You’ll find predictions covering web design, mobile, music, search, social and more below in our marketing and technology predictions for 2012.

While our crystal ball severely over heated from all of the predictions, there is no doubt this year will be another one full of cool technology and marketing integration.

2012 Staff Predictions

TABLET: I think we’ll see the integration of tablet PCs with more mediums.  For example in the same way Nintendo’s Wii is introducing a controller that resembles a Tablet PC, I wouldn’t be surprised to see things like cable companies adopt this theme to improve their TV / Video On Demand user experiences.
Joe Barhorst – Developer

INTEGRATION: Social, Digital & Mainstream Marketing collaboration.  Example being a Coke ad synced across platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter and others.
Erin Moore – Project Manager

GOOGLE +: Since Google just introduced Search plus Your World, I see either a strong exodus from Facebook and Twitter to Google+ profiles, or many people being turned off by the new search and using Bing.
Alicia Neubauer – Social Media Intern

SEARCH & SOCIAL: Search engines will be pushing information from social networks towards the top of the search results.  This continues to emphasize a huge need for tools and apps to help combine and organize multiple social network platforms.
Travis Neiderhiser – Developer

WEB DESIGN: Responsive web design is going to be the major trend when designing/developing websites to suit multiple different devices.  I feel that companies will find this a huge advantage of having one website conform to any device without having to load content multiple different ways or for that matter having multiple budgets to support the design & build of different websites for their company.
Jeff Wagner – Creative Director

MUSIC: Technology focused on music sharing will engage music fanatics and freaks even more than the Spotifys of today. I’d love to see a solution connect the creators to the listeners on a tighter level.
Becca Tollefson – Project Manager

TV: I foresee interactive TV’s being the center of our media universe and this will gain even more traction in 2012. No longer will be the days of a central media server rather all media content will be streamed from a central source such as a TV to a more local device such as a computer, iPad or mobile.
Mike Rynchek – President

SOCIAL: The never-ending online social network and media coverage realms have continued to boom as we move forward in the age of technology. More companies begin to realize that connecting with the client and customer on a deeper level is more important than knowing “what’s hot” for the moment.
Lisa Ostrander – Executive Assistant

APPS: The app-centric approach to technology will increase and even spill over to the wider technology sphere.  This means increasingly specific apps that interact with other apps.  It also means a cohesive experience between devices.  As marketers and developers, it’s our job to sell an experience, not just any one app or site, and now more than ever it’ll be our job to make sure that is simple, cohesive, and engaging in an environment in the midst of dramatic transition.
Perry Govier – Developer

VOICE RECOGNITION: The integration of voice recognition technology, like Siri, into our daily routine. This technology will be used in everything from apps to make our lives easier, to selecting entertainment choices, to finding information faster and easier.
Jennie Eukel – Project Manager

MOBILE: 70% of Americans will own a smartphone (44% now).
Barb Vanags – VP of Finance & HR

VOICE RECOGNITION: More hands free technology on all devices. Apple always starts a trend, so I know we’ll see more devices with voice recognition like Siri.   I want my phone to know what I want to read and read it to me so I can drive and hear the stories I want.
Liz Tunheim – Social Media Manager

SOCIAL: Pinterest and its booming growth is going to find a beautiful way to deliver extremely relevant ads to you. Ads you, as a user, are happy to see because they will be integrated with the boards and pins of those you follow. These new “AdPins” will match the look and category of those items/products/yards/homes/quotes you would normally see on the boards you follow.
Jamie Lee Jacobsen – Lead Project Manager

FACIAL & VOICE RECOGNITION: Facial recognition software will allow for customized public display advertising based on age, gender, and other visible demographic metrics.  Also, this will become reality.
Tracy Henry – Search Marketing Associate

GAMIFICATION: There will be a bigger push towards “active interaction” through devices such as Wii and Kinect, which could influence everything from how we interact with games and movies to how we control our computers, or a presentation.
Travis Manick – Developer

MOBILE: Mobile devices will become as powerful as high end laptops. A user will have the ability to plug their phone into a screen and use it as a computer.
Ben Olsem – Designer

