Social media 2010

Happy new year! It's a good time to look back at one of 2010's key marketing trends--the enormous growth in social media marketing, a trend that will certainly continue into 2011 and beyond.

First, what were the top search terms last year? Experian Hitwise says that in 2010, as in 2009, Facebook was the most searched-for phrase online. No surprise, really. I am a bit surprised that MySpace rose so high in the list last year, however. Thanks to SmartDataCollective for collecting so much of the social media data on one page.

What about social media usage? According to Social Media Today, Australia leads the world in social media users. This is another surprise (US and UK follow Australia in the list). The Financial Times says that businesspeople in the UK now use social media more than search engines.

In Britain, Facebook was the most visited Web site on Christmas Day, the first time it has surpassed Google. And all around the world, Twitter and other social media are spreading news instantly, reinforcing users' interest in and commitment to these media. This applies to marketing, as well, with favourite adverts going viral in multiple media.

How will social media influence and be influenced by marketing in 2011?