The Last Post Of 2012 Is About…

Posted by Mitch Mitchell on Dec 31, 2012

Last year on December 31st I put out an article titled The Last Post Of 2011 Is About… and in that post I talked about comments and commenters and thanked them in general for commenting on this blog over the first four years. This time around I decided to figure out what the biggest topic of the year was that I wrote about, and it’s not going to be on blogging itself because, well, that’s what I already know I talk about most of the time. After some introspection and research it looks like the biggest thing to talk about is…

Craig Marston via Compfight

Marketing and promoting on social media. I tied a lot of it in with blogging, but overall it was mainly about social media. Why was this such a big deal?

Because social media isn’t going away, never. There were some naysayers earlier in the year saying that social media was going to fail and that people should think more about traditional ways of marketing, to which I wrote this post saying that waiting for social media to fail was a stupid move. It might not look exactly like it does right now but it’s not going anywhere folks. We need to get comfortable talking about it and interacting with it.

At the same time, things are already changing. Facebook is getting in the way of what those who have liked our business pages are seeing, which led to a business comparison between Facebook and Google Plus. There’s no doubt that both of these are players, though for different reasons, and even LinkedIn will be an important piece of social media marketing with all the changes they’re started to make.

The reality is that many of the ideas that were very good just 2 years ago don’t seem to work as well now. There’s so much competition, so many options, and so little time. We also have less patience that we used to, and I’ll own up to that one. I work on 5 blogs and the top social media sites, and I also have a couple lesser known sites that I’m on, testing to see if they’ll give me anything to work with here and there and then talking about it, as I did with Social Buzz Club, which turned out to be a failure for me.

Just like most of you, I need to concentrate more on what will work for me as I move into 2013. This year was a better year for me than the last two, but not close to what I want or where I thought I’d be, both online and offline. After all, I have a dream to reach by September, and so far things are moving way too slowly in getting there.

Social media was the big conversation in 2012, and I think it will continue to be a big deal as we move into 2013. What do you think about it all? And are you ready to have a happy new year, regardless?

Tags: 2013, Blogging, Marketing, promotions, Social Media

45 Comments »

Carl:

2012 was also better year for me compared to previous one. I hope I iwll be a bit more organized during 2013. I think that you are right, social media was one of the biggest topic and you’ve made a great job covering some very interesting aspects of SMO and engagement. I didn’t wrote last post on my main project, but actually did it on one side web project that I am starting now. Some of the topics that I’ve covered and actually turned to be hotest continued the trend from 2011 and those were not related to social media, but more to development side like HTML5, Bootstrap, LESS, responsive design, NoSQL, etc…

I hope that you will achieve what you want during 2013 and get closer to succeed with your dream. My dream is too far from what I am doing now nor it actually fit in any way with my background or the things I am doing for living.
Carl recently posted…Two Things Companies Need to Know About SEO

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 1:58 AM

Good stuff Carl. I have my dream but my goals are changing on the fly to get to that dream. Such is the way life goes sometimes. I hope you have a great 2013.

Carl Reply:
January 1st, 2013 at 6:45 AM

I hope you have great 2013, too Mitch! Changing the goals isn’t so bad, I also do that quite often when I do serious project, I think it is more important to prioritize goals, even change major aspect of the plan, this is just flexibility and the freedom of small business, big corporations don’t have this freedom.

Something is pushing me to share a bit more about my dream, well I would like to do some scientific researches, have some good ideas and several discoveries, plus inventions that I want to push. Certainly can’t do that right now, as it will require a lot, but probably If I return to my home country or move back to China, I will be able to proceed with my dream.
Carl recently posted…Using white label SEO can attract the 93 percent of users that go right to search engines

January 1st, 2013 | 1:50 AM

Arlee Bird:

I’m finding that the topics that I like the best and the posts that are my favorites are often the least viewed and commented on. Oh well, I guess I’m going to keep doing them regardless. I want to enjoy what I’m doing and say the things that mean the most to me.

I’ll keep doing a modest amount of social media promotion. It can all be very time consuming and for now it doesn’t seem all that important for my own purposes.

