What To Look Out For In 2010!

By Bennett Olson

Social media - it’s here to stay!
January 28, 2010 — People are spending more time than ever on social networking sites (Facebook estimates that roughly half of its 300 million users log in to their account everyday) and the ad dollars are following suit. A study conducted last year by Equation Research found that 59% of companies already use social media and an additional 28% plan to implement it this year. Furthermore, 25% of companies said that they plan to “significantly” increase spending for social media, compared to 3% of companies that plan to increase spending for TV and 1% that plan to increase spending for print. Bottom line, if your organization isn’t already leveraging social media, they'd better start in 2010. It’s becoming an increasingly important channel and if you don’t start paying attention, you’ll be left in the dust.

Mobile is about to ignite.
There’s been a lot of hype about mobile for years, but it seems that now it’s here to stay. In the US, more people have cell phones than cable TVs, web access or home PCs and nearly 50 million use their cell phones to surf the Internet. With such penetration, mobile will be an increasingly important channel for marketers in 2010 and beyond.

Email marketing will continue to grow.
Given the economic climate, the low cost and predictable performance of email marketing can’t be beat. Social media may have taken away some market share, as people turn to sites like Facebook and Twitter to communicate with friends, but email remains the predominant communication tool in the business world. So, if you don't already have an email marketing program, you’d be smart to invest in one in 2010. If email is already part of your marketing plan, bolster your list with lead generation techniques and offer value-add content to existing subscribers.

Popularity of online video will continue to rise.
More than 78% of US Internet users view online video and this number is increasing. People like video and current technology makes it easier than ever to capture, edit and distribute. If you haven’t already ventured into the video arena, 2010 is the year to do it. The right video can quickly turn viral and catapult products or organizations into the public conscience. With such a tremendous upside, why not give it a try?

GPS chips and triangulation technology?
With the rise of applications like Loopt, FourSquare, Gowalla, Yelp, etc., Internet and mobile users have demonstrated a strong demand for location-based services. Add to this that more people are buying phones that feature GPS chips and triangulation technology, and it’s clear that the market for location-based media is expanding. Expect to see a lot of companies outside the technological realm leveraging this technology in 2010.

Search engine battles will spark innovation.
With Bing’s launch in June 2009 and subsequent agreement with Yahoo to power its organic and paid search results, Google has its first true challenger in years. In 2010, as these companies try to “one-up” each other, consumers and marketers will likely benefit from a slew of new search products and services. Google has already released Search Engine Results Pages (SERP), which displays real-time listings from LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter in search results.

Engage, engage, engage!
Engagement is no longer a buzz word; people want to interact with your brand and create an emotional connection. In pursuit of this, marketers should leverage social media and mobile as well as new video and ad technologies to manage the perceptions, attitudes and beliefs consumers have of their brands.