The Marketing Strategies you'll need to do business in 2009

I have spent a lot of the last two months forecasting what I think are going to be the top 20 Marketing Trends for 2009, and also listing out the business strategies that you will need to pursue to survive, prosper, and WIN in 2009. If you'd like help with any of these items, have a look at the Market GoGo site, and don't hesitate to contact Market GoGo to get a qualified Marketing Strategy Consultant to help you.

1. Integrated Interactive Campaigns
   
• Allowing prospects to become customers (e.g. participate with us to get your instant coupon),
  
• Getting prospects and customers to sign-up for promotional emails (e.g. sign-up for an instant saving, and also for future savings ... the "flyers" of tomorrow), and
  
• Building an ongoing relationship with the brand (e.g. play with us and learn more about our products and services).
  


2. Bankruptcy (the penalty for not advertising)
   
• Advertise hard throughout this recession and be sure that the advertising you produce actually works
  


3. Direct Marketing will be in vogue
   
• Creating targeted and relevant campaigns that can be executed on multiple DM channels
  
• Tuning existing DM campaigns
  
• Ensuring your lists are opt-in and accurate
  
• Personalizing DM campaigns based on profile, preferences, and interactions
  
• Treat your email list like gold. Use it carefully. Don't abuse it.
  
• Focus on your existing customers. Mine your customer databases and create appropriate personalized direct offers
  
• Look at each DM media and look for new opportunities.
  


4. Focus on the green in your pocket ... not the green in your forests
   
• Focus on value in the short-term, and
  
• Build a credible and real environmental culture and brand for the long-term.


5. Simple Strategies ... Back to the Basics
   
• Branding - What is your brand promise? How does your company support it? (Does your company support it?)
  
• Retail Ads - To paraphrase David Ogilvy, a good ad is one that sells your product. 2009 is not the time for airy fairy branding ads. 2009 is the time for simple and honest ads that educate people about the value of your product and scream out at them to take action.
  
• Customer Retention - The cheapest customer to sell to is an existing customer. It is time to revisit and work your current customers to remind them that you are a low-risk and well-known value for them (of course, I'm expecting that you really are). Reselling, upselling, and cross-selling are all ways that you can make ends meet (and maybe even eke out a profit) in 2009.
  
• Customer Satisfaction - It is almost like hearing the same message twice. If you are going to revisit your current customers, then you better ensure that they are happy with your product or service, and make real steps to bolster your customer satisfaction.
  
• Real Return on Investment - Projects you undertake in 2009 better have real and demonstrable ROI (and they better have it fast).
  


6. Paid Search advertising will grow substantially again
   
• Do Paid Search Engine Marketing: Oh, and do it well. Track the ROI of keywords and be sure that you are making your money on every word that you are bidding on.
  
• Work your copy: A paid search ad is just a simple little bit of text. But, it may be the most powerful 12 to 15 words you ever write. Test, revise, test, revise, and don't stop. Make sure that every bit of copy you put out there on those search ads is on brand and works as well as it possibly can. Additionally, customize copy for each search term you have out there. You should have tens, hundreds, or even thousands of ads floating out there in the ether of the search world.
  
• Create Landing Pages: Every paid search bid should have its own purpose-made landing page with your call to action highlighted. No one should ever click on your paid search ad and end up at your home page (or worse, a 404 error).
  
• Do Organic Search Engine Optimization: SEO is "free" and having a high organic rank will pay off rapidly - even in places where you are also bidding on a relevant keyword. But, to be honest, SEO isn't free and it isn't a one-time project. SEO requires solid resourcing with people who have a good understanding of what they are doing. It is also a journey not a destination. So, you have to be prepared to continually revisit your SEO and tune your website.
  


7. Online commerce will continue to increase
   
• Know that more people will be hitting your site looking for deals,
  
• Make sure your best deals are present on your home page, and
  
• Ensure that throughout your check-out process you have GREAT and SIMPLE up-sell and cross-sell options.


8. Online Advertising will Continue to Grow
   
• Do review your traditional advertising spend VERY closely. What worked? What didn't? What is dubious? Slash and burn anything but that which worked. Figure out how you can build on those things that worked.
  
• Do online advertising. Look at how you can be creative with it. Also, look at how you can integrate with traditional advertising that is working. Similarly, look at how you can integrate it with Direct Marketing opportunities.
  
• Focus on your Cost Per Acquisition. Use analytics and look at all of your online advertising and its performance (including creative, message, placement, etc.). Use this information to tune your ads and your media buys in order to lower your CPA. To lower your media buys, look at options like bulk buys, advertising networks, or even changing the type or mix of ads you are running entirely (e.g. maybe increase your search spend, and reduce your banner ad spend).
  


9. RFP Responses will be critical
   
• Sharpen your pencil and fill up your printer with new toner and good quality printing stock
  
• Get to know the purchasing people in Government offices at all levels, and get on their RFP lists
  
• Search long and hard for RFPs that suit your business
  
• Fully understand each RFP and what problem it really seeks to solve
  
• Create a compelling RFP response that clearly shows the client you understand their problem, and clearly tells the story of how you will help them resolve that problem.


10. Uncertainty
    
• Adopt a long-term low-cost strategy.
  
• Get back to the basics on your Marketing strategy.
  
• Narrow your focus.
  


11. "Do It Yourself" and Free will be music to consumers' ears
    
• Look for opportunities where your customer can lower the cost of your product or service by doing some of the work themselves.
  
• Ensure that you make your product or service a "must have" item to do the work. (E.g. your product must be the essential item to make the outcome work),
  
• Advertise that the value-add is free, but ensure that the value of your product or service stands out on its own.


