Looking forward to 2012, I wanted to share some of my thoughts on what’s next in social media. Here’s a short, sweet, general prediction:

While many brands will continue to focus on growing their audiences, smart brands will work hard to get to know their existing audiences better. Some of our best professional and personal achievements have been fostered through networking, tapping our existing relationships to develop new, better ones (I was introduced to Netplus, and even met THE girl, via Twitter.) Applying that thought, next year we’ll see a shift back to our networking roots and build deeper connections through social media. Look for budgets and time to be put toward delivering value over volume. This means improvements in social commerce and customer service, new approaches to listening, collecting data and a focus on developing outstanding consumer-oriented content.

2012 will be the year we become better friends with our fans and followers.