Yes, I plan on a happy new year one way or another.
Arlee Bird recently posted…Reading Whys, Whats, and Hows: A 2012 Retrospect

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 1:59 AM

First Arlee, I’m not sure why you went into the spam filter; weird. Second, changing email addresses won’t do it; spam goes by IP address, so the program knew you were sending it from the same place. lol

As for promotion, you’re right, it’s time consuming as sin, but if you’re hoping to make money or increase influence you can’t ignore social media as we push forward. And I’m hoping to do both.

Arlee Bird Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 10:04 AM

I’ve found that on WordPress I can sometimes send another comment using a different URL or email address and I will get through. Something about me has apparently ended up on some kind of blacklist to cause me to get screened. Last year this happened and I contacted Akismet and they did something that allowed my comments to go through just fine. But then it’s happened again. No problem with comments left on Blogger sites, mostly WP and a few others.

Any ideas? Suggestions?
Arlee Bird recently posted…The End of the Year Blog Awards Ceremony

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:33 PM

I wish I did Arlee but I’m flummoxed by it as well. I checked your IP address at this site, http://whatismyipaddress.com, and your IP comes up as blacklisted on 5 of 82 lists. I’m not totally sure what that means but it’s a start for you to check out & maybe contact them, although when IP addresses get blocked often they’re blocking someone else and not you specifically.

January 1st, 2013 | 6:59 PM

Olawale Daniel:

Social media marketing is what will be top-notch in this new year because SEO and other traffic generating methods has started failing people and they now need a replacement. And even now, Google+ is totally part of SEO and other things in relating to ranking.

Happy new year
Olawale Daniel recently posted…4 Ways to Increase your Blog Traffic from Pinterest

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 2nd, 2013 at 2:00 AM

Happy New Year to you as well Olawale. SEO isn’t quite failing, but it seems that there needs to be more promotion than just optimizing a site for keywords. Thus, it’s a topic that was important in 2012 and will still be important in 2013.

January 2nd, 2013 | 12:52 AM

Stephanie L.:

2012 was such a marvelous year in our very own special ways. So much thankful for the whole year, it was like a roller coaster ride for me. And yes, I agree, social media was the big fuzz about 2012 and I think its going to be more topics and issue to tackle with social media this year, as their were many updates that have been rolled out before the year ends.
Stephanie L. recently posted…Services Homepage

January 2nd, 2013 | 5:24 AM

Kata:

Useful thoughts, especially for me because I’m a newbie to the blogger scene. I’ve already heard a lot about the importance of social media as an effective online marketing tool, and after reading your post I feel more assured by there….thanks for sharing the useful information!

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:34 PM

No problem Kata; good luck with your blog long term.

January 3rd, 2013 | 2:09 AM

Sam:

Happy New Year.I also agree with you Mitch that social media will not die down though there was much saying that it will go down.I am in love with Google+ because of its brilliant features.I had not explored it at first but now after traversing through it i really believe that it is the best.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:38 PM

Thanks Sam. It may modify but true, social media’s not going anywhere.

January 3rd, 2013 | 4:52 AM

Peter:

Definitely, even I think the biggest topic I was surrounded last year was marketing and promoting on social media. If the new Google updates and the changes seen n 2012 are known to be an indicator, then definitely there will be a lot more change in 2013. I would like to add here (as per my knowledge) that the exposure one gets with pages, likes/shares. Re-tweets, etc. is huge and very much free “for now”. In this year, the companies will also focus on offering their own social sites. With social network platforms such as SocialGo companies can- add a social element to their website, create content faster as members will contribute to their blog or forum – in short, get first-hand knowledge about their customers wants and needs. There are many benefits associated with offering your own sites. I am really hoping for a good change in social media. Cheers to 2013! Happy New Year, Mitch!

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:40 PM

Thanks Peter; that’s great stuff. If companies can find their own ways of driving people to their sites without having to rely on things such as Facebook and G+ then that’s a great thing. However, I think that overwhelming majority is going to need something, and only those few that already have a built in audience will prosper in that regard. Still, we can have high hopes.

