Online Marketing Blog from metrocafe311

I’m sure we all must remember when we were afraid of the year 2000, let alone the next decade. While it’s flown by, the growth in our space is exemplary of how much has happened. Consider online marketing ten years ago or lack thereof; and now (even in Ireland) brands and businesses are investing more and more in Online media, whether it be in search marketing, display advertising, or social media marketing; because it’s a measurable and low-cost option to achieve results.

So on that note, what are the experts saying we can look forward to in the new decade? We’ve rounded up a few snippets for 2010…

eMarketer gives us an overview of their predictions for the UK; which we can of course take learnings from in Ireland. Karin von Abrams writes that…

• While more and more people continue to shop online, e-commerce margins will continue to drop due to the increase in consumer demand for better deals.
• She said that mobile had its “first genuine year” in 2009; and that this will only continue in 2010 due to the number of providers of the iPhone opening up. Tesco selling the iPhone in 2010 is going to “shake up the market” she says. Hmm…
• She also outlines how more publishers of premium content will be tempted to charge for the information, following Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. as a way to monetise the continued shift of users from traditional media online. Will you pay?

Trendwatching.com outlines “10 Crucial Consumer Trends for 2010” that we’ll need to consider online. They emphasise their trends list to be all about the consumer; and not about the market in general. Right, so what do they say…well, here are the top 10:

• Business as Unusual – Societal changes that we’re experiences were set in motion long before the recession. Things are different, we must adapt.
• Urbany – “Extreme urbanisation” in the upcoming years, leading to more sophisticated and demanding customers. This may not be as quick to happen in Ireland; but still relevant over the coming years.
• Real-time Reviews – Whatever you do will be reviewed…in real time.
• (F)luxury – Luxury will be whatever we want it to be, not what was traditional associated to those that can afford it. We are already seeing this happen as we adjust are consumer behaviours as to not seem “uncool” in recessionary times.
• Mass Mingling – Online lifestyles encouraging “mass meetups.” The emergence of Foursquare might help us do that here in Ireland.
• Eco-Easy – We have to make it easier for consumers to be eco-friendly.
• Tracking & Alerting – The new search allows consumers to have more control over the content they consume on the web.
• Embedded Generosity – Making giving and donating painless for the consumer. I sense a trend here…
• Profile Myning – The internet and social web has been around for long enough now that there’s a good amount of information about most brands and business areas on the web, so now’s the time to start mining that information to gain insights which can be built upon.
• Maturialism – Online will bring us an “even more opinionated, risqué, outspoken, if not ‘raw’” environment, since we know that almost anything goes in that space.

We were a big fan of this list; because there are lessons to be learned across all media. Points taken into the New Year…

And while it’s not his predictions for the next decade, Seth Godin’s wisdom is always welcome when we’re thinking about the future of online. His New Year’s Day post discusses how the last decade was full of opportunity for everyone, with our lives transformed forever. While we’re still a bit slower than other markets, Irish men and women have also experiences huge change in daily life because of the internet.

Seth asks us to not plan too far ahead this time; but to think about where you want to be in seven years (rather than ten). So do you want to be a brand leader in the social media space, have an active and engaged community of followers online, a new websites that drives more conversions, or simply learn how to best invest in online; then now’s the time to set those goals in sight.

Look forward to reading, speaking, and working with you all in the New Year. Sláinte to 2010!