Those in social media marketing as a profession realize that there are certain unknowns when it comes to the new web. We know that people are on social media. We know that they don’t want direct marketing. We also know they’d rather get direct marketing than pay for the services, so there’s at least a little room for something.

The question is, “what is that something?”

Whether from B2C or B2B, social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn give marketers the ability to try to reach the target audience and generate leads. The vast majority are trying. Most are failing, or at least not meeting their expectations if they’re not failing altogether.

This infographic breaks down how 2012 compared to 2011 from a lead-generation perspective.

Click to enlarge.