12. The demand to build bulletproof cases to gain project funding
    
• Spend a lot of time planning. In fact, set up cross-functional teams to help you do your planning,
  
• Get your teams trained in good planning methods, and
  
• Rely on standard and proven project management and financial models.


13. Online Interactive Marketing will grow
    
• Determine and Pursue your Social Media strategy: First off you have to recognize the value in engaging significantly and frequently with your prospects and customers, and then look at the opportunities you have to "monetize" your involvement. You need to develop a long-term social media strategy, plan, and related tactics. You also need to invest in getting good people and training them to do the job right. Tactics you may employ include:
  
• Publish your own blog - content you might publish includes your Executives views on your culture, your ad campaigns, your product, your people, stories from your customers, and your company's history.
  
• Participate in other blogs and reviews - use Techorati, Google, IceRocket, and others to track blogs and reviews where your company's name shows up, or where topics that are important to you show up. Create a "company blog spokespersa" (which could actually be several people, so long as they stick to the persona). Participate in blogs. For instance, if someone gives your product a good review then thank them for that. If someone gives your product a bad review then see what you can do to resolve the problem.
  
• Add Reviews to your Site - There are two companies out there who can help you get product reviews up on your site fast. They are Buzzillions and BazaarVoice. Either of these two companies can get you up and running fast.
  
• Produce some Online video: Publishing video couldn't be easier with the likes of YouTube and similar hosting sites available for FREE.
  
• Produce TV-like commercials specifically for the web: ... typically lower video quality, shorter, or longer, interactive with the customer
  
• Create Software as an Advertising Media: Build out Google Gadgets, desktop applications, or other similar software that will help your customers connect with you. There has to be real value in the software. But, if you build it, they will come. Plus, they will buy from you!
  
• Build your Opt-in Email List: Email marketing is likely the cheapest and most effective way to reach out to people who have already volunteered to be your customer. If you don't have an inhouse opt-in email list, start one. If you do have it, make sure that your emails are personalized and effective.
  


14. Traditional Print Media will continue to crater
    
• Look carefully at the price and performance of all media - this includes the dying print world, the new interactive world, and everything in between.
  
• Be sure that you have an exit plan for Traditional Print media. If you aren't doing interactive advertising, start now before it is too late for you to get the skills you will need to have to market well with new media.
  


15. TV will do "okay" this year
    
• Ensure your TV advertising is effective. While this may sound obvious ... actually go out and do some research to ensure that your ads have recall, and that the message in them is being understood.


16. REAL Engagement with your customer is critical
    
• Look at advertising opportunities on Social Media sites. There are several advertising agencies and advertising networks who can probably help you do this very effectively and cost-efficiently.
  
• Build a public company blog.
  
• Build secure internal focused blogs and forums to allow your employees to engage with the company and to allow you to learn more about the delivery and branding of your products.
  
• Read and respond to blogs and reviews about your products.
  
• Create a review site for your product on your site, and participate in it actively.
  
• Get access to reviews about your products from your retailers.
  
• Read public reviews about your competitors product and discern from that a certain amount of competitive analysis.
  
• Use testimonials from reviews in your ads.
  
• Create forums for your customers so that they can discuss your product.


17. Balancing that Budget - Looking for more bang for the buck
    
• Innovate. Don't do what you did last year in the misguided hopes that is could work in 2009. You have less money to play with. Figure out new and interesting ways to get your prospective customer or your existing customer to pay attention to you.
  
• Integrate your campaigns. If you are insistent on doing old media, make sure that you find great ways to integrate your campaigns across media. Also - integrate them tightly with an interactive new media element. For instance, the media should all simply include your website. Or, maybe it should direct people to sign-up for a contest on your site - which will also help you to create an opt-in email list.
  
• Look for opportunities to do Direct Marketing tastefully to your existing customers. Make sure you catch their attention, make sure you give them real value in your offer, and make sure you have a solid call-to-action.
  
• Consider (legal) Guerilla Advertising Stunts that will catch attention and give you loads of free and positive publicity.
  
• Try out lots of things on the Internet. If you don't know how, then engage an Advertising Agency or a Marketing Consultant to help you learn more about "how to" and then "what to".
  


18. Survival of the cheapest
    
• BE a Low-Cost company. If you are already a low-cost company, get reacquainted with the strategy basics. If you aren't a low-cost company and you haven't already memorized the list above, then I suggest you buy Michael Porter's book. You can't become Low-Cost overnight. It requires a fundamental change in business strategy and culture. If you are prepared to go this route, be prepared for a challenging yet ultimately rewarding journey.
  
• DISCOUNT your wares, and prepare to eat your margin. Why? Because your low-cost competitor is about to stick it to you!


19. Survival of the one who can help you be the cheapest
    
• Look for the value in your product or service. You probably are doing something today that will help other companies lower their costs. If you aren't then find out how you can change your offering to provide that. You must provide value that will help to lower your customers' costs.
  
• Advertise it! One of the other strategies for surviving - and indeed propsering - throught a recession is to Advertise. Once you find your value proposition that helps to lower your customers' costs, then make sure they know about it.


20. Growth Areas - Healthcare, Education, and Government
    
• Develop products and services that have health benefits.
  
• Develop products and services that have educational benefits.
  
• Figure out where to look for Government RFPs and watch for opportunities.

That's the list.

