January has been the month of recapping 2010 and predicting 2011. There’s plenty of food for thought. Let’s get going.

• Smartphone use is on the rise: considerably – Of the $815 million which will be spent globally on PC - and non-PC computing devices, $375 million (46%) will be spent on smartphones. (Deloitte) What’s your mobile marketing plan?
  
• According to the UK Customer Satisfaction Index, 1 in 4 people are less inclined to buy online from a site that uses no social media tools. (Sally Falkow)
• A similar study in the U.S. found that people across the age and gender spectrum fully expect companies to have a presence in social media and be open and willing to interact, have conversations and respond to any comments fast. (Sally Falkow) Still don’t think Social Media is here to stay?
• In 2010, Foursquare reported 3400% growth with over 381,576,305 check-ins and now 6,000,000 registered users. (Foursquare.com)
• In 2011 you’ll see more free WiFi hotspots (Deloitte)
• The iPhone has over 300,000 “apps” (Apple) Ever thought of having your own app?
• “Everything” is going online (Entrepreneur)
• Domestic travel up 1.2 percent; hotel revenues up 4.4 percent (Entrepreneur)

That’s it for now. I’ll try to keep you abreast of other trends and statistics in the coming months.

Any questions? Just give me a call or comment directly on this blog or via email. Back to work for me!

-Steve

1) There are more mobile phones in the U.S. than TVs and computers combined.

2) foursquare – the popular “find me here” network - has added over 100,000 users in the last month and will soon reach a million; they are one year old.

3) Starbucks now lets people pay for coffee via their iPhone in over 1,000 Target locations where Starbucks has an outpost.

4) Research by Nielsen shows that global consumer usage of social media sites rose by 82% this past year.

5) The average time per person spent on Facebook and Twitter in December 2009 rose by 143%.

6) A report from Nielsen shows that 90% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know, while only 41% trust sponsored ads on Web pages.

Instead of me telling you what all this means – what does this mean to you? How does this impact your marketing decisions?

I believe 2010 (pronounced “twenty-ten”) will be an unusual and exciting year. It’s a year that – for us – will require us to be nimble, mobile and efficient. They are our “three words for 2010.” You may as well make them your words as well.

Nimble, because the world of marketing and communicating messages is changing rapidly. Like fast. Really fast. Faster than ever. As I’ve noted in earlier posts, traditional media is being strangled as the cost of printing and running a newspaper or magazine continues to increase.

The smart media groups all have an online presence. What that means for you (and for us) is that we must pay heed to all online content. Why? Because that’s where your customers are also getting their messages. Most of our clients have gotten on board with two popular social networks – Facebook and Twitter. And so have traditional media. Most publications in the last six months have added Facebook and Twitter pages. And almost every newspaper has a blogger or bloggers of their own. And they tweet. And post to Facebook. They had to be nimble to survive. They realized that their customers (readers) were all online. Or on their smartphones. Being nimble in 2010 means being willing to change the way you disseminate messages. It means understanding that your customers might learn about your event or news on Facebook instead of in the newspaper. It means having a mindset that realizes that every customer of yours on Facebook and Twitter is the media, a third-party endorser or not. Unsure how to proceed? Ask us, we’re running over 40 Facebook pages for our clients and tweeting on behalf of another 15.

Having a website is not enough these days. It needs to be a mobile website – one that loads quickly for a smartphone. Your old website is now a holding site for your newsletter sign-up, as a place to join your Facebook page, or, to follow your news on Twitter. The next thing you will hear about is having your own iPhone app. We are pleased to have been the creators of the first one on Long Island for a restaurant: Vittorio’s Restaurant & Wine Bar in Amityville. Check it out. It keeps diners informed of the restaurant’s latest news and happenings, and offers video and photos. It’s awesome if we do say so ourselves. And by the end of January, we’ll have our own. You will be able to read this blog post on it and follow the feed of @WordHamptonPR on Twitter. Smartphones are hand-held computers. They have applications for Facebook and Twitter so that the new media – your customers – can say what a great time they are having at your restaurant – in real time. Like now.

Because time is money, we all have to be efficient. And the good news is that technology brings less cost. Yes, it costs time (labor) to create a proper Facebook or Twitter page and to create and add content. But it’s a heckuva lot cheaper than that full-page ad or a direct mail campaign or a television spot. As your marketing partners, we knew we had to learn about new media, social networks and become more technologically savvy. We saw, inherently, the opportunities to disseminate a PR message was a no-brainer on Facebook. Or Twitter. That it would be an incredibly efficient (and efficacious) way to share article links from the media, photos, and … strategically created news. We can post something on Facebook, Twitter and a website in minutes while sending that same information to traditional media. Soon, we will drop the term “traditional” (in the interest of being efficient) and simply refer to all receivers of your message as media. One thing about WordHampton PR, we are one efficient company. Always have been. Always will be.

Next post I will introduce you to the rise of text message marketing (check out LIFoodies) and a new geo-social app, foursquare. Both of these will be hot subjects as 2010 unfolds. Too much information, you cry? How will I implement these new tools? By being nimble, mobile and efficient.

