good news for businesses who are serious about marketing.

As 2010 comes to a close and businesses start looking to the year ahead, the question on everybody’s lips is where social media marketing is headed in 2011 and beyond.  Predictions range from fantastical growth, to an epic failure — a sort of “social media bubble” that will burst in the coming year.  True enough, things can change pretty quickly in the world of online marketing.

Google announces some new factors in how they determine their search engine rankings, and suddenly everyone is on the new thing like flies on. But social media is a bit different.  It has shown that it is going to be around for a while, precisely because it is so popular with regular people, and so long as that is true, social media marketing will continue to be used and refined by businesses great and small.

Author Information

Kevin Harris is a freelance writer for Adobe.  Adobe software, such as customer management software, and services revolutionize how the world engages with ideas and information, anytime, anywhere, and through any medium.  They also offer many other services such as customer experience management.

Photo Credit: Dieter Joel Jagnow

In addition, SU appeared to be going the way of Reddit—gamed and controlled by nasty people whose idea of free speech is to hurl invectives at other users. Cowards!

But I stayed on and have no regrets with my decision. I certainly don’t use SU as frequently as I once did, but I have also found that most of the cowardly users have now been contained. Life is good and, if a March 2010 StatCounter GlobalStats survey of top social media sites is accurate, then sticking with SU was a good decision on my part.

Yes, SU rocks your world if you use it: only Facebook outperforms it in sending traffic your way.

According to Stat Counter, Facebook is credited with racking up 48 percent of all social media hits, but SU is a strong second as it adds 25 percent to that mix. And Twitter? Not as important as some might think, generating just 10 percent of all hits. YouTube, Reddit, Digg and MySpace round out the next four spots, offering small amounts of traffic in comparison.

SU has never been a dud when it comes to social media—far from it. As recently as June 2009, SU was ahead of Facebook, but the world’s most popular social networking site soon soared while SU began to slip. Recent traffic reports reveal that Facebook has lost some of its steam while SU has recaptured what it had lost, but in all likelihood it will remain Facebook first, StumbleUpon second, with everyone else a distant third or beyond.

One of my chief reasons for staying with SU is that I was connected with so many people through this service. As I contemplated dropping SU, I realized that I would be saying good-bye to a significant number of people I followed and who followed me.

There really wasn’t a reasonable alternative: I don’t use Facebook all that much and Twitter just doesn’t offer the scale of the others. Besides, my traffic stats continued to rise thanks to SU interaction, bringing visitors and new customers my way.

Every social media/networking site has its benefits and faults but Facebook, with more than 400 million users and StumbleUpon, with its nifty bookmarking arrangement, capture more than two-thirds of all social media hits.

Looks like I’ll have to rethink my Facebook strategy next!

That first occurrence was within an article I titled, How I Found You Online, where I marveled at the different ways I discovered people via the internet. At that time, I relied a lot more on forums such as Digital Point and Sitepoint as well as social media sites including BUMPzee, MyBlogLog and BlogCatalog to connect with people. Back then, I was a new user on StumbleUpon and was still stopping in on MySpace on occasion.

But it was my last comment that brought a smile to my face, particularly my comment about Twitter:

I plan on joining LinkedIn eventually, but I think I’ll sit Twitter out.

Yes, it just took me just seven words to explain that I wasn’t planning on using Twitter, likely for the reason that I saw no point in using it.  After all, Twitter was only a silly way for people to send one liners to each other all day, right? Who had the time for such nonsense?

Well, things certainly do change in the world of social media as I am basically forum free these days, choosing to meet up with people through their respective blogs and key social media sites. Yes, I even connect with a handful of people through email, but if you’re looking to IM me, that won’t happen — but feel free to send me a tweet!

It must have been an article I read, such as Mihaela Lica’s very first article on Sitepoint titled, “Twitter’s Little Known SEO Value,” that piqued my interest in Twitter. I’ve been following “Michi’s” writings for several years now and her candid explanation of Twitter caused me to revisit the site, digging a bit deeper to see what it is all about.

I joined Twitter long ago, have posted a bunch of links in the in the interim, but my network wasn’t much to brag about. But, this past week I invited a number of people to connect with me via Twitter, tripling my contacts and putting some life in my exchanges with other members. That move brought in a number of high end users, professional tweeters who add interesting stuff and make Twitter worthwhile.

Sure, there are some people who seem to be having conversations with nobody but themselves, but I’ve also come across a handful of really good articles that I probably wouldn’t have found had I not started using Twitter. In those cases I’ve read the article, posted a comment and, in a few situations, shared that information with someone else.

Mihaela’s article is a good read, making no silly promises that Twitter will do something that it won’t. But it was her last statement that I found most interesting (and true) — If you can make people come to your site via Twitter, then this is an SEO advantage you cannot afford to miss. – something I am taking into consideration as I tweet may around the site.

Oh, by the way, if you want to follow me on Twitter please click on the little tweety bird and you’ll be brought to my profile page for a connection.