Summary of my 20 marketing trend predictions for 2009

Over the last several weeks I've hammered away at looking into Marketing trends and figuring out what I would consider to be the top 10 that will be important in 2009. I got way beyond and ended up with 20 Marketing trends that I think will be important. To summarize those trends:

1. Integrated Interactive Campaigns
2. Bankruptcy (the penalty for not advertising)
3. Direct Marketing will be in vogue
4. Focus on the green in your pocket ... not the green in your forests
5. Simple Strategies ... Back to the Basics
6. Paid Search advertising will grow substantially again
   
7. Online commerce will continue to increase
8. Online Advertising will Continue to Grow
9. RFP Responses will be critical
10. Uncertainty
11. "Do It Yourself" and Free will be music to consumers' ears
12. The demand to build bulletproof cases to gain project funding
13. Online Interactive Marketing will grow
14. Traditional Print Media will continue to crater
15. TV will do "okay" this year
16. REAL Engagement with your customer is critical
17. Balancing that Budget - Looking for more bang for the buck
18. Survival of the cheapest
19. Survival of the one who can help you be the cheapest
20. Growth Areas - Healthcare, Education, and Government
    

Tomorrow I'll summarize the key strategies that I think Marketers should pursue in light of these trends.

Trends for 2009: #21. Things that will be a flop (again).

Rejoice, rejoice! This is the last Marketing Trend I see for 2009. To that end, it isn't really even a trend. It is actually a "counter-trend." Anyhow ... on with it.

Here are a couple of things that I think won't reach maturity (again) this year. There is a load of hype around these items, but not a lot of knowledge, practice, or user saturation. At least not enough to make them really usable or useful.

• Analytics: Here's something very important. But, it isn't useful because companies have to invest a lot of effort into setting up, performing, and analyzing numbers in order to begin to understand what the analytics are showing them. Then (yes only then) can they take action on them. By the time you kick off a project to do anything with the analytics, it will be 2010 or 2011, your IT department will have other things going on, you probably won't be in your role anymore, and your replacement will be looking for their own cool project. So, while analyics is very important, there are few organizations that have the fortitude to really do analytics, and very few good people in place to actually build and understand analytics.
• Mobile Marketing: If you've been listening to people in the mobile industry then you may be under the perception that Mobile Marketing is going to rocket next year. Don't fall for it. It won't. Advertisers are still largely ignorant of Search Engine Marketing (which, ironically, is likely the easiest advertising and most effective media going). How are they ever going to figure out Mobile! Besides, mobile browsing is so expensive in North America that consumers don't want to download or click on ads. Mobile Marketing will continue its slow uphill march to effectiveness. So - if you are in advertising ... don't look to mobile advertising as a white knight.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

NOTE: Sometime in the coming week I'm going to summarize all of the Marketing Trends I see for 2009, and also summarize all of the strategies. I haven't got that all pulled together yet, and it is going to be interesting to see what it all looks like.

Trends for 2009: #20. Growth Areas - You can't do without them!

There are some parts of our economy that will continue to grow - regardless of the economic blahs we're faced with in 2009. In fact, they might grow in spite of the blahs, or even because of them.

People don't have a choice in consuming some of these things, and these are also things that Governments will throw money into in 2009 to help prop up the sagging economy. Those things are:

• Health Care. This is a really broad market. People want to get & stay healthy - so there is a lot of opportunity in things that will help them achieve that, ranging from running shoes to the Wii Fit. People also end up in Hospitals. So - anything serving this market will do well.
  
• Education. When the economy fades people need to reinvent themselves. Enrollment at MBA schools is a good economic indicator in that sense. So - anything that provides educational services will probably do will.
  
• Government. Governments spend their way out of economic downturns. So - responding to Government RFPs is a great hobby during a recession.

What is a Marketer to do in 2009? Strategies to follow include:

• Develop products and services that have health benefits.
• Develop products and services that have educational benefits.
• Figure out where to look for Government RFPs and watch for opportunities.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #19. Survival of the one who can help you be the cheapest

Yesterday I blogged about the business strategy that will be in vogue in 2009 - the Low Cost Strategy. Actually, I think that being the low cost player is always the right one to bet on, and it should be in vogue regardless of the times.

Today, I'll finish off that posting. The other type of business that can prosper in 2009 is the one that can help another business become the low cost player. These types of "B2B" businesses include:

• IT Service providers - Companies who can truly deliver systems that will truly lower your business costs. I'm not talking about the jerks who delivered the Y2K "testing", the SOx compliance crap (yah - like that helped), or the "CRM" line. No - I'm talking about really great consultants who can help you analyze your company and deliver systems that really take costs out of your business in a sustainable way. I'm also talking about technology services that will change the way you do business and eliminated costs you face today. For instance, take a look at companies who provide Virtual Meeting technology.
  
• Outsourcers - Companies whose core business is doing something that isn't a core part of another's business stand a chance at helping that other business lower their cost. For instance, a company that provides outsourced call center services can pool resources, train resources, and put fancy systems in place that increase their productivity, reduce their costs, and increase customer satisfaction. Outsourcing - done right - can actually help a company to improve its brand while it reduces its costs.
  
• Discount retailers - Companies that can provide basic inputs to a business - like furniture, paper, and computers - at a lower cost than others.

What is a B2B Marketer to do in 2009? Strategies to follow include:

• Look for the value in your product or service. You probably are doing something today that will help other companies lower their costs. If you aren't then find out how you can change your offering to provide that. You must provide value that will help to lower your customers' costs.
• Advertise it! One of the other strategies for surviving - and indeed propsering - throught a recession is to Advertise. Once you find your value proposition that helps to lower your customers' costs, then make sure they know about it.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #18. Survival of the fittest (i.e. cheapest)

Over the last 10-20 years it has been relatively easy to get into business and stay in business. In general the North American economies have been running in overdrive. To be profitable almost all you had to do was actually produce something of reasonable quality at a reasonable cost.