But it’s vacation time; it’s a time to relax. Sorry - not in this day and age. Take a long nap, have some hot chocolate, then boot up your laptop; it’s time to get a leg-up on your competitors!

1) Organize your Twitter followers into lists. Why? Helps you create filters to help you navigate your increasingly growing list of followers.

2) Update your LinkedIn account and make more connections. Why? Business is done on LinkedIn – it’s also a great place to scout and be scouted (so stay current).

3) Go through your Facebook “friends” and get rid of the weirdos. Why? Remember what Mom said? We are judged by the company we keep.

4) Go through your Facebook account and sort your friends into lists like “family,” “work pals,” “college pals,” and “Yankee fans.” Why? Makes it easier when inviting FBers to events, bashes, or Met games (ouch). It also allows you to maximize your privacy settings by group, send a message to an entire group or update your status by group. Pretty handy, eh?

5) Spend time on Twitter utilizing search.Twitter.com, Twellow or Tweetdeck to enhance your facility and profile. Why? You’ll be using Twitter a lot in the coming months.

6) Office closed? Drop in and spend a glorious, uninterrupted hour or two cleaning out drawers and straightening your desk in the quietude of an empty office. Why? Be ready for 2010 because it’s gonna be a busy one!

The accompanying video on the social media revolution was first introduced to us back in early December 2008. Statistics have changed so much and so quickly that they created an updated version: there’s some very compelling information within, that you will find useful. As someone on Twitter commented today, “Social Media isn’t going away; either get on the bus or get left behind.”

Here’s something else to think about…smartphone apps are expected to triple by 2014.

Question: In a rapidly changing media landscape - let alone a brutal economy - how does a business owner know if their marketing program is effective? Answer: if you can’t afford to pay for measurement, it’s hard to know; but there are indicators.

Standard thinking is that a minimum of 4% of your gross revenue should be allotted for marketing. Let’s hope that you are monitoring that program on a quarterly basis. Now, more than ever, is the time to: 1) market yourself, 2) experiment. It has been said that a successful program combines advertising (radio, TV, print) and public relations. But now, in the 21^st century, with technology leading the way, an online presence is vital – if not necessary – for any program. That online presence can take the form of banner ads on websites, having a social media program (Facebook, Twitter – even YouTube) or email blasts. Smart operators are utilizing all these tools as traditional media outlets shrink in size and effectiveness. Crain’s New York Business recently noted that the New York Post’s circulation has declined by 20% since last year, the Daily News is down 14% and The New York Times and Newsday both down around 3%. We think they’ll survive – because they, too, will adapt. They’re all scrambling, but who isn’t?

Get Ears.

Measuring return on investment (ROI) is an exact science. Most small companies can’t afford measurement programs done by professional measurement firms that charge a minimum of $20,000 or more per year for that service. Therefore it’s imperative to have your frontline people – those who interact with your customers/clients – ask the all-important question, “How did you hear of us?” in order to track your marketing investment. And you may want to ask that question too if the call or customer comes to you directly. Coupons or “mention this ad” are always reliable but not necessarily in line with your concept. Sometimes a large piece of press – a feature article or review of a product or business – will have the phones ringing the moment it runs. When that happens, recognize it for what it is: powerful. Now the onus is on you as an operator to deliver. Online marketing also has its advantages: metrics are somewhat easily available to monitor a spike in engagement – whether it be increased fans to a Facebook page, or number of unique visitors to a website. As well, an increasingly recognized merit of Twitter is its search capability, enabling one to monitor one’s brand.

Take a Chance.

Now would be the time to stick a toe in the water of online marketing; it’s where marketing is headed because it’s relatively less expensive and it appears that customers are spending a lot of time online – whether it be at home, office or elsewhere. The other night, I was watching a ballgame that was broadcast from a small-market Midwestern city. As the cameras scanned the crowd, I noticed how many people were fiddling with their Blackberry’s or iPhones. Maybe they were checking their email, their Facebook page or checking out their favorite local website. I wonder what marketing messages were imparted to them in-between pitches?

Are you monitoring your marketing program? Have you embraced Internet technologies? Are you speaking regularly to your communication specialists? Do you feel the media . . . shift? What do you think? Comments welcome.

So I am obsessed with social media. Dare I even call myself an evangelist? (That is a term that the gurus I follow are throwing around.) Thing is, this is where your customers are. But don’t take my word for it, just ask Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh, who has over 24,000 followers on Twitter - including 400 of his own employees who have their own group. If you want to follow Tony on Twitter, his screen name is simply “zappos.” He comments on everything from the recent full moon to Zappos’ customer service to what he’s eating in his NYC hotel room (pizza heated up by an iron - brilliant; I must try that)! Oh - and by the way, it ain’t just ceo’s who are on Twitter - I’m following Shaquille O’Neal and Jimmy Fallon!

According to stats from Nielsen Online, Twitter recorded 2.3 million unique visitors in August 2008 (US-only) which is an increase of 422% from the same time in 2007. So NOW do you believe that social media communities are a hot property? BTW - advice for tweeters (and this is from an expert, not me): be yourself, be genuine, be friends with your followers, and don’t offer “auto replies” with a free gift - everyone sees right through that. But you can start a conversation about your product or company. Just don’t be so blatant!