You've left us really enthused about the whole digital dimension and we're looking forward to developing our plan with your support. Simon Beardow - Deputy Director, British Council, Vietnam
Providing referral tools on a site, is an important marketing element that no marketer or online publisher should ignore.
There are several free options and one of the best is AddThis. One billion users monthly are reached through this sharing platform and, according to their media, AddThis is installed on more than 7 million domains. That is a lot of exposure.
I have used AddThis on one of my own sites and the results (above chart ) mirror those of the infographic produced by the company.
Email is the most prevalent use, with Facebook close behind and Twitter catching up fast.
Here is the AddThis breakdown of sharing statistics for 2010:
The reality is that there will be so much happening in 2011 and at a faster pace than ever before.
Top picks:
3D-enabled television sets will contiue to be pushed by manufacturers but the 'imminent 3D revolution' will remain on the horizon
Gaming will continue to grow with Sony's Move and Microsoft's Kinect motion control gazumping the older platforms
Home computer and television convergence will continue with Apple and Google leading the way
Rupert Murdoch's content paywall will make more profit but continue to shed publication subscribers
iPad2 will be released with mounted cameras and Face-time video-callingsoftware
Devices that can anticipate our needs by using intelligent accelerometers and provide personalised content, advice or services, will become more prevalent
Social customer service will drive revenue
Smart companies will do more of this in 2011.
Social marketing will move beyond Facebook and LinkedIn
In our connected world of Tweets, blogs, emails and posts, this information transmission is captured in electronic form, and what we know as “word-of-mouth” in face to face interaction has become “word-of-digital”, and it’s incredibly track-able and useful.
Socially adept companies will align the needs of employees and customers
In 2011, we’ll see more companies embrace Zappos’ approach to social as integral, and large corporations relying on their inertia will feel the hot breath of excitement from fully motivated competition.
Millennials will take another step forward into the breach
The shift to greater social connectedness will continue to move forward in 2011
Social will penetrate deeper into company structures
Not surprisingly, marketing decision makers had the heaviest use of social media. This is a trend that will hopefully reverse, as more CEOs see the power of social media to network and to amplify their thought leadership
Go live or go home
Going “real time” means preparing an organization to react to what’s happening in their world, cohesively and adeptly. It requires planning for the future with room for ambiguity and change, and the flexibility to react from the top to the bottom of a company.
New Products
DigitalTrends predictions for products and trends to be seen in Las Vegas this year include:
Content consumption convergence - consumers engage seamlessly with content across multiple platforms
Location, location, location - mobile social network usage will more than double by 2015 and location based services have yet to reach the mainstream
Social gets its share of marketing dollars - 4 out of 5 marketers will use social media tools in 2011and changing consumer usage patterns will make social media a must. 80% of companies are planning increased spending in this area in 2011. Traditional advertising spend is falling as budget is funnelled to social media. Return On Investment remains difficult to quantify.
Targeting audiences vs content - Audience segmentation and targeting will remain key factors driving the shift to digital marketing
Online privacy debate heats up - 50% of users remain concerned about privacy issues. More people trust the government than advertisers, but most don't trust either.
Digital will be everywhere in 2011
In 2011, we’ll see digital engagement as an everywhere medium
The brand web site is under threat from social media
Despite the rise in buzz around Facebook pages, brand websites are every bit as relevant as they’ve ever been. They remain the only true digital channel that can be completely and wholly owned by you, the brand
The jury is out as to who will win the HMTL5 vs Flash battle
Should we continue to invest in Flash and business as usual, or do we abandon the platform altogether and fix our sights on the promise of HTML5
Mobile Advertising
In 2011, mobile advertising will provide more opportunities for advertisers with rich technology, a unique daypart, more customization and more tracking.
User Generated Content and the emerging power of the status update
Brands need to focus more on building an advocate base through the delivery of a consistent brand message
There will be more fun and games
Consider how multitouch and mobile apps transformed the mobile device into an opportunity for meaningful engagement with audiences away from computers and TV screens. GPS functionality transformed social networks into a local experience. Even the humble webcam has evolved well beyond its original function as it has been repurposed to serve up face recognition and augmented reality experiences. The Kinect’s technology is positioned to lead a transformation of similar magnitude
The constant evolution of Search Engine Marketing
First and foremost in 2011 will be the necessity to build a website that lends itself to successful search engine indexing and that, with the all-important keyword-rich content and linking efforts, can return high rankings on SERPs
The future of shopping is social
Recommendation engines and group buying sites are becoming increasing popular and integrated into social networks such as Facebook. You may not even recognize them, but these shopping tools are showing up all over the place and will give shoppers a lot of power in 2011.
The Rise of the Demand-side platform
Marketers will look to DSPs to expand their product offerings and become much more than a technology company that merely lends out its bidding platform. In 2011, look for these companies to go to market with turnkey and unique products that will further drive efficiency and attract large marketers
It will be the year of the mobile website
In 2011, the net result of the increase in smart phones will be a drastic increase in mobile web usage and more brands will begin to create mobile websites instead of applications
Meeting and Events
2011 will mark significant change for the global meetings and events industry, driven in part by the ongoing adoption of mobile, the increase in popularity of social networks and the pressure to make meetings and events more transparent, predictable and aligned to the business - Certain Software
More and more events will be organised and managed via handheld devices
Smart phones and social networks will provide expanded ways to engage attendees
PaidContent
It Will Be The Year Of ‘Interactive TV’
Growing broadband penetration and a face-off in the booming race among over-the-top box maker - Robert Andrews
Netflix Will Be Acquired
Think of what iTunes is for Apple—that’s what Neflix could be for its acquirer - Andrew Wallenstein
The ‘Ad Network’ Name Will R.I.P.
The term “ad network” will fall even further into disuse by ad-tech firms - David Kaplan
Local Deals And Check-Ins Will Converge
Would it really be that much of a surprise to see, for example, a Groupon or LivingSocial deal at a nearby hair salon when you load a check-in app on your phone? - Amanda Natividad
The E-Reader Will Reach Critical Mass
This is the year the standalone e-reader shifted from luxury to near-commodity, from a $250-$350 planned purchase to a $140-and-below basic buy. - Staci D. Kramer
We’ll Finally See Some Big Name Digital Media IPOs
The year will be then capped off by a record-breaking filing from Facebook, which will value the company at a staggering $100 billion - Joseph Tartakoff
Microsoft Will Keep Trying In Mobile With Limited Success
In the year ahead, we will see more attempts by Microsoft to take that new OS, put it in more devices—and, yes, roll them out to more carriers and other retail channels. - Ingrid Lunden
Google Will Win Its Intellectual Property Lawsuits
On its own, Google has been footing a big chunk of Silicon Valley’s legal bill for several years now. The company has created important case law that benefits its competitors too - Joe Mullin
JWT
Ann Mack, Global Director of Trendspotting for J Walter Thomson (JWT) 2011 “watch” list.
Happy New Year to all readers of The DigitalConsultant. May your 2011 be a social and profitable one!
