Over the past few years Facebook has emerged as the biggest player in the social world. The social giant is expected to maintain its position and act as a key driver for social activity in the new year. However, Facebook will not be the only player driving social activity in the near future.
Twitter Gains Importance in Advertising and Marketing
Although Facebook will remain the most important social media marketing platform, the new business friendly features incorporated by Twitter will have an impact. Twitter based campaigns are economical and effective. This will help the micro-blogging site gain favor among brand marketers in the new year.
New Social Startups Emerge in Mobile Social Space
The popularity of smartphones is increasing rapidly. According to Nielsen, about 44% of US consumers own smartphones at present. This percentage is expected to rise significantly in 2012. This is likely to trigger the mobile phase in social networking.
While Facebook is a serious player in the mobile social networking space, in terms of technology and design it is not the leader. Many new startups like Milk and Path have emerged in this sector taking mobile social interaction to the next level. More such companies riding on Facebook are likely to come up in 2012.
High Expectations from Social IPOs
With Facebook and Yelp set to go public this year, 2012 is likely to be a big year for social IPOs. Although it is too early to predict how Facebook IPO will be priced, expectations are high. Success of the IPO will be good news for all the social companies in the market.