Last week, everyone was talking about the new Facebook design. Normally, I do not pay a lot of attention to these things. It causes a big uproar, you see a flurry of posts about what it means for your business – and the reality? Most people are still trying to comprehend the previous changes to pages and likes and become overwhelmed and frustrated when there are even more. Then the fear sets in – will they be left behind? Next thing I know, everyone starts asking me - what's the next big thing? 

Well, ok – I give in. I am going to lionize the next change for you. It's not mobile, it's not video, it's not even inbound marketing as we now know it (*gasp*).

It's social proof

You may have heard the term before. I most recently heard it during the keynote from Mike Volpe at the Social Media FTW conference. But it was not until I learned about Facebook's new changes that I understood the impact.

Think about it. How do most people find something today? They either ask their friends and family, or they go to Google, or some combination of that. The results that Google gives are based on a complex and ever-changing algorithm designed to give everyone the most relevant results. Google's recent updates for personalized search are their first attempt to deliver social proof. Google's frustration over Facebook's unwillingness to share data is proof that they know they are missing a major piece of social proof – people. The launch of Google+ is their next attempt to start getting that same data for themselves.

Why? Because Google sees the writing on the wall. Can they catch up? If anyone can do it, they can.  

And what is the writing on the wall?

Other than the fact that people spend more than five times as much time on Facebook than they do Google? It's this:

The days are coming, or are here, when you will no longer look to a computerized corporate search engine. Instead you will be looking at a 'recommendation engine' powered by Facebook and built by your friends, family and colleagues. It's like instantaneous word-of-mouth marketing.

If you look back to all the changes that Facebook has done, it has led up to this: replace the un-human search engine with a human powered recommendation engine. Social proof. You can't buy it off the shelf or from an agency. But like SEO, you can build a marketing plan that results in it.

Ask us how.

Before you know it, we'll have bio-chips in our brains.