My advice for investing time in social media marketing in 2012 is to do your research and pick one or more tools that best reflect your brand and communication style.  Whether the choice is Facebook or Twitter, or if you take a leap of faith with viral videos or Pinterest, it is more important to implement them flawlessly.

2011 was a big year for social media marketing trends. From the inception of Google+ to Facebook’s latest Timeline, social media is continuing to prove itself as a huge avenue for marketers. Based on an aggregate of social media blogs and inquiries from clients, marketing through smart phones and advertising on Twitter and Facebook were all the rage. Video and Pinterest are the two hot topics for 2012 (so far).

My gut says that we should continue to be looking toward YouTube and Vimeo for video marketing. Today, videos aren’t just viewed via YouTube or Vimeo, but can be posted to a company’s website, Facebook page and Twitter feed. YouTube’s recently launched YouTube Creator Institute works with non-profits to help them create better content for marketing videos.  Now, if only the institute would open up these workshops for the rest of us.

Another hot trend to have on the radar screen is Pinterest. My latest obsession, this social site has become a mecca for some big-name brands. This website acts as a virtual pinboard to “connect everyone in the world through the things they love most.”  Currently, it is used primarily as a planning tool as it allows consumer brands to get in front of their niche audiences and guide them to their store or website.  My advice is to err on the side of caution before diving in. Not unlike all good social media tools, this one is still in its infancy and has a lot left to prove.