[2009 trends] How the digital landscape will shape marketing

16 Jan 2009

A new year is here and stretching before us are 12 months of great possibility and opportunity. No-one could have predicted the innovation and evolution that we saw around the Internet during 2008. Likewise, making predictions for 2009 is nearly impossible. So instead of trying to make precise predictions about our incredibly dynamic industry, I've listed my top nine trends to watch during the coming year.

[2009 trends] How the digital landscape will shape marketing

Betting on online:
As this consumer shift happens, more businesses will look to retain their previously offline customers and reach this bigger market. Businesses both large and small will turn to search marketing to drive new traffic to their websites, as online advertising becomes the lifeblood of those trying to get ahead in the digital economy.
Offline events will drive online search: advertisers will take advantage of the direct link between offline events and the subsequent surge in online search. People immediately search the Internet for news, insights and video relating to major offline events. From sport to politics and natural disasters, offline events provide savvy and fast-acting advertisers the opportunity to make the most out of rising online search activity surrounding each event.
The reverse is also true: online search drives offline events, in the form of purchasing. Recent research by TNS in SA has shown that 34% of products are researched online but purchased offline. If customers can't find you online to make an evaluation, then you're missing a third of the market straight away. Become findable on the Internet and make online evaluation easy for your customers.
Data beats opinion: every day, hundreds of millions of people search on Google, so we can see trends emerge in real time. Access to search trend information is available to everyone though Google Insights for Search and Google Trends, and this year we expect to see an increase in the use of search trend data in how online marketing campaigns are structured.
This new level of insight into what the hottest online searches are will empower advertisers to move away from relative guess work and use hard data to inform their advertising decisions.
Improve, improve, improve your website: more and more web users are starting to make use of the readily available free and easy-to-use tools to improve the usability and functionality of their websites. You can use advanced tools to turn your website into a more effective sales tool by understanding how visitors use your website, where they land on your site, where they came from and what they expect to see when they get there.
For example, Google Analytics allows you to track user browsing behaviour on your site (for example, which pages they visit, what point they leave the site, how much time they spend) and Google Website Optimizer can suggest ways to improve the layout and format of your website to make it more user-friendly.
Video will take centre stage: online video viewing has become huge. For example, YouTube's unique users numbers have grown 50% year on year and it has over 200 million unique users globally a month (source: Nielsen Online 2008).
While online video's growth last year was astronomical, 2009 will see not only a continued growth, but an explosion in innovative uses of video within marketing campaigns. Online video testimonials, channel competitions, and online viral videos have arrived, so we're excited to see what additional new uses marketers will develop this year.
Go big, go mobile: More than 80% of Google's mobile search queries come from outside the US, and SA has shown dramatic growth in mobile search traffic. More people do business on their mobile phones than on their laptops because mobile search gives users instant, contextually relevant access to information anytime, anywhere.
SA's mobile penetration massively exceeds the broadband penetration, and even with the expected rise in broadband access in 2009, it isn't going to catch mobile just yet. So, it is important for SA advertisers to think mobile as they head into the new year.
The world will be watching: 2010 may be the year of the World Cup, but 2009 is the year when the world will do its research and planning.
We have already started to see an increase in the number of searches for and about SA from around the globe. The volume of search queries is going to grow exponentially as the world gears up for our sporting spectacle. Millions and millions of international consumers will be searching for information on SA, and local businesses will take advantage of the online opportunities available to market their products and services.
Savvy companies which are already up to speed on the opportunity presented by the World Cup won't be alone for long as more and more companies and industries move in the same direction.
The Internet is social: people are fascinated by other people and the Internet has brought unprecedented access to other communities in multiple geographies, languages and time zones. The social Internet will become more of a feature of marketing campaigns, not just a destination. Video sharing sites, blogs, and the plethora of social networks are providing inovative marketers the opportunity to converse with customers and users.
The social media landscape will continue to evolve at a break-neck pace and many companies will launch marketing campaigns within the social media space to take advantage of the massive power of social networks. From the video of an aspiring rock band on YouTube, to on-the-ground footage of the turmoil in Kenya; from one person's political Twitter stream, to a sophisticated multi-party political blog portal, the Internet is providing greater transparency into what is happening in the world, and in the process widening our perspective.
Cloud computing is in your future: While the early days of the web were largely dominated by search, today we're also moving into a phase which focuses on making people more connected. Today, 'cloud computing' is making it much easier to get things done.
Cloud computing moves all of our computer-based activities - searching, emailing, watching videos, creating documents, and more - to a virtual space referred to as 'the cloud'. By keeping and accessing the information that's important to us online, or in the cloud, we're bringing an unprecedented level of flexibility and accessibility to our lives.
Take email - as Gmail is online, you can access it from wherever you might be, on whatever device you might be using. As long as you are connected to the Internet, you are connected to your email, documents, videos, etc. Cloud computing also means you can collaborate and share information in real-time with others in a way that hasn't been possible with traditional computing.

About Stafford Masie

Somewhat of an industry veteran, Stafford Masie has spent more than 15 years involved with a variety of market-leading IT companies both locally and abroad. At the time of writing this article, he was country manager for Google SA. Stafford's expertise spans the areas of operations, business development, partner management and strategy and he has worked for some of the most prominent names in the global technology market. Masie holds a degree in computer science from the University of Tel Aviv, Israel, which he completed in the early '90s. A technology enthusiast and family man, he spends a large amount of his spare time reading about and researching technology and Internet paradigms; and flying his micro-light or another form of single propeller aircraft. Email him on moc.liamg@eisamdroffats.