MOBILE: Consumers more and more are looking to utilize their smart phones (check-ins, deals, payments, etc.) and brands still know this. Last year was another large year in mobile adoption, but this year I think will be defined by consumers maximizing their mobile to better navigate all aspects of their lives (health, finance, social, etc.).
Nick Bryant – Senior Account Executive

SEARCH: Changes to search engine results and rankings continue to become more frequent at Google. Local, mobile, social and personalized results are all morphing at a rapid rate as Google mashes it’s technology and data across a massive audience.  Will it all be for the good of search or just the good of Google?
My prediction – Aaron Weiche

What will actually take hold in 2012? We might see all of these or just a few, but it’s easy to see that our industry is busting with innovation, growth and opportunity. No doubt this year will be another exciting one.

Do you have a prediction or comment to share on technology and marketing for this year?  Drop your comments below.

Be sure to check back on Wednesday each week for the newest installment of Web Wisdom Wednesdays. You can also view our past episodes of Web Wisdom Wednesdays on our YouTube channel.

Jason Douglas

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

I have had many conversations with prospects and new clients revolving around the same few questions. If you are someone who is new to the concept of using PPC for their business, or a business who has been burned by bad service or under-performing campaigns, asking the questions I listed below will help ease your confusion. Here are the top five I encounter and am always prepared to address in any type of meeting:

• What is the first step to give you control of your account?

This is a common question is one I usually get from prospects or new clients who are already dealing with an agency. The process can be as simple as sharing the login information. The first step to this is changing the password to prevent any nefarious activity from anyone who was managing the account. It is very important to also document all measurable metrics and benchmark where the campaigns currently are, which allows for the new agency to continuously measure against each of these metrics to gauge success.

• What kind of reporting will you provide?

Every agency has a different way to report to the client on successes and shortcomings. I have seen updates shared in a simple email through bullets. I have also seen client reports as long as twenty pages. Which are more effective? That depends on what you’re measuring and what the objectives are for the campaigns. Clients may like large reports, but is that what is best for the client? I like to provide all important metrics along with a recap, analysis, and recommendations which I will implement in the following reporting period.

• Will I have access to my accounts?

This seems to be a no-brainer to myself. Being that this is one of the most common questions asked, it means that clients have not had access to their own accounts in the past. Why wouldn’t an agency give access to the client? What is the agency trying to hide? We always give access to our clients, with the caveat of them not changing anything within the accounts. If a client makes changes to their PPC campaign that the agency is unaware of, that may skew the strategy we are implementing and significantly impact the results of the campaign.

• What is the communication process?
  

This is dependent on the client’s schedule. Often, the reason a client is seeking an agency is because they lack the time internally to manage the account effectively. If this is the case, a monthly call or meeting suffices along with email updates when necessary. If the client claims a lack of knowledge about PPC, but has the desire to learn and be hands-on in the process, a bi-weekly call or meeting along with email updates usually works.

• How can we be sure that you are exhausting all opportunities for us?
  

Unfortunately, when pursuing a new account, often times the opportunity is there because they are unhappy with the service received from their current agency. This is where we explain why we are different and how we are going to prove that. Business, especially now, is all about the relationship, and building, maintaining, and nurturing that relationship. Every client for me is not another transaction; they are not faceless. We do the best work possible not just because that’s what we’re paid to do, but because we enjoy the people we work with on the client side; we appreciate the product or service they provide and the value that it provides to their consumers.

As a company looking for PPC help, these five questions will help the conversation greatly, and should help you make a decision on which agency to go with. If you’re interested in starting that conversation, please contact us. Are there other questions you’ve come across with regard to beginning a Sponsored Search campaign?  Any stories you’d like to share?

News has just been released that Facebook is rolling out its new Ad Conversion tool for Facebook advertisers to track not only how ads are performing, but also to “track activity that happens on your [the advertiser's] Web site as a result of someone on Facebook seeing or clicking your Facebook Ad.”

Sound familiar? If you answered “yes,” you’re correct!

This is all-too-similar to Google Analytics and AdWords. By allowing advertisers to assign specific values to actions on their Web sites, advertisers can get a deeper understanding of a user’s involvement with a particular ad, optimize ads more effectively and determine ROI more effectively.

