Yes, I realize I’m waiting until the eleventh hour to make my 2011 prediction for the marketing and social media world.

In 2010 we saw Facebook and Groupon rise to be the Belles of the Ball in the online space.  Whether we like it or not, the ex-boyfriend we thought we’d never see again when in college…the one we told to “Have a nice life” and meant it as we turned around to never look back…well, he can now friend us on Facebook.  And there’s no limit to the number of brands we can “like” on Facebook, especially when we can win a free trip to Cancun, an iPad, or exclusive previews of samples.

And those of us who never clipped coupons or considered ourselves bargain hunters now look forward to daily deals in our local areas, sometimes 80% off experiences, thanks to companies like Groupon, LivingSocial, and BuyWithMe.  Local experiences not enough to make you excited?  We can obtain more of what we covet (but don’t necessarily need, although my fashionista friends would argue that it’s all relative) with luxury daily deals sites like Gilt, One Kings Lane, and RueLaLa.  *none of the links to these sites are affiliate links*

I’ve purchased something on most of the sites listed above and when it comes to Facebook, I’m fans of a lot of brands, but couldn’t list all of them off the top of my head if I tried.

Which brings me to my prediction.

2011 will be the year of long term relationships.  Now that social media has gone mainstream, it’s no longer a tertiary channel for brands to reach their target audiences.  It’s become the focus for many.  And the investments we’re seeing are proof of this. 

But now that brands have succeeded in converting social media to become another touch point, another channel for reaching the people, what’s going to make them stay?  What’s going to keep their attention.

In other words, if you’re a brand that offers a sweet contest with an incredible grand prize so that you can build your Facebook fan page from 1,000 fans to 25,000 fans overnight…how do you know that when your competitor offers another contest, offering a bigger and better prize or discount or (insert incentive here)…they’re not going to flock to that fan page.  Leaving you with 24,000 fans that only come back when you can trump the offer you’re getting now.

And for daily deals…the salon that’s offering their signature $200 cut & color for $20 through a daily deals site…what kind of experience and incentive are they going to offer when the customer walks in so that said customer comes back a second time.  Because if you’re a daily deals subscriber, you know that it’s almost certain that there’s going to be a salon deal at some point during the week.

We talk about measurement:  reach, impressions, uniques, tonality.  Moving the needle is so important.  And setting benchmarks and defining success are crucial to understanding if you’re reaching your business goals.

However, what are brands doing to truly foster the relationship and stay top of mind after the initial contest on Facebook or the deep discount has been redeemed?

It is my prediction that in 2011 the smart brands and the agencies they hire will focus on the answer to this question.  And that the term “retention” will occur with as much frequency as “conversion”.

What are your predictions for 2011?