In 2009 that isn't enough. The two types of companies that will prosper in 2009 are:

1. Those who have low-cost in their cultural DNA. You are already thinking "Wal-Mart", "Costco", "Ryanair", "Southwest Airlines", and perhaps some Indian call centers or IT development shops. AND,
   
2. Companies who can provide innovative ways to deliver greater productivity to other businesses.
   

Today, I'm blogging about the LOW COST STRATEGY.
If you look back at the classic definition of a low-cost strategy by Michael Porter, you look at business tactics like:

• Opportunity to capture considerable market share
  
• Natural advantage or preferential access to inputs
• Process engineering skills - which grind every wasted nickel out of product design, manufacturing, and distribution
  
• "Standard" products with relatively little differentiation that are easy to manufacature
• And also that are perfectly acceptable to the majority of customers
• Technology that will reduce costs
• Sustained access to inexpensive capital
• Close supervision of labour
• Tight cost control
• Incentives based on quantitative targets.
  
• Efficient distribution channels.
  

It is very important to note that Low-Cost does not necessarily equal Low-Price or Low-Quality. Low-Cost only means that a low-cost provider can produce the same product as another supplier at a lower cost. They can still sell it at the same cost and therefore make a bigger margin, or they can get into a price war, sell above their cost while their competitors are forced to sell at a loss, and consequently come out the winner.

What is a Marketer to do in 2009? Strategies to follow include:

• BE a Low-Cost company. If you are already a low-cost company, get reacquainted with the strategy basics. If you aren't a low-cost company and you haven't already memorized the list above, then I suggest you buy Michael Porter's book. You can't become Low-Cost overnight. It requires a fundamental change in business strategy and culture. If you are prepared to go this route, be prepared for a challenging yet ultimately rewarding journey.
• DISCOUNT your wares, and prepare to eat your margin. Why? Because your low-cost competitor is about to stick it to you!
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #17. Balancing that Budget - Looking for more bang for the buck

Here it is early February, and I'm still harping on the "top 10 marketing trends for 2009". In fact, I'm up to #17 today. If I keep this up it will December, I'll be around trend #180. AND, I'll be dead on. I promise. I'm nearing the end of my "Trends". There are only about four more to go.

Today's marketing trend has probably already hit home hard for most Marketing departments. Interestingly, back in 2008 I blogged that most Marketers didn't expect their budget to change substantially in 2009. That was based on a number of surveys and reports from respected organizations. Ha-Ha. Was that ever wrong.

At the time the studies showed that 30% of marketers expected their budgets to increase, 45% expected them to stay flat, and 25% expected their budget to drop. I bet by now it is more like 25% hope their budget will stay flat, while the other 75% are facing the actual drop and claw-back from their friends in Finance.

In 2009 successful Marketers will need to become really creative to balance their advertising budgets and achieve results. This will mean the need to become innovative and take some risks. Where is the best place to do that?

• TV? Too fragmented and too expensive.
• Newspaper? Dying media.
  
• Out-of-home? Hmmm - only if you can cut through the clutter with something creative
• Digital video boards? Maybe. These are relatively new and definitely draw in eyeballs.
• Radio? Maybe. If your product or service suits it and you can cut through the noise.
• Direct Marketing? Yes - but do it tastefully, and only do it to your existing customers. Don't go out prospecting. Remember, you must offer value to your existing customers, and there must be a clear call to action.
  
• Stunts? Could be a great way to really innovate in 2009. But, be sure to be original and not come across as a terrorist threat!
• THE INTERNET? OH YAH! There are lots of opportunities to be successful with online advertising. Done well, virtually any type of online advertising will work. Be sure you know what you are attempting to achieve, how you are going to do, and then be sure you do it right technically. Everything from the beaten down banner ad, to simple Google text ads, to a video contest on YouTube can work wonders. Plus, it can be very cost effective and it can be measured.

What is a Marketer to do in 2009? Strategies to follow include:

• Innovate. Don't do what you did last year in the misguided hopes that is could work in 2009. You have less money to play with. Figure out new and interesting ways to get your prospective customer or your existing customer to pay attention to you.
• Integrate your campaigns. If you are insistent on doing old media, make sure that you find great ways to integrate your campaigns across media. Also - integrate them tightly with an interactive new media element. For instance, the media should all simply include your website. Or, maybe it should direct people to sign-up for a contest on your site - which will also help you to create an opt-in email list.
  
• Look for opportunities to do Direct Marketing tastefully to your existing customers. Make sure you catch their attention, make sure you give them real value in your offer, and make sure you have a solid call-to-action.
• Consider (legal) Guerilla Advertising Stunts that will catch attention and give you loads of free and positive publicity.
  
• Try out lots of things on the Internet. If you don't know how, then engage an Advertising Agency or a Marketing Consultant to help you learn more about "how to" and then "what to". (Enough said.)
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #16: REAL Engagement: Marketing is something you must do with your customer

In the "old days" (okay, this probably refers to last year for 98% of companies, and little more than 2 to 3 years ago for the remainder) - marketing was something you did to your customers. Maybe you figured out who you were going to sell to and what they needed. You built your product and maybe you tested it on some of them. Then you figured out your pricing and put together fancy TV, print, and radio ads, and you went to battle. You advertised the snot out of your product and hoped that prospects would have a look at your product and become actual customers.

Welcome to 2009.

• No doubt by now you've heard of Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, and several other networks (albeit, last year I sat at a table with a VP of Sales for an Airline who said: "Facebook, what the f*** is Facebook").
  
• You may have researched a product online and read a review about it, and that may have given you the confidence to actually buy it. If you've planned a trip in the last 3 years you've most likely checked out your destination and hotel in TripAdvisor.com.
  