January 3rd, 2013 | 7:22 AM

Anne:

Seems social media is getting more and more important for internet marketing. As im just a rookie at marketing i havent quite found a way to make use of facebook yet but this year 2013 i will invest some time to do so. Great post and happy new year to all!
Anne recently posted…Vetverbranding bevorderen

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:41 PM

Thanks Anne; I wish you the best in 2013, as I’m sure you’ll find some ways to help yourself.

January 3rd, 2013 | 9:36 AM

Jan Desmet:

2012 was an ”ok” year for me but i hope 2013 will bring even better things for me! I have set some goals for me and i hope to achieve atleast one of them. Also i wonder if a marketeer can keep doing his thing with neglecting the whole social media part of marketing?

Happy new year, cheers!
Jan Desmet recently posted…Tips afvallen

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:42 PM

Some marketers probably can Jan. I think social media can enhance most businesses, but things like snow plowing or auto repair might not do as well.

January 3rd, 2013 | 9:42 AM

Johan @ Afvallen Met Shakes:

Happy new year, and yeah will definately have to look into social media this year, its getting more and more populair. Also lets hope google doesnt change algorythm too much.

Cheers
Johan recently posted…Het jojo-effect

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 3rd, 2013 at 9:43 PM

You never know for sure what any of these sites will do; they’re changing stuff all the time.

January 3rd, 2013 | 1:01 PM

Sam:

Last year was pretty good for me in terms of progress of my blog and traffic followers which I gained through Google+ and Pinterest. I really don’t have any clue what’s going to happen in 2013 as Google have lost the plot and its all tactics… I think they just focusing on getting the best sites down the rankings so as they can say “hey, use our pay per click we will get you page 1 on our list”…They have frustrated me big time in the end of the year due to its updates. I really hope for a good change in this year. I need to fulfill my dream. Let’s see. Anyways Mitch, Wish you happiest New Year!!!

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 4th, 2013 at 8:08 PM

Sam, this blog was humming along and in the last 5 weeks supposedly traffic is dropping drastically. However, I’m not going to worry about it; I’ll keep doing my thing and what will be will be. Same with social media; I’ll do things my way, whatever that turns out to be.

January 4th, 2013 | 7:42 AM

Adrienne:

First off Mitch let me start by saying Happy New Year! Yep, I’m a little late to this party but that’s okay, the week isn’t over yet.

I definitely agree with you about social media. It’s not going away and actually it’s really just starting. It’s gained a lot of ground since sites like Facebook and Twitter launched and those waiting for it to fall by the wayside will be waiting a very long time.

Like you, the most popular topics on my blog are about blogging because people who visit my blog are bloggers. Although their business might be something other then blogging, they all want to know how they can improve what they’re already doing or have success in this area. It’s just a darn popular topic even though it’s not my favorite one.

So here is to you reaching your goal Mitch and remember, you have nine full months to kick it into gear and if anyone can do it, you can.

~Adrienne
Adrienne recently posted…2013 Here I Come

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 4th, 2013 at 8:13 PM

Thanks Adrienne. We’re probably going to have to talk on Skype again soon for some reinforcement. I think the biggest social media event of the year was Pinterest; I wonder what will be the biggest thing in 2013.

January 4th, 2013 | 2:34 PM

Paul:

Happy New year, I’m little late I know, LOL. Social media marketing is what will be at the topspot this year because SEO was not up to the mark, So I have to make 100% out of it. Good post, thanks for sharing.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 6th, 2013 at 10:09 PM

We’ll see how it all plays out Paul.

January 5th, 2013 | 4:08 AM

Sire:

Happy New year buddy. Good to see we’re both here for another year of fun and whatever else comes together during our blogging career in 2013.

You know, as much as I hear you about how important social media is I just can’t seem to get a handle on it. It’s probably because to be successful you have to be proactive and I can’t seem to do that. It looks like that apart from blogging I’m just a social recluse
Sire recently posted…How To Buy The Perfect Gift

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 6th, 2013 at 10:15 PM

I get you Sire. Social media can be fun, but at other times it takes a lot of work and might not bring everything we want. I’m doing some assessments lately; stay tuned as I weed some things out.

