With the usual hyperbole associated with a new year the Internet has been rife with predictions for 2010 covering every whim and whimsy of online marketing. Having sifted through a lot of flotsam and jetsam that drifted our way we decided someone needed to give a more pragmatic view of how the year will pan out. So here are a few of our projections:
- No doubt about number one on the list – the roaring success of email marketing is set to continue. With returns of over 40 to 1 (return over expenditure) in some consumer markets it outperforms all other activity by a long way. Email marketing effectiveness is demonstrated by this survey where over 80% of companies cite it as their most successful marketing tool.
- More tuned-in B2Bs will slip into the bubbling Jacuzzi of social media now that it plays such a hugely influential role in search rankings. The tie-up of Facebook and Twitter with Google and Bing to provide real time search results (all those Re-Tweets and Facebook mentions creating real-time links) will push SEO-dependent businesses into developing social media strategies at a time when SEO is in a real state of flux.
- Online video usage will grow substantially in 2010 as it offers unique advantages over written words and still images for conveying complex messages simply and quickly while at the same time providing the opportunity to instil a great deal of brand personality. With increasing broadband speeds, falling video production costs and the growing number of video compliant mobile devices we expect to see many more B2B websites displaying videos of product presentations, sales messages, hints, tips and general industry advice.
- Websites will continue to be updated according to the principles of Web Usability; creating improved interaction between the user and the site and thus increased revenue. The changes will be identified from feedback gained from Customer Surveys and Web Analytics and the changes will make up a dynamic approach to your website maintenance. A/B testing, multi-variant testing – all testing will help highlight what’s going right and what’s not going so right on your site.
- With the iPhone topping 60 million units sold worldwide and Google’s Android operating system beginning to pervade other Smart phone technologies, the age of intelligent mobile marketing is with us. Watch out for innovative new ways of getting the message over – iPhone apps are one means of promoting a brand and the increased web-usage of smart-phone users will only make direct marketing to these units more attractive.
Research carried out by Orange revealed that among all age groups over half use their phones to access the internet, 64% send picture messages, 55% play games, 49% listen to music and 26% receive email. Some 87% use mobile media at home, and 73% when they are "out and about". Just under half said they used their phones to access the same sites they use on their PCs and 62% said they wanted their phones to do the same things their PCs can. The worlds of computing and telephony have already merged in the minds of many consumers. Are they converging in your market? Let us know; we’d love to hear your views on the smart phone in business.
To find out more about how your company can take advantage of the different options and blends of digital marketing available, call us on 01494 452600 or email info@brandboost.co.uk