• If you own an Apple product or a Dell product and you needed product support, you may have hit their forums and found support in droves - not from the companies themselves, but from their advocates (i.e. other customers like you who participate in the forums and are only too happy to help you get the best use out of your computer).
  
• Maybe you've been in Starbucks lately and have used one of their new and nifty little green stir sticks. Where did those come from? From "MyStarbucksIdea.com". That's their social site where Starbucks customers can go online and give Starbucks their best ideas.

The message is clear. Customers don't want to be marketed to anymore. In fact, they won't be marketed to anymore. Customers demand that you engage with them. I mean really engage with them. No wimpy newspaper ads. Get out there on the internet where your customers are and where they are talking about you!

• Build a blog that your President and Executives write on regularly with real comments and stories (a great opportunity for brand building).
• Read and respond to blogs and reviews about your products. Do it like you mean it. If someone complains, dig into their complaint and resolve it.
• Create a review site for your product and make sure people can find it on your site. Participate in those reviews actively. Get your product managers, product designers and even your operations personnel to respond to reviews. Thank people for good feedback. Thank them for suggestions. Take those suggestions to heart and change your product to suit your customers better.
  
• If your product is represented on other sites retail with reviews, get access to those reviews from your retailers and dig into them. Participate in each retailer's forum if they will let you, or feed them answers to help them participate. Use the gold nuggets you get from your channels.
  
• Use your reviews in your ads. Get permission from reviewers to use their comments in your advertising. There is nothing like a great testimonial to help move a prospective customer into being a paying customer.
• Create forums for your customers so that they can discuss your product. You are likely to learn more from this "live focus group" of real customers who are really using your product than you will in thousands of test cycles. Again, be sure to participate and fully engage in the conversations as open and honestly as possible.
  

So, what's a Marketer to do with Social Marketing in 2009? Strategies to take on include those listed above plus a couple of extras:

• Look at advertising opportunities on Social Media sites. There are several advertising agencies and advertising networks who can probably help you do this very effectively and cost-efficiently.
  
• Build a public company blog.
• Build secure internal focused blogs and forums to allow your employees to engage with the company and to allow you to learn more about the delivery and branding of your products.
  
• Read and respond to blogs and reviews about your products.
  
• Create a review site for your product on your site, and participate in it actively.
  
• Get access to reviews about your products from your retailers.
  
• Read public reviews about your competitors product and discern from that a certain amount of competitive analysis.
  
• Use testimonials from reviews in your ads.
  
• Create forums for your customers so that they can discuss your product.
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #15. TV will do "okay" this year.

Doing "okay" is like someone saying you are "nice". It doesn't really stand out.

As reported in the Guardian, a Deloitte study suggests that the Recession could be "good news" for TV. Why? Well, in a recession people tend to stay home more and consequently watch TV.

UK television viewing hours were already rising in the second half of 2008 and are expected to rise another 30 minutes per week per viewer in 2009, according to the report from the technology, media and telecommunications practice at Deloitte.

Mind you, to counter that point, with the forecast massive reduction in advertising budgets TV advertising revenues will get hammered. eMarketer says that most researchers predicting a 5% or greater decline in spending.

On top of that, with the fragmentation of TV audiences away from the big networks, the supply of options has gone way up, and the demand for advertising time on the big networks has come way down. The result? Their advertising revenues will probably suffer more than most. Consequently they are looking at options to cut their costs - such as shutting stations.

What's a Marketer to do in 2009? This set of answers will sound remarkably similar to yesterday's!

• Look carefully at the price and performance of all media - this includes the dying print world, the new interactive world, and everything in between. You never know ... you might find that for your particular product or service a newspaper ad still outperforms an interactive campaign. But, more than likely, that just means that you aren't yet doing the right things with your interactive campaign.
  
• Ensure your TV advertising is effective. While this may sound obvious ... actually go out and do some research to ensure that your ads have recall, and that the message in them is being understood.
  
• Produce TV-like commercials specifically for the web (you will also find this one in my Trend about Interactive Advertising): In the "old days" you might have produced a TV commercial and then posted it to the web. That won't do any longer. Now it is important to shoot TV commercials specifically for the web. How are they different? First off they are typically lower video quality. They also might be shorter. In TV-land, the viewer must sit in front of your ad for 30 seconds. On the web, they will leave you more quickly. On the other hand ... your ad may be several minutes long. On the web you can produce an "advertising epic" - so long as it is truly captivating. People will gladly watch your entertainment, and maybe even forward it off to friends, and you won't have to shell out for a bunch of TV air time. A big way to make your online ads different is to allow a viewer to interact with the commercial. Perhaps the viewer should be able to select characters in the ad, then choose various changes to your plot line.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #14. Traditional Print Media will continue to crater

I'm certainly not the first to forecast that newspaper and magazines are in rapid decline. According to eMarketer. The newspaper business model is broken and advertisers are bailing,

eMarketer forecasts that newspaper ad revenue will decline 16.4% in 2008, and dramtically further by 2012. On top of that circulation for newspapers continues to deteriorate as people hit the internet in greater numbers than ever before to get news, opinions, classifieds, and entertainment that are both timelier and free. Even worse for Traditional Print media - the high costs of production and distribution is not coming down.

I used to love the newspaper. Was there nothing better on a Saturday morning then to sip a hot coffee and thumb through the pages of the paper? Now there is. I brew my morning latte, and hop online for 20 minutes. I haven't had a subscription for years. In fact, this week I actually picked up a paper that someone else had left on a table in a Starbucks. That's the first one I've touched in months. The ironic thing is that I was attracted by a headline the trumpeted "TV Networks Closing Stations" (that will be a trend for another day).

