It sometimes seems like every day presents a new opportunity for using social media. I use them all in my personal and professional life. For new restaurants, exploring different entertainment venues or broadening my networking circle. Here are a few highlights that helped us get ahead in 2011:

1. Google+ – The biggest news in social media marketing in 2011 was the introduction of Google+, Google’s competitor to Facebook. While the site is still building its fanfare, it provides marketers with an opportunity to better target people according to their interests. The SEO and Circle features set Google+ apart from the competition.

2. Facebook – An overhaul of Facebook’s pages started toward the end of 2011. Personal users and companies are experiencing huge changes with the Timeline advancement. This will challenge the way marketers tell their corporate or product story, but offer an excellent opportunity to re-engage their “fans.”

3. Twitter – Often viewed as a competitor to Facebook, Twitter upped the ante this year for advertisers. It significantly raised advertising rates, pushing its benefits of higher engagement than Facebook.

4. Groupon – Couponing became a focus and a competitive game to people this year with the introduction of the TV show Extreme Couponing and the boom of daily deal websites like  Groupon and WeDeal. Groupon may have taken the lead in 2011 offering the best deals and building the strongest brand, but will 2012 be the year of Mark Cuban’s JungleCents?

5. Augmented Reality - In 2011, marketers truly leveraged augmented reality to get people talking about their brand on social media – a previous challenge for most businesses. Starbucks was a leader this year with a creative holiday campaign that let fans animate coffee cups through smartphones and post the videos on Facebook pages.

6. Novelty Apps – 2011 was the year of the fun apps.  We were creating songs and laughing at jokes. At the same time, marketers were using these humorous apps to help us build a stronger relationship with their brand – and it is working.

With much more to come in 2012, the opportunities are endless for marketers and consumers alike. What social media advancements have changed your life this year?

Written by Allyson Marcus