TrendsSpotting's 2010 Social Media Influencers - Trend Predictions in 140 Characters

Check out this SlideShare Presentation: Will be looking out for these in 2010.

TrendsSpotting's 2010 Social Media Influencers - Trend Predictions in 140 Characters

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Lesson one: Online content is not just typed up offline content

I've been wondering for a few days now about my next post. Do I set out what I intend to do so my reader(s) understand where I am going with this blog, or do I just make it up as I go along? This then got me thinking about how people use the web. Unlike an ad or direct mail pack, a book or leaflet, people get to choose where they begin. And there you have it my first lesson: although some of the rules are the same you can't just type up an offline ad or piece and expect it to work.

I recognise for you officionados this sounds like the bleeding obvious but less obvious are the rules of engagement. Until I understand that, I'm going to find it hard to decide if a piece of work is good or bad. As a planner not having that skill makes me as complete as an alcohol free Christmas pudding -filling but ineffective. So this week I'm going to try and find some help with those there rules; wish me luck.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

The Clever People I've Encounter So Far

Clever person no. 1: chap called Iain Tait. He's introduced me to the ten commandments of digital planning which I intend to religiously live by. This type of advice is surprisingly difficult to come by. Digital planning



Clever person no. 2: Peter McCormack because he showed me how much I understand about digital marketing and where to go to find more. His demystifying powers are nearly magical.
McCormack Morrison



Clever person no. 3: David Armando. From what I read he's a man that consults on digital marketing. I am a Digital Migrant David, not a Native but I want to pass my citizenship test with flying colours. His post explains what I should do for total 101 immersion.
Digital immersion in 2007

Worried that his post maybe a little out of date? Not according to Sir Sorrell. And I must admit that I agree.
Sir Sorrell's future


Clever person no. 4: Chris Voss
This bod is a Social media guru. Now he has shown me exactly how interdependent the digital world is. I studied cybernetics and Systems Science at university. Perhaps we could have a chat one day?
Chris Voss' tweets

I know there are thousands of opinion formers out there but these are the few I have come across. To those few, I thank you. I hope my links bring Google crawlers scuttling in your direction.



- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Why this blog?

A friend and and I were having a debate on whether or not there was such a thing as a digital planner. Did being a good offline account planner automatically mean you could be a good digital one just as long as you learnt how your target consumer used the digital space? To my surprise this person, who incidentally works for the same Agency that produced Steven King, did not think so. What, the consumer is no longer king? OK - I'm grossly simplifying the conversation that covered the brand, marketplace, Client objectives etc. but I'm hoping you'll get the gist. Unfortunately I was told that this is no longer enough and that 'traditional planners' were pretty much a dime a dozen. Apparently what is needed now are planners who know the digital world inside out, anything less and you're no longer future-proof.

Having got over my slightly bruised ego I began to wonder what it is about the digital world that requires such an intimate understanding of the channel itself? Even within that sentence I'm not sure that calling it the 'digital world' or implying it is only 'one' channel is strictly speaking correct. What I do know is that I sit in results meetings and yet again the online team say they've had a brilliant month. 70% growth YOY in orders, falling cost per responses and doubling budgets.

Since I love my job and the power it gives me to be a consumer champion I've decided that this dime a dozen planner is going to learn more. How consumers use it, which part of 'it' they use, what's their reason for using it? Intuitively I know I have to understand all these things and more, but what I want to explore is why and more importantly how it will make my strategies and creative more effective for the Client and more relevant for the consumer.

So I embark on a journey to prove that a 'traditional planner' can embrace the digital world. Is it enough to put the consumer at the heart of everything we do as long as we understand what consumers do and where they do it online? How can we leverage that knowledge to engage and persuade them?

Realising that I am going to be pulling from several sources who know what they are talking about - ironically most of which are online - and that there must be other planners out there in my shoes, I thought it would be worth blogging what I find. At the very least it's a good place to pull together everything for me. Without this I have a strange feeling that I will be as redundant as the banker who said 'yes buying another bank's bad debt is a really good idea'; wish me luck.