Online Trends For 2010 That Will Change Marketing In Malaysia

2009 was a watershed year for paradigm-changing online technologies. Technologies like Facebook and Twitter not only became household names last year, but are on track to change business and marketing as we charge on into 2010.

As a marketer and digital native who’s practically grown up on the web, here are some personal observations of mine about online trends that will take place in 2010 and change marketing in Malaysia, and what you can do to take advantage of them.

The Location Layer (Geolocation)

Perhaps the most exciting and anticipated trend for 2010 are location based services. Search giant Google has laid the groundwork by providing a rich platform of maps, business listings and GPS data with its Google Maps product, with many other competitors hot on its heels.

Marketers have already begun to take advantage of this platform by offering more relevant messages through location specific information. For example, Honda Malaysia gives you location and even directions to their dealers from their website. Retail businesses like restaurants and hotels are listing themselves in Google Maps through the Local Business Centre so that consumers can locate them easier.

If Google has provided the fuel for location based services, the deluge of GPS-enabled devices in the market today will be the spark that sets it skyrocketing in 2010. Every post you make to your social network, every photo you snap and practically every time you access the web from your mobile device will be geotagged (embedded with your GPS coordinates) to form a layer of location information on top of the maps platform.

Applications for your mobile device like Singapore-based BuUuk or rising stars Foursquare and Gowalla are then able to interact with this location layer to give you suggestions for restaurants and services based on your GPS coordinates. These applications also encourage you to mark new locations, rate them and leave tips for other users, adding on to the location layer to make it richer and more useful for consumers.

BuUuk makes finding the answer to "Where do you want to go for lunch?" a lot more interesting. (Click for a larger image)

As the location layer gets richer, we will start to see new devices and applications that create an ‘augmented reality’ view of the world. For example, the BuUuk iPhone application not only shows you nearby locations on a map, it can also label the shops and restaurants as you walk past them. Imagine simply pointing your phone at a building or landmark to find out more information, tips and even ratings from other users. Expect to see more of location based services and augmented reality in 2010.

Action steps for your business

Make sure that your business exists in the location layer of the web. The absolute minimum that you should do is to list your business in Google’s Local Business Centre and to local challenger 701panduan.com. If you have an iPhone or Android device, download BuUuk, Foursquare or Gowalla and add your business into their databases.

Real Time Stream

Remember the scene in The Matrix where an endless stream of green text scrolls past Neo’s multiple monitors? It’s going to start feeling like that in 2010.

Further down the rabbit hole.. (Copyright Warner Bros)

Research company IDC estimated that between 2006 and 2010, the information added annually to the digital universe will increase more than six fold from 161 exabytes to 988 exabytes (Source). This information is being created by consumers not only at their desks but on the go from their mobile devices, resulting in a never-ending stream of up to the minute information that floats by on the web.

In that stream of information includes geotagged Facebook or Twitter status updates, news, photos, ratings, reviews and more. Consumers will make sense of these streams of information with the help of their friends, who act as filters that highlight what’s good and what’s bad. And when they do find something bad, these trigger-happy consumers will not hesitate to shoot a complaint to the web, which then gets transmitted to their friends, and their friends’ friends, and so on.

What does this mean for businesses? It means that businesses must be ready to react at a moment’s notice, placate customers before they decide to complain louder and take genuine steps to fix problems. Covering up problems will no longer suffice – the real time stream flows too fast and wide for a single company (or even government) to stop the flow of information.

At the same time, it also represents opportunities because consumers are now being more open than ever. Savvy marketers will be able to glimpse into their target audience’s lives to create more relevant and tailored products and services.

Action steps for your business

Start paying attention to the stream so that you can be proactive rather than reactive. At the very least, create a Google Alert of your brand name plus the words ‘sucks’, ‘pissed off’ and other expletives. This will alert you when something bad is breaking so that you can attempt to defuse the situation quickly with a response. Better yet: sign up for Twitter and engage consumers in real time as they are talking.

Social Media Grows Up

The big buzzword for marketing in 2009 was social media. To date, marketers have mainly experimented with social media channels like Facebook and YouTube. For businesses who have yet to acknowledge social media, they will realise that their websites have become almost obsolete because consumers are talking about them elsewhere in their favourite social sites.

Have you heard of DiGi’s Pimp My Broadband campaign? You wouldn’t unless you were DiGi’s Facebook fan or following them on Twitter. This campaign takes place exclusively through social media channels to promote their new broadband product and is aimed at a niche audience of web savvy consumers. Instead of blasting advertising at a wide audience, DiGi uses the platform to get to know and engage with their audience on a more personal level. As a result, they’ve got tons of fans who generate positive word of mouth, like this video below that’s been watched almost 40,000 times. It’s a lot cheaper that TV and newspaper advertisements too.

[youtube width="480" height="385"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9BfWYbDksE[/youtube]

In 2010 we’ll begin to see more campaigns like Pimp My Broadband as marketers mature in their understanding of social media. Not only will more brands infiltrate our favourite social sites, but we will also witness the addition of social features to their websites like recommendations and perhaps even social commerce.

Action steps for your business

Make sure that your marketing department understands what social media is. Hint: it’s not just another channel to sell, sell, sell. Instead it’s a place where you get personal with your target audience. Choose 1-2 social sites to focus on and engage your audience through them but be aware that social technologies are not limited to social networking sites and can include tools for internal collaboration or customer research.

The Web Anywhere, Anytime

In 2009 the Malaysian broadband market heated up with new entrants “cutting” (potong) into the business of the incumbent TM. The ensuing competition wil drive prices down and cause an increase in the number of online consumers.

On top of that are a new generation of mobile devices geared towards entertainment rather than computing. At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, dozens of companies unveiled e-readers and slate computers that makes it easier to consume entertainment services and media on the go.

With the groundwork now in place, a revolution in the way we communicate and connect with each other will take place this year. For businesses, it will mean that getting the attention of consumers will become even more difficult as they turn away from TV and newspapers to streaming YouTube, rich multimedia websites and games that are available over the internet and on demand.

The Anytime, Anywhere Web will also be a boon to businesses as high connectivity will allow employees to work from any location nationwide as productively as if they’re in the office. Workers will have the ability to service customers better and faster, and report customer feedback and first-hand experience of market dynamics more quickly.

Action steps for your business

Ubiquitous internet access will only serve to accelerate the previous three trends. The challenge for marketers therefore, is huge. And it’s only going to get bigger so the best thing to do is to start now! Invest in a comprehensive web strategy that links your traditional campaigns, website and social media channels. Start experimenting with new ways of delivering your content like web videos, screencasts or even mobile apps.

Here’s wishing you success in 2010!

Photo credit – Bus Fly By by dreamedia on Flickr