Three obligatory and quick marketing predictions for 2011

As a blogger, I feel like I have no choice but to write a predictions post for 2011.  Or at least what I hope will happen in 2011! So here are three things I see sitting right here, waiting to happen.

1) Data integration reaches a tipping point:  whether it's the combination of internal and external behavioral data, social media and primary research data, or even just sales and marketing data, it is time for departments to break down the walls and share what they know and work together to make smart decisions based on that data.

2) Real time will become more real. As with the DVR and the touch screen before it, much of the talk about real time data access was years ahead of the reality.  Pushed in part by the real time nature of social media and it's explosion, but also by the true integration between marketing, sales, and support systems, real time is becoming a reality at more and more companies.  And your internal and external customers are beginning to expect more in terms if timeliness and access.  Act accordingly and make sure you can deliver!

3) Social media reaches it's toddler stage.  While there are certainly lots of people who have gotten a strong sense of what works and does not work for their brands in social media, companies of all sizes will continue to get smarter. With more case studies documented, a growing number of people will start from an informed place and evolve their strategies to support their business goals instead of acting with the goal of building a large (and often irrelevant) following.

 
A warning to my readers, the subject of this blog has shifted a bit towards marketing and social media and away from market research.  I'll still touch on research but in a less direct way.  I hope you will still come along!

Comments

Clara Kuo said…
Your blog is a lot like what I want to blog about! Thanks.
March 15, 2011 at 6:49 PM
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