Anyway, I quickly had to sort through scads of requests, some of which had absolutely nothing to do with what the respective blogs are all about. Yes, your bakery business looks great — I could almost eat your virtual Entrecard — but I’m not sure I have a place for you on my blogs.

The requests came fast and furious as I imagine that there were boatloads of Entrecard users who were just waiting for me to sign up and place the widget on my blogs. Talk about feeling wanted! But, I know there is another side to Entrecard — to get some free advertising and to push up traffic numbers (namely Alexa) on blogs.

Honestly, I’ve barely explored the whole Entrecard culture, preferring people to drop by and visit me before I do likewise. My cards are plain — you think I’m going to pay someone to create cards for me? Not a chance! And, I haven’t found a site that I absolutely, positively want to advertise on. Give me time, I’m sure that moment will arrive.

Some People Are Just Plain Weird

What is it about the internet that attracts weird people? Okay, that answer is anonymity.  If you’re a social misfit when it comes to meeting real people face to face, why not create a virtual version of yourself and enter a world that you have created?

I don’t have to suggest this — lots of people are doing just that. MySpace seems to be the biggest proponent of online weirdness — gee, you think I’m really interested in friending someone whose sole goal in life is to friend as many people as possible on every single social media outlet out there? All right, I admit it: I can’t stand the competition!

The worst place, of course, is YouTube where anyone can get their fifteen minutes of fame (or shame). I call the site Soap Operas For Sociopaths as not a few people have gotten their fame postmortem. Yes, inflict you tragedy on the masses, commit suicide, and you’ll live in infamy forevermore. Oh, by the way, there is a God.

Off To Entrecard Land

I’m off to Entrecard Land as I’m readying a fifth blog for this madness.  Drop on by — literally — and I’ll see if I can hook you up. Just try to stay on message as you’ll have a better chance of being approved.

Seriously, I’ve been going through somewhat of a social media crisis these past few weeks, a crisis not entirely of my own making.

Ever since I became very active with social media about two years ago when I joined MySpace, the pressure to join additional networks, add new friends, and really “work” the system has intensified. I still have a presence on MySpace but I largely ignore this medium even when a twenty-something hottie thinks that this near 50 year old writer is da bomb. I know that she was deeply disappointed to learn that I am faithfully married and simply not looking for the type of friendship she has to offer.

What I am regularly finding in my email box these days are invites to new networks I have never heard of. I won’t name them here, but when I looked at the various networks I already belong to (and hardly register a presence there), I thought: do I need to stretch myself any thinner? I think not.

True, I am very active with StumbleUpon and to a lesser extent with MyBlogLog, with little interest elsewhere other than the occasional LinkedIn add. I’ve avoided Facebook, which is probably good as I have learned that Facebook invades users’ privacy. I know that it is virtually impossible to extricate oneself from MySpace, so why bother with Facebook? I’ll let the other 64 million users get to know each other real well, as well anyone can in a crowded environment.

Speaking of StumbleUpon, I am removing “friends” who are no longer active with SU, but I noticed that even as I remove people, SU won’t allow me to add new friends. Apparently, there is a bug in their system that says I have reached the 200 friends limit, but I know that this number is now down to 188. Once SU fixes their bug, I’ll make some changes, but I’m not going to notify them either as it just isn’t all that important to me.

Ultimately, I find this whole “friending” thing to be a bit silly as it diminishes what being a true friend is all about. Certainly, some of my readers would probably be my friends in “real life” but the vast majority of people I come into contact with online are people I probably will never meet.

I don’t know about you, but friends in the flesh carry a lot more weight then online acquaintances, people I can see face-to-face, hang out with, offer mutual encouragement, etc.

No, I’m not giving up my social media involvement, but I must tell you that friending isn’t a priority for me. I’ll gladly trade quality stumbles with you and work on beneficial projects, but I’m not looking to expand an impossible to maintain social media network.

Crisis over.

Happy Stumbleversary!

Last week, I hit my one year anniversary with SU, but I was too busy going through my notes following my press days at the Detroit Auto Show to mention it. The date isn’t really important, rather my experience with this nifty social media tool is.

Helping Friends Out

Admittedly, I got off to a very slow start with SU as I couldn’t figure out all of the ins and outs of stumbling. SEO mavens like Dosh Dosh have published handy “stumble guides” and a few active stumblers shared their tips to help me gain traction. After six months time I began to write about SU and publish that information to this blog. Eventually, all 200 of my mutual friends get stumbled and then I repeat the process.

This morning, I spent some time stumbling through my SU Friends’ pages, something I like to do from time to time. I figure that if we’re “friends” the least I can do is to visit your site and stumble your pages. I will usually leave a comment behind, whether on your blog or with SU — sometimes both, but rarely so.

No More Proxies

SU spam is on the rise and involves silly comments to users’ SU Inbox and requests to stumble certain types of pages. Recently, I made the decision (finally, I know) that I would no longer stumble proxy pages. I don’t stumble adult, hate and warez pages and I don’t automatically “thumbs up” any page just because someone sent it to me.

