2012 was a big year for brands on social media. As more and more people and businesses put themselves on the internet, social media marketing continues to grow.

Looking back at the year that was, we saw several developments in this still-burgeoning area of marketing. Facebook surpassed one billion users, Pinterest went from niche to mainstream and people filtered their photos using Instagram.

Considering the enormity of social media, it has naturally drawn the attention of marketers. Now, it is more unusual for a company (or for that matter, an individual) to not have a Facebook presence than the other way around. Still, just as we've seen from the history of brands on traditional media, there have were some a lot of social media marketing successes and missteps.

McDonald's saw its #McDstories hashtag, formed to encourage people to share their favorite memories of McDonald's, get hijacked by people who used it to express some unpleasant stories about the fast-food giant.

Hurricane Sandy rocked the East Coast, and several clothing retailers were chastised for tying it into their tweets and Facebook posts that encouraged people to shop on their website instead of at their stores.

The year wasn't just about social media faux pas, though. There were several effective social media marketing campaigns that worked like a charm.

Kony 2012, which would have been a little-known documentary about child soldiers in Africa, infiltrated the social conscience and was viewed nearly 100 million times on YouTube.

The most popular tweet of the year, and of all-time, was composed by Barack Obama (or at least his social media manager) following his win over Republican challenger Mitt Romney on election night. The tweet was simple, only three words--"Four more years"--and a picture of the president hugging his wife.

What were your favorite social media successes and failures from 2012? What do you think will be the next Pinterest or Instagram? How do you see social media marketing evolving in 2013? Let us know in the comments.

FletcherPR is a national communications firm that specializes in reaching women through the power of media. Headquartered in Knoxville, TN with staff in Nashville & Los Angeles, we are a full-service agency providing strategic public relations, social media and marketing communications services to our clients throughout the U.S.