Even though we know digital and online media continues to change, IABC/DC Metro started 2012 with a chapter meeting tackling the latest Social Media Trends.
The panelists included:
- Dan Horowitz, executive vice president and senior partner for Fleishman-Hillard Digital
- Daria Steigman, founder of Steigman Communications and the author of the Independent Thinking Blog
- Steve Radick, lead associate, digital strategy and social media practice, Booz Allen Hamilton
- Rick Dunham, Washington bureau chief of the Houston Chronicle and Hearst newspapers, and chief author of the Texas on the Potomac blog.
Emerging Social Media Trends
Each panelist brought different industry point-of-view to the discussion. Radick took government. Horowitz gave the agency perspective, Steigman reviewed the small business view and Dunham brought insight from publishing and the media.
- Government Use: Radick dispelled the myth that the government is behind the curve, but he did see them stalling in advances for 2012 because it is an election year.
- Internal Communications: Radick also thinks there will be more enterprise 2.0 or social media behind the firewall to internal audiences.
- Integrated Efforts: Both Radick and Horowitz confirmed they see more integration into all lines of communications.
- Influencers: They felt the days of the “social media guru” are dying fast. Horowitz said it’s time to look for persuaders or influencers who can help persuade others to your thinking or agenda.
- Small Business: Steigman sees social media platforms as a reliable ecosystem and wonders how they can be used to make it easier to reach customers. She suggested reading Phil Simon’s The Age of the Platform: How Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google Have Redefined Business. She also feels it will be key for business to understand search and the data around it.
- Digital Skills: Dunham is amazed by the use of tablets for tweeting, video, etc. Because many of his colleagues are not digitally inclined, he relies on interns to provide new ideas for using social media to drive more readers to their media properties.
Social Media Best Practices for 2012
As with all social media discussions, some great best practices come out. Radick reminded us, “Don’t concentrate on social media tools, but concentrate on the principles behind them.
“When asked how to best measure social media, Horwoitz said, “You need to measure based on business goals, don’t measure on tactics.”
For more helpful social media best practices, you can read Steigman’s highlights of the session on her blog.
What social media trends do you see for 2012? Please share them with the BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas readers.
On Wednesday, May 4th, I had the opportunity to attend the PR Week Measurement Roundtable, along with some of my BurrellesLuce colleagues.
There has been much discussion of late regarding influencers. How do you identify an influencer? How do you measure their value? And how do you talk to people who don’t necessarily understand that influencers aren’t one-size-fits-all? (In fact, Justin Goldsborough, Fleishman-Hillard Kansas City, asked a similar question in 
