What Changes Will You Make to Your Social Media Approach in 2012?

Don’t we often ask this question?  This very thought came to me as I was taking some time off from blogging at the end of the year.  As I had some downtime to reflect on life events which happened in 2011, I decided that I wanted to see more quality in my life, versus quantity.

Thinking specifically about this, I focused in on my Twitter feed and on other social events in which I partake.  I happen to mention Twitter because that is where I have traditionally spent a lot of my time.  However, this year I am going to work on balancing use across my entire social media platform.

In this post, I would like to share my own thoughts on this subject, as well as some knowledge from ten of my friends who are eager to deliver their 2012 social media plan to you.   I know I have learned some really interesting things from them regarding social media and I think you might also benefit from their insight.  I certainly thank my friends for taking the time to share their thoughts.

To begin, I have decided that I will be more selective with my social media feeds in the coming year.  To consider an analogy, I compare my pages to that of a blank canvas and I have the ability to choose to change the landscape of my social media pages to fit with that belief.   I am going to make a point to nourish my mind and thoughts with words and images that are most consistent with what I feel I want to achieve and this is also true regarding my feed.

I may need to be more specific on this point in particular.  For instance, if you direct message me to re-tweet your blog post because I have not shared it, kindly know, it’s not that I have been ignoring you.  Rather, it could be that I am feeling bogged down with requests or I may have reviewed your work and do not think it fits with my feed.

Additionally, it is very important to me to not fill my pages with ads.  I would ask that if I have not shared your content, that you please understand that there is a reason for it, and show some respect for my page by not sending numerous direct messages asking for justification.  Know that not all of my posts get numerous re-tweets or shares, and  some of my posts are more popular than others.  I am continually dedicated to assessing the situation and focusing on what my audience wants to read or share with their friends.

A good example of this is my post on The Power of Give and Take in Social Media, and it also provides a number of points that you may want to explore.

I have also committed myself to working and allocating my time more efficiently in order achieve other goals in my life.  There is something that I have started doing and I would encourage you to do the same.  Ask yourself this question when you look at the list of things you “have to do,” and decide: “Does this truly bring me joy?”

I also plan to meet more Twitter friends in 2012.  I met so many amazing friends the last two years, really, too many to list in this post, but all of them have impacted me greatly.

In closing, I wish you the best in 2012!  Cheers to you! I invite you to please share what changes you will be making to your social media approach in 2012.

