Although social media has been on a steady rise for several years now, it seems as though it really exploded in 2012. With new sites like Pinterest and Instagram gaining millions and millions of new users this year, and Facebook reaching over 1 billion users, it has become clear that ignoring social media is no longer a possibility.

For many businesses, getting active on social media has been a top priority. Some companies, however, are still ignoring the statistics that are pointing in the direction of social media marketing. It seems pretty shocking when you look at some of the stats from social media in 2012, including:

-488 million users regularly use Facebook mobile
-23 percent of Facebook's users check their account 5 or more times daily
-56 percent of customer tweets to companies are being ignored
-the average Instagram user spends 257 minutes accessing the photo-sharing site on their mobile device
-69% of online consumers who visit Pinterest have found an item they've bought or wanted to buy

So what does this mean for companies' social media strategies in 2013? It's time to confront social media head-on if they hope to get any results from it. 

What can your company do to prepare for the upcoming changes and trends for social media in 2013?
1. Research your consumers: if you're going to market to consumers and fans online, you have to know the common backgrounds of your customers and what they like. Are they teenagers? Middle-aged women? Young business professionals? You can't to hope to do the right marketing on the right networks if you don't know who you're speaking to!
2. Train your employees: Make sure your employees know about your social media accounts and your social media strategy - it doesn't matter if they're in finance, HR, or sales - everyone should know how to access you on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc. They're more likely to engage with you and post pictures and fun content if they know where to find you.
3. Develop your 2013 strategy early: The biggest mistakes most companies are making is just handling social media day-by-day. If you hope to get anywhere, you have to lay out goals, create a routine, and have done your research to know what is going to get you the best results. If you're unsure of where to start, you can try Boot Camp Digital's online program on 2013 Social Media Training.

Whatever you do - start preparing early! 
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