Another piece of evidence came out this week when Google canceled it's print ad program. Google started the program in 2006, and by 2009 had 800 US newspapers participating in it. Reading between the lines, even Google couldn't make a buck in the dying print world.

So, what's a Marketer to do in 2009?

• Look carefully at the price and performance of all media - this includes the dying print world, the new interactive world, and everything in between. You never know ... you might find that for your particular product or service a newspaper ad still outperforms an interactive campaign. But, more than likely, that just means that you aren't yet doing the right things with your interactive campaign.
  
• Be sure that you have an exit plan for Traditional Print media. There are lots of newspapers going bankrupt and magazines that are shutting down. If you aren't doing interactive advertising, start now before it is too late for you to get the skills you will need to have to market well with new media.
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #12. The demand to build bulletproof cases to gain project funding

As economic times tighten the Accountants tend to rule the roost. It is a catch-22 in a sense, as I have already talked about previously in some of my other "trends for 2009" and random blog posts. The essence of a low-cost business strategy will help lead to long-term overall success. However, this also makes doing business challenging at times.

To succeed with starting a project in 2009, you are going to have to get it past your bean counters. This means that:

1. You will need to be VERY confident in the business benefits, and will need a good model to show how you will achieve those. To that end, you will may also need to point to 3rd party experts who can back you up on the likelihood of achieving the benefits.
   
2. You will need to have solid cost models, including IT, marketing, etc., etc., etc.. The departments that will have to spend to support your project will need to agree to the estimates you put forward, and indeed may have to sign-off on them for the CEO.
3. You will need to ensure that you build in future flexibility. With uncertainty comes the need to be flexible through the downturn, the eventual upturn, and every crazy thing in between.
   
4. You will need to have plans for substantial risk mitigation. In easier times, risks like project budget overruns or late delivery were all right given the speed that the economy was moving. That won't be acceptable in the foreseeable future.
   

What's a marketer to do in 2009?

• Spend a lot of time planning. In fact, set up cross-functional teams to help you do your planning,
• Get your teams trained in good planning methods, and
  
• Rely on standard and proven project management and financial models.

At the same time (and seemingly counter-intuitively), don't be afraid of being a Disruptor. Make your case and go for it. History has shown that being conservative in a recession isn't necessarily a good strategy. Grab an innovation and pursue it.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

How big is the web?

Want to expand your worldwide marketing reach? You better be marketing on the web!

comScore has just announced that the Global Internet Audience has just surpassed 1 billion Visitors. ONE BILLION. That's a big number.

That number includes people 15 and over who accessed the internet from home or work in December 2008.

1 billion definitely is a big number. But a bigger number is the world's population at 6.756 billion people. Many of the 5.756 billion people who don't currently have access to the internet are in developing countries, and don't have access to fancy computers or high-speed connections. However, watch for many more people to come online in 2009 as the internet continues its trek into hand-held devices with wireless access (including cell-phones, PDAs, and the new cheap netbooks.

If I were to bet an advertising dollar on where to place ads, I'd look at the most popular web properties, which include:

• Google Sites, visited by 77% of the total internet audience
  
• Microsoft Sites, 64%
• Yahoo! Sites, 56%

Additionally, I'd look to some of the top entities that support online advertising. Among those, I've worked with that I've had very good results from:

• Google (duh ... almost everyone should have this as their #1)
  
• ValueClick Networks
• Tribal Fusion
• 24/7 Real Media (which I believe recently changed some of its services over to the Outrider brand)
  
• Casale Media (my experience is that these are great people to work with!)
  
• Burst Media

Want some help planning or tuning your own Online Marketing for those 1 billion surfers who you are hoping find you? Contact Market GoGo now to get started.

Trends for 2009: #11. "Do It Yourself" and Free will be music to consumers' ears

I know that I said this was my "Top 10 Marketing Trends for 2009" ... but there is just so much to think about, I've got a few more trends that need to be covered. So this is now the "Top 10 + a few Marketing Trends for 2009."

Along with "Value" as a word that consumers will gravitate to in 2009, two other important phrases that consumers will glom onto are:

• Do It Yourself (or DIY), and
  
• Free
  

Through an economic trough people tend to stay close to home (witness the "staycation" concept that started in 2008). People will still spend, but they will look for ways to save. If they can do things themselves and save some money, they will do it. If they can get something of value for free, they will want it. What sorts of things:

• Cooking at home vs. Eating out,
• Movie and popcorn at home vs. Going to the movie,
• Fixing up the bathroom yourself vs. Renovating your bathroom,
• Free online guides vs. Buying a "How To" book,
• Etc.
  

But, a word of caution ... Whatever you do, don't make "Free" a main strength of your service or product. If the only selling price you can demand for your product is "free", then the demand must be pretty low. Make sure that your product has great value, and people will pay for it. The things you give out for free should be "value adds", not your core product or service.

So, what's a Marketer to do in 2009?

• Look for opportunities to give away for free value-added complementary products and services that will entice consumers to buy from you,
• Look for places where you can have your customer lower the cost of your product or service by doing some of the work themselves. Ensure that you make your product or service a "must have" item to do the work. (E.g. your product must be the essential item to make the outcome work),
  
• Advertise that the value-add is free, but ensure that the value of your product or service stands out on its own.
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #10. Uncertainty

That's a shocker! The only thing we can be certain of in 2009 is uncertainty itself.

There are lots of predictions about when the economy will make a comeback. I even heard an economist on a radio interview this morning say that "Tax cuts will only allow people to put money into savings in preparation for the coming recession." So, was this guy not sure if we are in a recession yet? Predictions seem to range from Q3 2009 to 3-5 years from now to get the economy back into a growth mode.

