2011 Social Media Trends to Watch Include Foursquare

Over 200 people turned out for the January 20 Social Media Club Chicago 2011 Community Outlook event. Four panelists talked about the themes they consider to be important in the coming year. Watch the video, or read my notes to see what they’ll be watching this year. How about you – what social media trends will you track?

Social Media Club Chicago 2011 Community Outlook Panel Speakers

Leslie Banks, director of marketing for the Financial Communications Business at Morningstar.

Alecia Dantico serves as Vice President, Digital, at Weber Shandwick.

Staci Tara Diamond is the Advertising Director at PTM.

Michelle Leder is the founder and editor of Footnoted.

Mark Ragan is the Publisher of PR Daily and PR Daily Europe; Ragan.com; and Healthcare Marketing and Communications News.

Here’s a quick recap of what the speakers had to say about 2011 social media trends.

After Michelle talked about how she likes twitter more than Facebook, I got the brilliant idea to record the conversation for my readers. Apologies to Michelle for missing her comments in the video. For Mark Ragan, Twitter is his own Associated Press. And, Foursquare is amazing. Mark’s check in on Foursqure at Nookies in Old Town led to a fortuitous chance meeting with a possible event sponsor. Foursquare tells you who else is where you are. Mark’s major point: don’t make judgments about social media. Just go use it. Dip your toe in the water. If it works for you, keep using it. If it doesn’t work for you, stop. But don’t pre-judge things. Try it. Don’t dismiss it. Stacy suggests never discrediting any channel. She likes twitter. Leslie, the mayor of Morningstar, referred to J. Walter Thompson’s “100 Things to Watch in 2011” social media study as a good resource. Two trends that jumped out at her: de- teching and the trend to be more selective about the types of social media you’re using. Listening is so important. It’s easy to go after the shiny big social media centers. Instead, Leslie suggests first figuring out where your audience is connecting and sharing. Then, build your community where they are. Quora is on her radar. From a B2B and information-sharing viewpoint, it might have some promise for business groups. Alecia suggests the choice of platform is a tactic. If you’re listening very closely, then the choice of platform flows organically. It’s really about goals, strategy and how these tactics and skill sets play into an overall mix. The one constant is that technology changes. Be platform agnostic. Consider the big picture. What will be important going forward? Foursquare. For example, a local bar owner may monitor Foursquare check-ins and Facebook ads with demographics. What that allows the bar owner to do is target messages and goals to find out not who he thinks his customer is, but show who his customers actually are. Mark suggested looking at what social media can do for you personally – in addition to what it can do for your business. A simple social media interaction can lead to big breakthroughs. On a personal note, I signed up for Foursquare a long while back. A few months ago, I added the iPhone app. While some people find the messages annoying – and sometimes I do, too – I like seeing where my friends are and what they’re up to. Who else besides Nancy Loo checks in from parking lots? The pop-up updates bring a rhythm and pulse to my day, something I miss if I’m not watching twitter or checking Facebook. My first check in was from MGM in Las Vegas at the Consumer Electronics Show. While I was there, I checked in with pictures all along the way. People noticed and commented, “It looked like fun.” Looked is the key word here. Without the images, it would just be a text update. Jeff Willinger,SMC Chicago president and the panel moderator, is a big Quora guy already. He loves connecting with people. I signed up for Quora and am at the early beginner stage.

Thanks for reading this post!

What social media tools and trends will  advance  your  business – or your career – in 2011?

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Barbara Rozgonyi publishes wiredPRworks.com and directs CoryWest Media, an integrated social media marketing and PR firm. As Social Media Club Chicago’s founder, Barbara is a recognized spokesperson for brands, bloggers and the social media marketing PR industry.

Barbara invites you to join the wiredPRworks community or to contact her regarding interviews, partner promotions or speaking engagements at 630.207.7530.