Several weeks ago, content marketing expert Joe Pulizzi of Junta42.com asked top social media and content marketing professionals from around the world, including well-known names in the marketing field like Seth Godin, John Jantsch, and David Meerman Scott (and me!) to answer one question:
What is your prediction for how brand marketers will create and distribute their own content in 2010?
Joe received 100 social media and content marketing predictions from the professionals he sent his question to, and the answers are enlightening, varied, and very telling. Here is the prediction I contributed to the list:
My prediction is that online video will continue to grow as more marketers recognize its growth potential and attempt to leverage it. With that said, the success of those efforts is questionable. Until marketers embrace engagement marketing rather than interruption marketing and truly add value and build relationships by speaking with consumers rather than speaking at them, social media and content marketing efforts will continue to be popular but not deliver the big returns companies hope for. Furthermore, the success of social media and content marketing comes from transparency and a willingness to give up control — two things that executives have yet to buy into. I expect 2010 to be filled with more of the same conversations and struggles between marketers and the individuals in the C-suites. We can’t give up trying to bring those execs over to our side though!
Creating amazing content online represents one of the biggest opportunities for brands to raise awareness, purchases, and loyalty. It’s an opportunity that didn’t exist a decade ago or even 5 years ago. Remember, Twitter only debuted in 2007! The social Web offers a way to build relationships, interact with customers, and create a band of vocal brand advocates and brand guardians that can catapult a brand to superstardom (think Harry Potter — if you’re not familiar with the story of how the social Web helped that brand, check out my book, Harry Potter: The Story of a Global Business Phenomenon for all the details).
Are you leveraging the social media and content marketing opportunity? Check out the 100 Social Media and Content Marketing Predictions for 2010 compiled by Joe Pulizzi. Can 100 experts be wrong?
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Susan Gunelius is the author of 10 marketing, social media, branding, copywriting, and technology books, and she is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She also owns Women on Business, an award-wining blog for business women. She is a featured columnist for Entrepreneur.com and Forbes.com, and her marketing-related articles have appeared on websites such as MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, TodayShow.com, and more.
She has over 20 years of experience in the marketing field having spent the first decade of her career directing marketing programs for some of the largest companies in the world, including divisions of AT&T and HSBC. Today, her clients include large and small companies around the world and household brands like Citigroup, Cox Communications, Intuit, and more. Susan is frequently interviewed about marketing and branding by television, radio, print, and online media organizations, and she speaks about these topics at events around the world. You can connect with her on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, or Google+.
