Year End Predictions: Looking Ahead At 2010

Last night we recorded the year-end episode of the IMTW Podcast, and discussed 2010 predictions.
That episode should be available at the site or in your feed very soon, so keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, I’ll share some of my predictions for Internet Marketing as we head into the New Year…
1) 2010 is going to see a huge need for consultants and service providers to bring small businesses online so that they can engage with their customers.

There will be a lot of opportunities in this field as small business owners need to be educated on how to best reach their markets online. They’ll need web development services from people who understand the current state of online marketing and social media communication. They are also going to need ongoing social media services, project management, and content development…
While 2009 saw a rise in this offline business model for educated Internet Marketers, and several have jumped on the opportunity and are doing very well with it, the market has barely been tapped – and desperately needs help in understanding the best ways to make use of new media opportunities.
The opportunities are there both for people who want to work directly with the small business owners in their local area – and for those that want to offer virtual services to the consultants that are working with them.
2) We’re moving strongly towards Mobile Web & Social Media
The mobile web is growing by leaps and bounds, at a more rapid speed than the internet ever did. The growth of the smartphone market has put the internet – and your websites – in the hands of consumers 24 hours a day, from any location.
This means two things: Your websites and media need to be mobile friendly, and you need to be strongly engaged via Social Media services.
Going into 2010 and beyond, you’ll need buzz and info-bites. Quick, small, fun ways for your target market to get engaged with your brand and your offers. It needs to be fast, and it needs to be share-worthy. Hit that mark and you have the potential for viral marketing like never before.
We’re ultimately moving towards the expectation that if you can’t find it online, or on your mobile, it simply doesn’t exist. At least not to the point that it matters.
This is important for both online and offline business owners, as a large part of the smartphone capability is to easily and conveniently locate local business – and also complete online transactions.

“As mobile data consumption rises, we expect local marketing to be a big winner,” said Michael Boland, program director, Mobile Local Media (MLM), The Kelsey Group. “There is a strong correlation between local search and the mobile use case, which will cause a good portion of the ongoing mobile application boom to focus on local.” source

3) Being a Market Leader in 2010
Three things stand out to me as we head into the New Year: Brand, Community & Social Media Mastery. Those that become community leaders, and build a strong social media reputation will become the market leaders in their niche.
It will be the authors, merchants, affiliates, service providers and website owners that actually engage in conversation with their target market that thrive online. Not only with their customers directly, but also with the entities that have the power to rank or tank them online – such as Google.
Now more than ever, going into 2010 brand and community are going to be very important aspects of any online marketing strategy.
On the podcast I mentioned that “It’s a come to us market, because we’re not coming to you anymore.” From a marketing perspective, this means catering to the consumer – and being readily found in any medium from any device.
2010 is going to be the year that offline businesses have to get on the bandwagon, and cater to the technology that is changing the way their customers want to do business with them: easy, convenient, fast, and efficient.
The Online Economy
One of the things I’ve found interesting about all of the economy talk in 2009, is that while the offline world has seen sales tanking and they’re closing up shop, the online world is absolutely booming. And it’s only going to continue to grow in a positive direction.
Offline sales are dropping, while online sales are rising. And why not? As a consumer myself, it only makes sense. Why would I fight traffic and spend hours shopping at the mall in the nearest city when my teens can hop on my mobile anytime anywhere and order a new pair of converse shoes… and have them delivered right to the front door the next day?
Merchants need to be positioned where & how consumers are now shopping. Period.
Now is a great time to get serious about your online business. While some people will complain that it’s too late, the truth is that the early pioneers have paved the way for you. We’re only in our 2nd decade of ecommerce, and the market is more ripe than ever for smart entrepreneurs.
Make sure you tune in to the IMTW Podcast and check out the 2010 Predictions Episode for more insight from Ed Dale, Paul Colligan and Michelle MacPhearson to hear the things we’re excited about as we head into the New Year…
Best,

p.s. If you’re not yet on board with Twitter, or still confused about how to best use it in your marketing plan, see: Twitter Marketing and specifically the Twitter Marketing Strategy section.