Looking Back and Looking Forward | The Marketing Tactician

Analytics / Business

In review of 2008, I thought Twitter had already arrived. In reflecting back on 2009, I didn't expect Twitter to continue to grow with such fervor in 2009, but then again I never expected Oprah to jump on board either. I don't know if Twitter will maintain it's growth, but I can emphatically say that micro-blogging is here to stay. As social media and mobile continued to evolve (FourSquare) in 2009, 2010 has changed the talk from should we embrace to new communication tools to how we can deploy them for enterprise. App development is moving full steam ahead and useful ones like Evernote and Jott are sure to provide more value to businesses and consumers alike. Many analyts think 2010 will be the Year of Social ROI. I've been working on metrics and analytics this past year and with the belt-straps becoming tighter at companies, ROI is becoming more directly embedded in marketing decisions. This is good news for data junkies as they will be in high demand. In reality though, there is more to social media than a simple dollar value return. Customer service, branding, product development and other functions within a company will find more value in social media as it matures. Transparency will also continue to be crucial for successful social media programs but many bigger companies continue to struggle with this. Between layers of bureaucracy and legal approval, use of social media has been watered down to say the least. This year, I expect more companies to adopt social media policies that give corporations a more authentic voice. Common sense prevails, hurray! I'm excited about 2010. We are still in the infancy of digital marketing and new ways of communicating are sure to provide great opportunities for entrepreneurs and marketers.