10 Marketing Predictions for 2010
Here’s my annual list of what to expect, marketing-wise, in the upcoming 12 months. Time will tell how accurate these are, although my 2009 list was fairly spot-on:
#10) Mobile advertising will still NOT flourish in North America in 2010. However, if the Google mobile phone becomes a hit it could make a late-year run and enter 2011 with great momentum.
#9) The web will continue to grow and play an even more important role in great, measurable marketing. Websites that create relevance, with smart use of microsites, and also help develop a dialog, will reign supreme. One-way websites will be viewed as antiquated and ineffective; YouTube will grow in its importance for traditional TV-based advertisers (:30 second commercials will decline greatly). Google Analytics will continue to gain users and importance.
#8) Wal-Mart’s attempt to compete with Amazon will prove to be a failure.
#7) E-mail will lose more popularity to social media but will be even more important as a customer retention and communication tool.
#6) Printed matter – newspapers and magazines – will continue to struggle and more of them will switch to online only editions than ever before.
#5) Direct mail will see a resurgence as data becomes better, more accurate and more segmentable than ever before. While mail volume will not increase, its role as an impactful, door-opening media will grow and its use as a powerful follow-up medium will increase. Those that do mail really well and commit to the channel will prosper as they will face less clutter in mailboxes.
#4) Retail will not make a strong comeback yet and more stores will end up shuttering as 2010 progresses. Those that practice true integrated marketing will be the most successful.
#3) B2B marketing will become more sophisticated and make better use of integrated, measurable marketing strategies and tactics. E-PR will grow in importance with this group.
#2) Relationships and customer service will continue to matter more than even the best marketing. Do a good job with the clients you have and they will refer additional business your way. After all, the web, social media and email has made it very easy to do so.
#1) Social Media will continue to grow, but few will do it well by beginning with a solid plan that incorporates the tried and true methods of “old school” direct marketing, including testing. Those that do – and know how to start the dialog, taking the dialog into the next phase of a relationship – will have huge success; SEO will be more critical then SEM; more marketers will help make Twitter more relevant and mainstream as a viable marketing medium and Facebook will spell the demise of MySpace.
We’ll see how these predictions pan-out in the next 12 months. The entrepreneurial mindset will continue to help redefine marketing as we know it. Remember to keep practicing marketing that’s measurable and test away.
I hope your 2010 brings you much success.
Email This Post
Related Topics: A Measured Approach - Database Marketing/CRM, A Measured Approach - Mobile Marketing, A Measured Approach - General, A Measured Approach - Opinion, A Measured Approach - Marketing ROI, A Measured Approach - Lists & Data, A Measured Approach - Direct Mail/Postal, A Measured Approach - E-mail Marketing, A Measured Approach - Search/Web Marketing, A Measured Approach
December 31st, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I’m surprised you did not comment directly on the move toward affiliate marketing, CPC advertising and PPV (pay per view or CPM).
#7 is a ringer!
#9 Google analytics will drive more focus on ROI as increase C-level confidence in marketing plans
Cheers and Happy New Year!
Mitch
January 2nd, 2010 at 3:10 pm
Thanks for the feedback, Mitch. I hope 201o is great for you.
Grant A. Johnson
January 5th, 2010 at 3:46 pm
Good info Grant, I am suprised you mentioned nothing about TRUST. Consumer TRUST is at an all time low right now. With Scams in 2009, Madoff, Standford, etc.. Those business’s who market TRUST and can do so effectively will be successfull in the long run. And of Course to market TRUST you have to back it up.. Do business honest and ethically.. I think the Better Business Bureau will become more important as time goes on. They have made some great positive SEO changes and more and more consumers are flocking to them to research a business!
January 5th, 2010 at 3:59 pm
Hi Brian,
Yes, trust is paramount, but for folks like you and I, who practice our kraft with honesty and integrity, it’s a shame we even have to consider its inclusion.
Gaining and keeping trust should NEVER be taken for granted. Thanks for the note and the reminder.
January 5th, 2010 at 4:56 pm
Some of our industries are sharing a ever shrinking market as suppliers and customers consolidate. As a result we have to be smarter and smarter with our marketing dollars and find ways to reach markets we never considered before.
January 6th, 2010 at 10:49 am
Thanks for the list. I truly hope #3 - b2b - has legs, and we in the industrial b2b marketing arena have more opportunities to access resources offering solid strategies and tactics.
#2 resonates with our customer base, and is a spot-on prediction, but worriedly, I anticipate 2010 to show us a “Price is King” mindset that could create unpredictable jumps from one supplier to another based on price points, regardless of relationships. Have you seen any signs of this trend, or successful practices of those already combating this issue?
Best Regards,
Blair
January 7th, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Yes, Roy, you are correct, and that’s precisely why “marketing smart” will rule the day in 2010.
Blair, I think the best way to sell against price is to find the real value you bring and hammer that home with your customer base. When things are tight, you need to do a better job of proving your logic and making your case: support it with hard facts and real data. While emotion still plays a factor, it is less a factor in times like these. Keep in mind that most customers have to justify their spends in tough times, so the more you can help them do so, the better you will be. Show them you are a vested partner, it it for the long-haul with them.