2008 Online Marketing Predictions – Going Social, Mobile and Global!
Say goodbye to the Year of the Pig (2007) and hello to the Year of the Rat (2008). That’s Chinese for welcoming in the New Year with their own set of predictions. For example, Rat people work hard to achieve their goals, acquire possessions, and are likely to be perfectionists. Their ambitions are big, and they are usually very successful.
History is littered with predictions. If you make enough of the, some are bound to be true! The web is its own “animal” and goes by its own set of rules. However that does not stop me from offering my online marketing predictions for 2008. This year could very well be the Year of the Subscriptions, Mobile and Social Networking.
First, I want to wish you all the web success for an exciting, healthy and profitable 2008. And now for my Top Ten:
1. Subscriptions will be the currency for social networks. The fees will be modest, but they will continue to replace more conventional advertising streams. For example, Skype and Twitter will add subscription charges for enhanced features like groups and they will compete for top social network status as the useless applications, intrusive advertising and annoying emails from Facebook continue to turn off users.
2. Social networks will be the key driver of brand success as consumers increasingly trust each other’s opinions and distrust advertising and corporate propaganda.
3. Mobile will be the “fast food” of the year. You are on the move and are hungry for instant access to information. iPhones and similar devices that deliver true mobile Internet access will replace laptops that everyone hates to carry.
4. Companies including YouTube, blip.tv and Seesmic will expand and cooperate to include group collaboration and meetings.
5. 2008 will be the year of collaboration and intellectual partnership, internally and externally. Companies will start forming synergistic groups that work toward improving or bundling products and services that will result in saving time, money, work effort and brand reputation.
6. Special lighting for web cam broadcasts on Seesmic will be the hot new products as video increases in importance. People can now look like people and not like their driver’s licenses or passport photos.
7. The Internet will play a growing role in the 2008 election with people trusting plebeian’s opinions more so than packaged candidate ads.
8. Privacy will be a key issue of the year.
9. Google stock will hit $1000 a share and split. Search is growing and people are hooked on more.
10. Predict one through nine for next year – that’s why they are called predictions. However, it’s a sure bet some of these will come true in 2008.
By: Robert Speyer