Bold Predictions on Social Computing in 2009 from Forrester Research

A just published report from Forrester Research by Jeremiah Owyang, Josh Bernoff, Sean Corcoran, and Steven Noble is a must read for every marketer and enterprise. Building on the collective growth and adoption of social media sites and consumer interaction in 2008, brands will move beyond experiments and increase focus on business impacts in 2009.

Some of the highlights of their predictions are as follows: “new technologies will arise that allow platforms including email, the Web, and mobile devices to connect with communities and brands will begin to integrate social applications with traditional marketing campaigns and revise campaigns based on social feedback.” One of the main recommendations is for interactive marketers to start efforts now, embrace listening platforms (download latest “Listening Platform Wave Report” for free here) that help monitor brands. Visible Technologies is mentioned as partner for marketers in the part of the report. Thank you team Forrester.

Some Additional Key Takeaways are:

• Social Technology becomes universal - “by end of 2009, more than 85% of US online consumers will be reading or interacting with social content”
• Static advertising gives way to the flexible marketing campaigns
• Regulation for industries using social applications will change
• Social networks connect with existing eCommerce and corporate websites - BOLD
• Email evolves into social platform
• Virtual goods will thrive in economic downtown and open new revenue channels - I heard all of chatter on this one last fall at conferences.

As always a great round up of thoughts from the leading folks at Forrester. Many interactive marketers are mastering listening and actively moving in to engagement and interaction with their consumers and prospects. Those that are not should heed the advice from Forrester and look at what your competitors are up to in the social space. The consumer opportunities for brand and product feedback, customer issue resolution, call deflection, word-of-mouth, and sales potential are enormous and at a fraction of “traditional” costs.

Check out the report.

Blake Cahill

Visible Technologies