Stats Not Important

I’m not part of SU for stat generating, though it isn’t too hard to climb the SU ladder and get labeled as a stumble pro. From time to time I cull through my list of friends and remove inactive people while adding those folks who have friended (I hate that word) me and who are a good fit for what I do.

Yes, after one year of regular use, I can still say that SU remains very stumblicious!

Ditching StumbleUpon For Facebook?

As horrible as the thought is, facts seem to be supporting what Marty has discovered: his online marketing contacts appear to be using Facebook much more than they are using Stumbleupon.

Specifically, Marty notes:

All of us only have SO much time each day and tend to focus on sending and receiving communications from email + one or 2 communities. I used to get 6-10 emails a day in SU. Now those same good friends communicate with me through Facebook.

50 Million Users v. 4 Million Users

I haven’t noticed the change myself, mostly because I have a minimal presence on Facebook. I still get plenty of stumble requests from my contacts and my list of friends continues to expand.

Yes, I know that Facebook is “where its at” but I prefer a more intimate setting then the 50 million user Facebook. With just 4 million registered users, StumbleUpon (SU) is a much more comfortable fit for the way that I work.

Although the 200 member limit on SU is kind of a pain, at least SU isn’t silly like MySpace where everyone wants to be your girlfriend. On the other hand, I’ve been bothered by Facebook’s web-monitoring feature which I find to be highly intrusive. I understand that this has been scaled back recently, but it still bugs me that they even pushed such nonsense.

A Call To Arms

Despite its faults, I’ll likely be stepping up my Facebook presence after the new year, but I have no intention of ditching SU. I also like LinkedIn as I have made some fabulous contacts through this business social networking community.

Like people concerned about Google’s huge growth (and resultant PageRank craziness) I don’t want any one company dominating social media nor do I want one search engine to rule. Therefore, consider this as my personal appeal to all stumblers out there to keep on stumbling even you use Facebook.

I can’t imagine online life without StumbleUpon, one of the best information and marketing tools available to web surfers.

All right, there are people who understand this whole social networking thing better than I do. When it comes to building online contacts, I rank as a novice in the eyes of some.

On the other hand, I have figured out how to work a handful of internet tools to my advantage!

I’m not about to give all of my secrets away — you’ll have to read Dosh Dosh blog’s for his latest social media marketing tips. What I will share with you is some quick pointers on how you can build your relationship with other social network pros without turning them off.

The following is my list of 7 tips (or habits) of social networking:

1. Sign up and get a feel for the network: The New York State Lottery uses a tagline, you gotta be in it to win it. The same holds true for socializing online — you need to join several networks in order to reap the benefits. No one wins the lottery without buying a ticket, in the case of social networks your ticket is free. And, unlike the lottery, all users are winners!

2. Do not be a N00B: Everyone has to start somewhere, but if you come across as a newbie, then you’ll likely be ignored. Worse, people will think that you are a pain in the rear quarters. Read up on that network, google a search for related articles, and experiment. Do not expect someone to take you under their wing — they’re too busy working the network.

3. Be consistent: Joining a network and not participating on a regular basis will reduce the chances that your articles will get stumbled, your blog posts read, and your contacts will not consider you a serious player. Although I belong to several networks, StumbleUpon is my favorite, with Sphinn, MyBlogLog, and BlogCatalog in the mix.

4. Ask and you shall receive: If you want an article stumbled, then ask. However, ask only on occasion and be prepared to return the favor when asked. People are busy managing a wide variety of tasks every day — don’t consume their time with wasteful stuff!

5. Ask specifically, do not be greedy: Nothing frosts me more then when someone asks me to stumble their post and then follows up with a secondary request to leave a message on their blog. Sometimes I leave comments with my stumble, sometimes I do not. I will leave a message on a blog if time permits and if I have something worthy to add. Give me one request and I may follow up with a bonus if I am in the mood.

6. Build up your silent network of social network pros: There are a handful of people I contact from time to time to ask for a stumble, a sphinn, or a digg. I will never publicly reveal who my contacts are and I certainly do not want everyone to know that I am good for a stumble (okay, I am!)

7. Give, expecting nothing in return: This is a hard one for some people — stumbling, digging, and leaving comments behind unilaterally. True, I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine is the prevalent theme of social networking, but why not set yourself apart and simply pay it forward for somebody?

How Popular Do You Want To Be?

For some people, dominating a particular social network is their way of measuring their online success. Personally, I am not so much interested in building friends (I’m maxed out on StumbleUpon), rather in sharing stumble juice, the digg effect, sphinning, etc. Operating just below the radar has its advantages, namely you won’t get every Tom, Dick, and Harriet begging for your help.

Social networking is constantly changing so keep up with the changes and you’ll be fine. If too much of your time is being consumed “building relationships online” then maybe it is time to shut down the computer and go out and seek some human contact.