Currently the tool is in Beta form, but will steadily be rolled out to everyone. This is huge for Facebook, as this will allow it to compete more toe-to-toe with Google in the multi-billion dollar online advertising market.

How do you think this will affect Google?

“We are happy to be involved with Ad Fed and are looking forward to connecting with some of the young talent in the Twin Cities.” said Rynchek, who will be discussing interactive and marketing topics with the group.

The Ad Fed Mentorship Circle program is designed to allow members to individually interact with industry mentors by meeting them in an informal group setting called a Circle Group. These Mentorship Circle Events are held four times a year and allow participants and industry professionals the chance to talk one on one and in a group discussion setting. It is a great opportunity to learn from the best and the brightest in the industry, network with professionals and learn from your peers.

The Ad Fed Mentorship Circle program does not facilitate the match between an individual mentor and a mentee, however, these events are designed to allow a mentor and potential mentee to make a connection, and possibly develop a mentor/mentee relationship outside of Ad Fed. Participants can also choose to simply attend quarterly Circle Events where mentorship will happen via group discussions.

To meet Mike at the event, and to see the other mentors attending the event, visit the Ad Fed site for more details.

Jason Douglas

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

Yesterday, I was fortunate enough to attend Reupations with keynote speaker Chris Brogan, and panelists Beth LaBreche from LaBreche;  Gabby Nelson from Select Comfort , Paula Prahl from Best Buy, and Brian Vanderah from Quality Bike Products.

Brogan kicked off the event with a Zulu greeting ‘Sawubona’, which translates to ‘I see you’, which means ‘I know that you’re there and I acknowledge you are another person’. His presentation was a nice mix of random thoughts, dry humor (even a Star Wars reference), and serious points.

The main takeaways from Brogan’s presentation and the panel discusion:

-There are three main parts of social media: Listening. Connecting. Publishing.

-Brogan said that we should ‘connect with the verticals that aren’t yours’. He was critical of the Minneapolis and St. Paul social media community. He cited Pittsburgh as leaders in social media everything. What the MSP group needs to do is not be so exclusive, but learn how to work together. He added ‘it’s a lot easier to go to battle with a large army.’

-Brogan called Vanilla Ice a social media prophet, citing the line ‘Stop. Collaborate, and listen!’ That gained a fair amount of laughter, but was an interesting take.

-Beth LaBreche discussed how she invited her clients to the Reputations event and even sent out copies of Brogan’s Trust Agents to out-of-state clients. One client responded very negatively to the book and said ‘they’re not ready’ for this. This was very apparent in the attendance of this event. One of my first tweets from the Spyder Trap account: ‘good crowd forming for #reputations #broganmpls. A lot of familiar faces.’ Events such as this one wasn’t necessarily for social media professionals like myself and companies like Spyder Trap. It’s the businesses who have a fear, a hesitation, or a lack of knowledge about what social media can do for a business that need to be at these events. The question: how do we get them there?

Overall, this was a very fun event. I ran into some familiar faces, and was lucky enough to talk with him for a while, and even snap a picture with him. Look for more with Brogan and Spyder Trap in the near future.

For those who  attended, following the hashtags, or watching on UStream, what were your thoughts on Brogan’s presentation and the panel discussion?

Recently, the Spyder Trap Online Marketing team sat down with with Kim Opitz of Rribbitz Creative Communications and had a free-flowing discussion about our agency’s background, how we’re working to put Minneapolis (and the Midwest for that matter) back on the map… and food.

Take a peek at this clip highlighting some of our conversation.

Thanks again for the fun and casual conversation, Kim. We’re looking forward to doing it again soon!

As with most other business segments, online marketing is changing health care.  Here at Spyder Trap, we see it first hand everyday.  Here are just 5 ways online technology is changing healthcare:

1. Improving fundraising efforts

More and more, leading healthcare providers like Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota are implementing simple but effective fundraising pages to their websites.  At the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota Online Giving Store, visitors can even select how their donations will be used.

