As 2010 approaches, there are several trends that are becoming concerns for anyone involved with social media marketing (SMM). One of the growing concerns for marketers is earned media, which is the added, unpaid exposure a brand assumes when consumers share about the brand online. Thus, agencies are looking for ways to create objectives for all their paid online ad campaigns.
As we’ve mentioned in our previous posts, search sites such as Google will include real-time content in their search results from social media giants Twitter and Facebook. In addition, search results will also include information from social network friends, as well as results and collective information from other web users to make searches more relevant to the user. As these trends grow, there will be more opportunities for ad support. Furthermore, although there are some ads already running, expect more personalized ads that are determined by your Facebook profile data and social network profile information.
Twitter has shown enormous growth over the last year to about 18 million this year, triple the amount of users from 2008. However, one of the biggest questions in relation to Twitter is what business they intend to build from that, and more importantly, if it will succeed. Of course, there has already been discussion about the possible revenue sources such as corporate accounts, celebrity authentication, and a temporal search function. Since the most realistic source is the temporal search, expect one in 2010.
Another concern is the debate between media companies concerning digital content. There are companies that range and/or switched from charging fees for content accessibility to free, though ad-supported content. Some sites are debating whether to continue or try the paid-content option. eMarketer predicts consumers will endure paid systems and digital media will be largely ad-based.
As technology advances, we are bridging the gap between Internet and TV. In the upcoming Consumer Electronics Show (CES), companies will introduce televisions with Internet connectivity or direct access to YouTube or Netflix so consumers will be able to view online videos directly without going to the computer. Some electronics, such as the Xbox360 and Playstation 3, have already integrated Twitter and Facebook, so direct feed with electronics may be a rising concern for the social media marketing (SMM) group.
With 2010 approaching quickly, will your social media marketing (SMM) tactics be ready for the growing trends?
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Written by Chris C.
