150+ Content Marketing & Social Media Predictions for 2012

Let the predictions begin.

We had about 50 predictions for 2009. 2010 and 2011 brought hundreds more.

This year’s content marketing and social media predictions contain more than 150 predictions from over 75 of the leading marketing experts (a big thanks to all our contributors).

Here were some of the main themes of last year’s predictions:

1. Facebook will take over the world in 2011, apparently becoming an added appendage to most humans on the face of the planet. (PREDICTION = 80% correct.)

2. While content marketing was clearly accepted in 2010 as a viable marketing practice, 2011 is the year where the majority of companies will get serious about it – adding to budget, getting better at measurement, and begin to develop internal processes and staffing around the consistent creation of content. (PREDICTION = 60% correct… considering our latest content marketing research findings, we are definitely making some progress.)

3. Marketers will become less obsessed with the channel (i.e., Twitter, Facebook) and get more focused on the story itself. Quality, consistent, and differentiated content wins. (PREDICTION = 50% correct…we are still focused on channel.)

4. Mobile Apps, gamification, and 2011 as the year of the authentic brand relationship all stood out. (100% and 50% CORRECT… Apps definitely rocked 2011.)

5. Curation, curation, curation. (PREDICTION = 100% correct.)

Social Media & Content Marketing Predictions 2012 from Content Marketing Institute

Of all the 2012 predictions, here are some of the major themes that seemed to rise to the top:

1. Google+ will become a force in 2012. It seems many of our prognosticators think that the best is yet to come for Google’s social networking site.

2. Video and mobile will finally both take center stage. This prediction has been made for years, but maybe this IS the year.

3. Jobs in content marketing will be robust.

4. Original, long-form content, due in large part to the iPad and eBooks, will make a comeback.

5. Brands and agencies alike will start to realize that content marketing is like advertising, only better… and will take serious steps toward integrating content processes into the organization.

6. Google will start to purchase more and more media companies, and then come under immense scrutiny from the FTC (this one is mine).

So many more amazing predictions. Which one is your favorite?

#contentmarketing #predictions #SocialMedia