2. Increasing patient convenience

What could be more convenient than an iPhone application that allows users to locate nearby doctors, clinics, and hospitals within its network?  One of many apps, DocGPS, uses iPhone’s GPS system allowing users to search over 20 types of health care facilities and nearly 60 types of physician specialties.

3. Increasing access to quality care

Telemedicine is rapidly becoming a reality.  Using teleconferencing and other technology, the day rapidly approaches when patients can see doctors remotely; from their workplace, private kiosks in malls, and even in mobile clinics towed by semis.  Here’s one example: www.ConnectedCareAmerica.com.

4. Increasing awareness

By actively engaging in social media, caregivers are able to promote their facilities, the patient successes, and their latest initiatives.  Check out how Children’s of Los Angeles engages its various constituencies using YouTube.

5. Reducing patient anxiety

Anyone who has ever faced an upcoming medical procedure knows the dark fear of uncertainty that precedes it.  By accessing any of the numerous specialized websites, blogs, chat rooms, and other social media, patients can now connect with caregivers and other patients in various stages of their respective treatment.  In doing so, patients learn from the experience of others what to expect.  This removes much of the uncertainty and reduces anxiety.

What changes have you noticed as you’ve navigated health issues?  For me, if I would have had access even to www.WebMD.com in the winter of 1989, my personal battle against cancer would have been much different.  What’s on the horizon?  What do we need?  Let me know.  We’re in this healthcare debate together.

“We are very pleased that Mike has accepted our invitation,” said ADA Board President Chuck Halstenson. “Mike’s expertise in online marketing and social media adds a dimension to the board that will increase our visibility in many new and exciting ways.”

“It’s an honor to join an organization that has helped so many,” said Rynchek. “I am confident that together we can do even more by expanding the organization’s use of online communications tools including social media and online fundraising tactics.”

As Marketing Communications Chair, Mike has overall responsibility for the promotion of the Association’s Stop Diabetes^SM movement by coordinating and integrating marketing and communications efforts for all local activities including revenue-generating events, mission-delivery activities, and general awareness and outreach events.

Technology has never moved faster, and my experience at 2010’s Consumer Electronic Show in Las Vegas, Nevada is evidence of that. Companies from around the world gathered to showcase how they plan to gain market share with their 3-D TVs and life-changing smart phones. As technology companies foster this evolution, consumers’ consumption of media is also following suit. Because of this, companies need to understand how their marketing efforts will be received according to consumers shifting expectations.

With the exponential growth in technology, one has to ask:

• How has this surge in technology changed consumer behavior relating to the theory of top of mind brand awareness?
• Has the ability to put information more readily at the consumer’s fingertips changed this methodology in any way?

I would argue YES.

Think about it for a second. If I was in the market for a new TV, Best Buy is the first brand that comes to mind due to an over-awareness and exposure to their outbound marketing tactics. Does that mean I will buy from Best Buy? Not necessarily.

As the consumer, I now control my own purchase process and have a world of information either in my hand or on my desk. Due the overwhelming access to information, the traditional buying process model has been completely altered. Within seconds, I can search for a better price, find a better promotion, compare delivery options; you name it. Basically, I have developed my own personal purchase process.

Keep in mind: As consumer behavior shifts, new best practices are emerging:

1. As consumers continue to gain control of information, the COMPLETE purchase process becomes even more vital. No longer can you get away with a great in-store experience but a less-than-adequate web presence. Also consider what areas of the “new” purchase process you can improve upon beyond the competency of your competition.
2. Consider all of the “non-traditional” touch points a consumer might have with your website, online customer service, and even all the way to search, social and email. Make sure each touch point is consistent with the brand and brand promise.
3. As this shift in consumer behavior occurs, large companies should especially take heed of the opportunity for smaller more nimble competitors to gain market share. (Zappos is a good David-becoming-Goliath example).
4. Cross channel marketing is different than in years past. As you ramp-up your TV, radio or print efforts, are you ready to capture people actively searching for your brand or product offering?
5. As awareness increases, and curiosity leads to increased website traffic, are you prepared to engage and convert visitors with varying interest levels? Do you have a plan to turn tire-kickers into advocates?

As a consumer, how has your purchase process changed?