Regardless, my guess is that energy prices will rebound hard and fast as soon as the economy demonstrates any desire at all to making a comeback. That could beat the economy back down all on its own. The energy companies have all pulled back hard on their projects (i.e. drilling). But, there is a limited supply of oil and gas. So, when the economy rallies, and manufacturers run out out to rev up their factories, and plastic machines, and consumers start to buy cars again, the demand for oil will go rocketing up world-wide. Yet, we won't have the supply. Ergo, we'll zip back to $1.50 / liter gas and the economy will fall over again.

What's a marketer to do? Admittedly, this kind of rings like many of the other recommendations I've made already:

• Adopt a long-term low-cost strategy.
• Get back to the basics on your Marketing strategy.
  
• Narrow your focus.

... and finally (as a bonus almost) - Compartmentalize and control what you can. Compartmentalize is a concept I picked up at a Dale Carnegie course. Quite simply, it means worry about and take actions on those things that you can. For instance, you can't control if the economy sucks, and your boss nukes your advertising budget. You can control how you respond and the actions you can take like:

1. Ensure you have a great marketing vision and strategy that is compelling,
2. Build a solid advertising strategy and effective budget by reallocating spend,
   
3. Attempt to sell your boss on why your budget should be restored,
4. Make other plans to advertise more efficiently and effectively through new media,
5. Etc. (i.e. the "Get back to the basics" type of stuff).
   

Trends for 2009: #9. RFP Responses will be critical

There's a lot of Government money lining up to be spent in 2009. The buzz word for the year may well be "Infrastructure". If you are in a position to deliver products or services through some of these programs, then you will probably need to craft great RFP responses to get noticed to help do the work.

Of course, RFP Responses only impacts a small sub-set of the Marketing World - that is, Marketing and Sales folks who work in the B2B (or the B2G) space.

What's a B2B / B2G Marketer to do in 2009?

• Sharpen your pencil and fill up your printer with new toner and good quality printing stock
• Get to know the purchasing people in Government offices at all levels, and get on their RFP lists
  
• Search long and hard for RFPs that suit your business
• Fully understand each RFP and what problem it really seeks to solve
• Create a compelling RFP response that clearly shows the client you understand their problem, and clearly tells the story of how you will help them resolve that problem.
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #8. Online Advertising will Continue to Grow

As Marketers (perhaps like you) struggle with a tightened budget and getting the best bang for your buck, it will be time for Advertisers to look more closely at the multitude of advertising media that is part of Online Advertising. Consequently, online advertising will grow in 2009. In contrast, almost all other media will shrink dramatically.

During the Great Depression, the "new media" of radio took off. In fact, in every recession since then Radio advertising has fared very well. Expect similar this time around - except in Radio's place, you will see innovations and growth in online advertising.

Now, that said, if you are a Publisher or an Advertising Network it isn't time to start counting your coins yet. While online advertising will grow in 2009, budgets will still be tight, and it may not even grow as much as it did in 2008. Relative to other advertising media however, it will be glowing. Why? Well, the equation might look something like this for an Advertiser:

This Year's advertising budget = Last Year's Budget / 2.
Where do I put that little bit of money?

• Print 2009 = Print 2008 x 1/3
  
• TV 2009 = TV 2008 x 1/2
• Radio 2009 = Radio 2008 x 3/4
  
• Out of Home 2009 = Out of Home 2008 x 2/3
• Online 2009 = Online 2008 x 1.1

Okay ... the math may not make sense, and those numbers are all just a WAG, but the concept stands. Budgets will get cut, and the increase in online spending is going to come at the expense of other media.

What online advertising is going to grow? All of it. Paid search (probably more than the rest), Banner Ads, Video, Online Games and Contests, etc., etc., etc.. Some people are forecasting that this will lead to an overall increase in Cost Per Acquisition (CPA). Maybe, but maybe not. The content and opportunities on the internet are almost limitless, but there are only a small handfull of really popular sites. The CPM (thousand impressions) or CPC (click) will increase on those sites. But as an Advertiser, if you focus on conversions and use an outlet like an Advertising Network that leverages the power of the long-tail, then you may actually come out with a low and stable CPA.

What's a Marketer to do in 2009?

• Do review your traditional advertising spend VERY closely. What worked? What didn't? What is dubious? Slash and burn anything but that which worked. Figure out how you can build on those things that worked.
  
• Do online advertising. Look at how you can be creative with it. Also, look at how you can integrate with traditional advertising that is working. Similarly, look at how you can integrate it with Direct Marketing opportunities.
• Focus on your Cost Per Acquisition. Use analytics and look at all of your online advertising and its performance (including creative, message, placement, etc.). Use this information to tune your ads and your media buys in order to lower your CPA. To lower your media buys, look at options like bulk buys, advertising networks, or even changing the type or mix of ads you are running entirely (e.g. maybe increase your search spend, and reduce your banner ad spend).
  

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #7. Online commerce will continue to increase (shocking ... I know)

Online commerce will grow as a net number of transactions, but maybe not dramatically in total dollars sales. The three reasons this will happen are:

1. Online traffic will increase organically. More and more people continue to get connected to the web world, even when cash is tight.
2. Online shopping will increase as people look for bargains in this down economy. More and more people will look to the internet as the place where they can find deals.
   
3. So, while the gross number of online sales will increase, the average purchase price will be lower and consequently the actual dollar value of all those sales may not be much higher than it has been in the past.

What's a Marketer to do?

• Know that more people will be hitting your site looking for deals,
• Make sure your best deals are present on your home page, and
  
• Ensure that throughout your check-out process you have GREAT and SIMPLE up-sell and cross-sell options.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #6. Paid Search advertising (i.e. Google's revenue) will grow substantially again (i.e. Time to invest in Google?)

