IT and Marketing Experts Pick Trends for 2013

The IBM Connect 2013 convention is drawing many social media workplace fans. There are still many enterprises out there vying to jump on this bandwagon, or hoping that it's just a passing fad. But tech experts agree that it's here to stay and sooner or later, enterprises will have to accept the fact that social media can be utilized for productive and profitable ends.

Beverly Macy, CEO of consulting firm Gravity Summit, and Sandy Carter, vice president of sales and evangelism for IBM's Social Business group, have outlined the following social media trends which they foresee as the most important for enterprise in 2013.

The concept and strategy of social business is still a relatively new one but, as Carter indicates, social media is already expanding from marketing into the territory of intellectual capital. She claims this is "great for marketers because they're starting the trends and teaching colleagues" simultaneously.

This begs the question as to whether CMOs should be discussing a "shared social agenda" with CIOs and what resources would be required to meet this goal. Macy explained that because of the cloud, CIOs will now have a more important role within the domain of social business because "data management is coming back to data centers." She does however acknowledge that many businesses have not yet grasped the potential of social media marketing, in spite of the fact that it will eventually affect all aspects of enterprise. "It means that companies have to start thinking about policies for engagement, both internally for employees and externally for customer relationships," Macy said.

One of the main points that IBM is pushing home at the convention is that the key to social business is collaboration. Carter explains that it's senseless for companies to separate their social and mobile teams. She estimates that around 70 percent of social media activity is conducted via mobile devices, and says that businesses need to take advantage of this combined application.

"The concept of social analytics in the cloud on mobile, from a shopping standpoint, with good predictive modeling - I can be delivered the coupon I want as I'm walking up to the door," Macy explained. Although some people may find this somewhat intimidating, from a business perspective, it is going to happen anyway. (CU) Link