January 6th, 2013 | 4:09 AM

sanu francis dutta:

The biggest influences i have faced in 2012 was Google repeatedly updates, it was really a Google’s or we can say Matt Cutts year but even though i have learnt many things in seo last year, I just hope 2013 bring some good news for bloggers.
sanu francis dutta recently posted…How To Choose Article Title That Attract Higher CTR

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 6th, 2013 at 10:16 PM

Sanu, I hope 2013 brings prosperity and happiness to all of us, social media or not.

January 6th, 2013 | 5:35 AM

Mitch Mitchell:

Jannet, playing the cards right is an interesting game. I’m all over it and yet I’m not so sure I’m doing it right all that much. But I’m writing about it. lol

January 8th, 2013 | 6:31 PM

Theron Mike:

We welcomed 2013 with happiness and 2012 have turned in without losing a beat. The social media is growing vastly. I often listen to entrepreneurs say social media is like the Crazy Wild West! How exciting it would be to know what trends are there in store for this year? Its time to create and put in all the essential elements needed to apply your social media strategy.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 8th, 2013 at 11:04 PM

Theron, it’ll take some planning first, but I’m sure someone will help us all figure it out. Heck, it might be me! lol

January 8th, 2013 | 10:34 PM

Thomas:

The more i think that social media wont work, the better they get.Google+ and Facebook are doing some excellent work and it is the best way to get noticed in this virtual world.The best part about this is that it can help to build a brand name for your business and in this way it can help to establish credibility.
Thomas recently posted…Canaan 4- Steps Powder Coating Methods

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 11th, 2013 at 1:15 AM

Yes it could help Thomas, but sometimes I wonder if it helps enough. Still, that’s the big question and the major topic to think and talk about as we move into 2013.

January 10th, 2013 | 6:08 AM

Ryon:

There were many rumors that social networking websites will eventually die down but i don’t think anything is this sort will take place.On the contrary social websites are getting more and more popular each day.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 18th, 2013 at 10:58 PM

They sure are Ryon, and there’s new social media sites still to come.

January 18th, 2013 | 5:40 AM

Barry Overstreet:

I’m late to the game on this one, my friend, but Happy New Year nonetheless.

You’re absolutely right, social media isn’t going anywhere. The key is to learn how to balance your time on social media so that it doesn’t consume all of your available time. It’s easy to get lost on Facebook and Twitter for hours.

I have definite work to do this year to get more up to speed on the various social media platforms. I have the necessary accounts, but I don’t understand the inner workings of many of them. But, I have a lot of other, more important work to accomplish before I dedicate some time to spend on learning the ins and outs of some of the outlets. Eventually some automation will help me, but right now I’m just going to have to take care of things manually.

I hope you have an outstanding year, and I hope you ALL of your goals and dreams!

I’ll talk to you again soon.

~Barry
Barry Overstreet recently posted…7 Critical Pieces Of A Successful Sales Funnel

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 21st, 2013 at 8:58 PM

You’re absolutely correct Barry; social media isn’t going away, and those of us who hope to use it to help our businesses need to find the perfect balance of that and working our business. I still see social media as being the biggest topic of 2013, as I read today that Justin Timberlake is working hard to renovate MySpace and make it a social media player once more. It’s not going away.

January 20th, 2013 | 8:54 PM

Keith:

Nice post Mitch.One thing that I would love to do during this year round would be to improve my social networking presence because the more i think that social media will go down the more active it gets.Hence I strongly believe that it will survive.

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 21st, 2013 at 9:01 PM

LOL! That’s some pretty good circular thinking there Keith. You know, it doesn’t take tons of time; ten minutes a day could work wonders for you and anyone else.

January 21st, 2013 | 4:05 AM

Smith:

Social networking websites are a big winner and they wont go down easily.They are getting more and more popular each day and they are helping us to overcome many barriers.Hence I think they will stay alive.
Smith recently posted…Wedding Halls in NJ

Mitch Mitchell Reply:
January 24th, 2013 at 7:56 PM

True, they’re not going anywhere for a long time, possibly never.

January 24th, 2013 | 6:00 AM

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