Web traffic will continue to climb. Web shoppers will increase in numbers. Web surfers will continue to start their purchase process on a search engine. The search engine of choice will continue to be Google, and in fact their share of the search market will grow dramatically.

Simultaneously ... Marketing budgets will drop. Marketing departments will be under more pressure then ever to draw prospective customers in.

So, what is a Marketer to do? In 2009 Marketers will spend more time than ever before focusing on Search Marketing - both paid and organic. Paid search advertising however is the easiest and quickest way to make things work.

It is likely that paid search advertising costs will actually increase substantially in 2009, as more Marketers bid on common phrases. Nonetheless, a good search strategy is still going to be substantially cheaper, much more effective, and infinitely more measurable than any signficant newspaper ad.

Search Marketing strategies to focus on in 2009:

• Do Paid Search Engine Marketing: Oh, and do it well. Track the ROI of keywords and be sure that you are making your money on every word that you are bidding on.
• Work your copy: A paid search ad is just a simple little bit of text. But, it may be the most powerful 12 to 15 words you ever write. Test, revise, test, revise, and don't stop. Make sure that every bit of copy you put out there on those search ads is on brand and works as well as it possibly can. Additionally, customize copy for each search term you have out there. You should have tens, hundreds, or even thousands of ads floating out there in the ether of the search world.
  
• Create Landing Pages: Every paid search bid should have its own purpose-made landing page with your call to action highlighted. No one should ever click on your paid search ad and end up at your home page (or worse, a 404 error).
• Do Organic Search Engine Optimization: SEO is "free" and having a high organic rank will pay off rapidly - even in places where you are also bidding on a relevant keyword. But, to be honest, SEO isn't free and it isn't a one-time project. SEO requires solid resourcing with people who have a good understanding of what they are doing. It is also a journey not a destination. So, you have to be prepared to continually revisit your SEO and tune your website.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #5. Simple Strategies ... Back to the Basics

When times were good things were easy. It was easy to get a new customer. Consequently, it was easy to ignore a customer, since there was always at least one (and likely many more) new customers waiting to take their place.

2009 brings an entirely different playing field. As an example, I heard an interview on the radio in late 2008 of a couple of Realtors. It appears that they are actually having to learn how to market and sell again. In their "good old days" all they needed was a listing and potential buyers would flock to the property to participate in a bidding war. Those glory days are long gone.

What are the basic strategies to focus on in 2009?

• Branding - What is your brand promise? How does your company support it? (Does your company support it?)
• Retail Ads - To paraphrase David Ogilvy, a good ad is one that sells your product. 2009 is not the time for airy fairy branding ads. 2009 is the time for simple and honest ads that educate people about the value of your product and scream out at them to take action.
• Customer Retention - The cheapest customer to sell to is an existing customer. It is time to revisit and work your current customers to remind them that you are a low-risk and well-known value for them (of course, I'm expecting that you really are). Reselling, upselling, and cross-selling are all ways that you can make ends meet (and maybe even eke out a profit) in 2009.
• Customer Satisfaction - It is almost like hearing the same message twice. If you are going to revisit your current customers, then you better ensure that they are happy with your product or service, and make real steps to bolster your customer satisfaction.
• Real Return on Investment - Projects you undertake in 2009 better have real and demonstrable ROI (and they better have it fast). The Accountants will be watching every project nickle like hawks (except, of course, their own International GAAP projects which will likely be "non-discretionary", unlike keeping their company in business which is, of course, discretionary ... ooops, did I write that out loud).

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.

Trends for 2009: #4. Focus on the green in your pocket ... not the green in your forests.

Environmental issues had a good run from about the time of Al Gore's 2006 smash hit An Inconvenient Truth to late 2008. As the economy was driving hard and people thought they had money to burn (pun intended), they were happy to believe they would pay more for environmentally sound consumerism. Look at the success of premium priced economy vehicles like the Prius. Leading up to late 2008 everyone has been trying to figure out ways to "green" their product.

Remember the oil crisis in the 70s? Everyone dumped their big cars and headed for "fuel misers". Everyone started to look at solar electricity and tide-generated electricity. I heard of someone selling a brand new Pontiac Parisienne for $500 (I remember telling my Grade 6 teacher this (he owned one himself)). Well, what happened? Our "environmental memories" are short. As soon as the fuel prices dropped, North Americans ran back to car dealerships and Detroit started making some of the biggest gas guzzlers to ever hit the road (i.e. SUVs like the Hummer, the Lincoln Navigator, and the Dodge Charger).

There is already evidence to support this will happen. Yahoo! reports that in December sales of the Prius hybrid dropped 45 percent as gas prices fell from their record highs in July. Meanwhile, MSN-BC reports that shrinking gas prices and attractive deals are causing a return by vehicle buyers to big vehicles like SUVs and full-size pick-up trucks.

Goodbye environment. Hello living as cheaply as I can.

But - beware - fuel prices will make a come-back. That is inevitable as there ultimately is a world-wide limited supply of oil. Also as Oil companies search out the harder to get oil (e.g. more of the Tar Sands in Northern Alberta) the cost of getting that oil, and refining it, will be dramatically higher. On top of that, the polar ice caps are still melting and the world is constantly becoming a more toxic place in which to live. So, what goes around comes around. Eventually the environment will be important again, but maybe not for a couple more years.

So, as a good Marketer in 2009, some things to do are:

• Focus on value in the short-term, and
  
• Build a credible and real environmental culture and brand for the long-term.

Will I be right? The year will tell!

• Follow this blog and watch for the next marketing trends I'm forecasting for 2009.
• Feel free to contact Market GoGo to discuss this further.