With the new year getting closer, it is convenient to stop to make an evaluation of this 2012 that is slowly coming to an end, with the aim of learning everything that happened, trends, errors, success stories, Of everything relevant that can be indispensable to continue acquiring experience and make the most of all that has already been learned.

Undoubtedly, 2012 has been a crucial year for the development of Social Media, and some of the figures, data and conclusions of analysis, studies and research show the importance of this phenomenon, which continues to grow and, above all, mature and Making companies, organizations increasingly social and committed to their customers and audiences.

• 2012 has been the year of interaction between brands and customers
• 60% of Fortune 500 companies are on Facebook, developing an active presence; An increase of 20% since the last quarter of 2011.
• Brands received nearly two million interactions through social channels during each quarter of the year.
• The brands have an average of 29 employees dedicated to managing presence in social networks.
• 17% of customers have used social networks during the last year as a customer service channel, according to the American Express Customer Barometer in 2012.
• The pages viewed in Social Media record 94% more visits when they have an image or other visual element.
• Social Media has the ability to convert and increase sales.
• 34% of the marketers got leads thanks to Twitter.
• Pinterest’s referral traffic spends 70% more than visits from other channels outside of social networks
• The LinkedIn social network is 277% more effective at generating leads than any other social network.
• Social Media is the online version of the traditional word of mouth
• 69% of followers who get a brand on Twitter have been suggested by friends.
• Companies must adapt to the tastes and preferences of consumers, responding to their demand wherever they are.
• 23% of Facebook users check their account more than 5 times a day.
• 80% of social networking users prefer Facebook to connect with brands.
• 38% of customers recognize discounts and various forms of savings are the main incentive to follow a brand, followed closely by information on new products (36%).

These data serve to draw the current scenario of social networks. Taking into account these trends and patterns of action, brands can design their strategy for 2013, reinforcing the most relevant aspects and discarding those premises that no longer have application. What other data and trends would you bring?