In 2009 we saw augmented and location based apps, Microsoft and Google announced that they would be displaying Twitter results next to select search results and Social Media Experts claim as much ground as they could. Twitter itself blew up with help from celebrities such as Oprah and Ashton Kutcher. Consequently, because of Facebook and Twitter’s explosive growth we have Fortune 500 companies starting to use these social media tools to reach out to customers. While we were introduced to a lot of new tools and features this year I believe 2010 will be the year we see a lot of them go to good use. So without further ado here are my predictions for 2010:

1. Augmented Reality Will Become Massively Adopted (as a Marketing Tool) Now I say as a marketing tool because I don’t believe 2010 will be the year that Augmented Reality will be picked up by the masses. It’s still a niche product but I believe when marketers see some of the cool things they can do with Augmented Reality they will come up with viral ads. Virality will setup mass adoption in 2011.
2. Location Based Apps Will Become The Next Goldmine. While Gowalla and Four Square battle it out I believe both consumers and local businesses will benefit from this next wave of apps. Foursquare has already started to test promotions at a few select bars and I’m sure we’ll see Gowalla follow suit. After talking with friends and family I know that there is an interest in having an app that prompts you with a coupon or other promotion ticket when you enter favorite coffee shop or bar.
3. Social Media Spending Will Increase. While very few companies have been able to attribute ROI to Social Media we’ll still see advertisers increase Social Media spending.
4. Search Engine Optimization Will Become More Democratic. In 2009 Google and Microsoft struck a deal with Twitter to relay tweets next to search results. Google also introduced their own URL shortener this year. I think both of these have big implications for SEO. We’ll likely see both Tweets and shortened URL’s be another factor in how the search engines rank pages.
5. Video Will See a Surge. Every since Cisco acquired Flip the digital camera maker has seen significant growth. These cheap HD cameras allow anyone to tape video and quickly upload their amateur videos to YouTube. We’ve already seen Realtors and Vacation goers post videos promoting anything from suburban homes to vacation hot spots. Expect this channel to grow as marketers adopt guerrilla style marketing tactics in 2010.
6. Email Marketing Will Be Favored by the C-Suite Again. Even though all the attention was focused on social media this year email marketing continues to top the list of most used and effective marketing tool. I think it will continue to grow as marketers no longer only see email marketing as just a tool for those in the B2B space.
7. Online Ad Spending Will Increase in the Third Quarter. Companies are still jaded by the economy and I don’t expect that to change. Just like unemployment is a lagging indicator of the economy expect increases in ad spend to follow a similar pattern. I suspect additional spending in social media and local advertising will contribute to the modest growth.
8. Ads Will Become More “Interactive” Will someone please just ask for my business in the ad itself? I don’t want to click your ad and be taken through a whole shopping process. Look for ads to look more like widgets allowing you to interact within the ad itself.
9. Social Media ROI Won’t Be Solved. I don’t think we’ll every see ROI like you would with PPC or more traditional channels. Social Media is supposed to reflect PR more than Marketing. Customers and prospects want to know your human not a robot pitching them at every touch point. With that said, focus on sentiment, how many people are sharing, and how many times you been written up by influential bloggers. These will be the indicators marketers look at in 2010.
10. We’ll See Less Rockstars or Ninjas and More Experts. Every time I see someone is hiring a Social Media Ninja or Programming Rockstar I block them. They think they’re being funny or hip. No, you’re patronizing those of us who are really experts. The closest I’m going to be to a Internet Marketing Rockstar is when I drink all of your beer and play rock band with your developers.