	@keewood
	For 2012, I will be working with my clients to shift their focus from running campaigns or gaining more Followers or Likes to developing strategies to engage social customers in a more meaningful way.  The impact of social channels on purchasing decisions only continues to grow as customers increasingly turn to like-minded people in their networks for information and recommendations.
	Customers are also seeking more integration of the online and offline retail experience, and will expect to have a greater degree of control.  They want the flexibility, transparency, and convenience of Social Media Channels and the face to face interaction and accessibility of the store.
	@Marcome
	Firstly, Happy new year 2012! As a music artist, staying connected with people is indispensable for growing a fan base.  In 2012 I will post more music videos and blog posts that I wish will inspire people to better take care of themselves all throughout the year.  I think no matter what, it’s not the amount of time you spend on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube or else, that counts but the quality of your presence.  I will continue to chat more with my followers on a personal basis, I enjoy this very simple and human practice! We’re all connected after all.  Marcomé  ♥
	@Marilyn_Res
	First change: Give credit where it’s due.  When I find a cool article online, I’ve started checking to see if that writer has a Twitter handle and if so, I’ll include it when I re-tweet the story.  This can have unexpected results.
	Recently I found a story about whale researchers who were recruiting citizen scientists to help them de-code whale songs.  This was a story on the Guardian’s site.  I searched for the writer’s Twitter handle and included it in my RT.  An hour or so later, one of my Twitter friends thanked me, because through my tweet she had re-discovered her long-lost pen pal, who had sponsored her first trip to the U.K. 20 years ago!
	Second change: Re-tweet content from new people, not just old friends.
	Third change: Meet more Twitter friends in real life.
	@mayhemstudios
	I’m a designer and that’s my profession.  I didn’t have any approaches at all to social media because I kind of stumbled upon (no pun intended), err fell into it by accident.  It came naturally to me and it’s was fun.  I never expected to be where I am today.
	I will continue to do what I am doing now; being social, engaging, helping others and sharing great content.  I will step it up, by being more pro-active.  To engage people more, instead of waiting for others to engage me first.
	I also look forward to helping others that need my guidance with their businesses; Branding, Social Media, etc.  social media for me, has always been about the people.
	@RayBeckerman
	To ask me what I plan to change in my approach to social media in the coming year is to assume that I plan.  The reality is that my entire social media experience has been an unplanned adventure, growing from law blogging, to being NewYorkCountryLawyer on Slashdot, to tweeting about law, to tweeting about lots of other things, to setting up a surprisingly popular YouTube music channel.  I never would have anticipated any of it.  I keep meeting new people, who keep introducing me to new things.
	So if you ask me what I plan, my plan is to keep on learning, teaching, sharing, organizing, and enjoying the cool people I plan to keep on meeting and hanging out with.
	And oh yes… I plan (well, hope) to get some sleep.
	@RickGriffin
	Right now, Twitter is perfect for me because I have ADD and 140 characters is about the length of my attention span. I love hosting and participating in Twitter chats because I always meet new friends with common interest.
	My top social media goal for 2012 is not to gain more followers, but to meet as many of my Twitter friends in real life as possible as I travel with Midlife Road Trip.  It’s exciting to physically meet someone you’ve felt that you’ve known for years because you’ve followed them on Twitter.  It’s like meeting a celebrity because to me they are.  I spend much more time on Twitter than I do watching television, so in my world, my followers are my celebrities and I want to get to know them better.
	I think the biggest change I’ll make to my approach to social media in 2012 is to learn and to become more involved with Google +.  It seems to combine the best of Twitter and Facebook and I believe that it will eventually become the dominate social media platform.
	@shannonkmiles
	For our companies (eaHELP and MAG), in 2012, we will have a stronger push to engage “likes” on Facebook and drive higher results with Fans. We have discovered over the last year that our FB fans really do a solid job promoting our companies because they really follow our Wall in Facebook.
	We view our FB followers as our social media family and we communicate with them at a deeper level.  Twitter will continue to be a big focus for us in 2012 as well, because it serves as a great tool to intro/connect to new relationships with prospects, clients, partners, fans, and friends.  We’ll also be more strategic this year in terms of our social media advertising on blog(s) that could drive high traffic volume back to our company site(s).
	Additionally, our CEO @bryanmiles will be spending more time promoting our brands this year with a new eBook coming out in May 2012. Right now, we are also playing around with StumbleUpon, and how we can leverage that tool for traffic purposes.  We’re very excited for a great 2012! Thanks Ann, for the opportunity to share with your readers!
	@shashib
	Human beings have an inherent urge to communicate and social media in 2012 will focus on the two C’s to help communicate and connect through online conversations.
	Curation: Helping your networks by sharing useful content that will impact them to improve their lives. 5 Time-Saving Tools For Content Curation Link: http://www.openforum.com/articles/5-time-saving-tools-for-content-curation
	Creation: Sharing your thoughts and experience to inspire and positively influence your network. 6 Ways To Improve Your Company’s Online Content  Link: http://www.openforum.com/articles/6-ways-to-improve-your-companys-online-content
	2012 will be the year of telling your stories and your networks sharing them if they like your story.
	@WildJunket
	Social media is developing and evolving extremely fast in recent years, and I believe it will pick up even more speed in 2012. Currently, there are new social media platforms popping up in the scene every other day – from Pininterest to Tumblr to #whoknowswhatsnext.
	A lot of people are finding that there’s too much noise in their online lives and that they – including myself – want to cut out the unnecessary ‘conversations’ as a result of the saturation.  People are cutting out the noise and only letting in high-quality conversations online and that’s what I’m aiming to produce.
	In 2012, my approach towards social media will be concentrating on quality content and less on personal conversations.  I think sharing good content will be the way to build relationships with online followers.
	@ZAGrrl
	With the advent of Google+ I started to integrate my professional  (LinkedIn) and personal (Twitter & Facebook) social media activities and will continue this integration in 2012.  Thanks to Roger McNamee aka @moonalice, who kindly lets me play with the cutting edge tech. that powers his www.moonalice.com web site, and Moonalice’s HTML5 based audio and video players for smartphones, I will be a part of driving one of the most inventive social media strategies anywhere.  Any song, any smartphone, anywhere, anytime. Exciting stuff!!!