Entries for Dec, 2009

What Will 2010 Bring in the Interactive and Social Media Space?
by Andrew Grinaker

With 2009 almost behind us, it is time to look forward into 2010 and start talking about what we should be looking for and planning for in terms of the interactive and online marketing space. I will outline 5 topics to discuss and leave it open for debate. This is just my opinion and do not necessary reflect those within the entire office of FGI Seattle.

1) More Twitter, Less Facebook "“ I know, some of you must be thinking, "Ugghh, please no more talk about Twitter!" Sorry, but according to the Global Language Monitor, "Twitter" was the word of 2009, not Obama, not H1N1, not Vampire (sorry Twilight fans), but Twitter.

Twitter continues to grow a rapid and astounding pace, while participation amongst 18-25 year olds on Facebook was down in the past 90 days. This excerpt is from HubSpot.com, "comScore is reporting that time spent on Facebook by 18-24 year olds is waning. In July 2009, minutes spent on Facebook dropped by 3%. In August, it plummeted 13%. By September, minutes spent on Facebook crumbled by 16%." It is yet to be seen if Facebook is worried about this demographic.

2) All Content Mobilized and Tagged "“ Our phones (the smart ones) are starting to compete against PCs for attention, functionality and the main source of content. Companies and media outlets will move more and more towards optimizing their content for mobile, whether that is video, blogs, websites and any other form they can promote to the masses. As for tagging, niche content is starting to become the norm, allowing people to find specific, detailed content instead of clicking through hundreds of articles. Tag your content or get lost in the shuffle.

3) Social Media will no longer be an option for B2B companies "“ For some industries (retail, media, etc), this would have been on the 2008 or 2009 list but this is meant for the business to business companies who have yet to explore and get involved with the social media world. Companies must create some presence in the social media world or they are losing opportunities to capture audiences. This should be achieved through promotional and grassroots marketing like coupons, rebates, etc.

4) Public Relations Needs will Increase for Online "“ After talking with an executive of a local Fortune 500 company, they noted they are looking at individuals with a PR background for some of their digital and social media positions. The reasoning is that with the advancement of Twitter and Facebook, social media has opened up a new medium for delivering news and content to their audiences. They must have someone well versed in understanding the do's and don'ts of distributing that content and to the appropriate audiences.

5) More Client Control, Less Reliability on Agencies "“ This relates to companies managing their website properties and also their voice online. As technology advances and content management systems are offering easier-to-use systems, companies are requesting for more control and less reliability of an interactive firm. FGI has long followed this process in providing the client with as much control of their site as possible. When reviewing RFPs for the latter half of 2009, the focus was more on the flexibility and availability of the CMS systems, then on the solution itself. Interactive firms will need to position themselves as partners instead of providers.

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It's been really, really cold up here in the Seattle Area this week "“ at least by Seattle standards.

Here is a picture of one of our project teams on the Seattle waterfront on their way to visit a client yesterday morning. They are smiling, but it is a brisk 11° out there.

Pictured are (left to right) Nate McLaughlin, VP of Client Services, Kelly Cahill, Senior Project Manager, Zack Pitts, Director of Technical Services and Dave Riensche, Art Director.

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