2010 Digital Marketing Predictions

2010: Moving beyond the year of “will you be my friend?”

“Unfriend” is Oxford Dictionary’s newest word of the year, which proves that social media was the hit of 2009. Budgets might not have been large, but marketers spent a lot of time mulling over how their companies fit into the social media landscape.

2010 will see evolutions in several facets of digital marketing, and here’s Geary Interactive’s list of what to look for in the coming year.

Mobile on the Move

With Android, Apple and more than 100,000 iPhone apps, 2010 might be the year of mobile we’ve been waiting for. Looking forward, the new Flash software may make app design easier so look out for an app for everything- including your brand. With connection everywhere and increased mobile TV, mobile marketing will reach new heights and its marketing potential.

Adobe Analytics

Web analytics has been a tool to answer the question: how do I measure my marketing? But now with Adobe’s acquisition of Omniture, analytics will be baked into creative executions from the get-go. This means data will be more comprehensive and optimization can be made in a timelier manner.

Consolidation of Social Networks

Instead of updating 13 different profiles and status updates, users will be able to sync multiple platforms with a single action. This will encourage users to be socially active and connected with their peer and marketers alike. Moral of the story: social media isn’t going anywhere.

SEO + Social Media Unite

Social media marketing will start incorporating SEO tactics to make the most of the off-site traffic and buzz generated by social media. Whether it’s SEO friendly headlines or embeddable code for bloggers, marketers will use quality content to drive users from social communities to their sites.

Search Engines Get Real

MSN/BING is now incorporating both indexed pages and real time updates in their search engine results. This will have a huge impact on how websites compete with social media streams for who will rank #1 on search engines and how quickly those rankings change.

Smooth Landings

Search engines are now taking into account how relevant landing pages are to search queries in their ranking algorithms. This will help build campaign relevancy from click to conversion–boosting conversion rates and return on advertising investment.

Display Stamp of Approval

Moving forward marketers will have additional insight and verification into ad placements through ad networks. Reporting from ad networks will provide marketers with more detailed information about exactly where advertisements are displayed.