Where do we go from here?

Mike Rynchek

President and Founder

Spyder Trap Online Marketing

mrynchek@spydertrap.com

spydertrap.com

Topic: Marketing/ Communications

Show of hands, who predicted the rapid growth of Twitter or the sudden vernacular snafu of trying to market “like pages” rather than “fan pages”? I can tell you, like most marketers, I didn't see it coming. So where do we go from here? What's next for us as tech junkies and rapid consumers? Before I dig in, let me first preface that I am willing to be wrong. The predictions below are mainly based on the feedback I have seen with client relationships and observed by engaging with consumers.

Social fatigue is going to be a more frequently used term as people continue to feel the weight of constant connectivity. Staying connected is only one factor. The question becomes how does one manage the vast amount of virtual relationships over time. As marketers we need to constantly find new ways to reward advocacy through quality content, incentives, new benefits, etc.

Techno stress is another term that today’s workforce should be familiar with. It's the feeling you get when Twitter is down for a half hour or your e-mail is down for the afternoon. When technology works it's amazing, when technology fails it can feel like the world is grinding to a halt. Techno-stress is our response to technology and how we are changing due to its influence.

The average worker can handle 50 e-mails a day. Now think about the fact that 90 trillion emails went through cyberspace in 2009, or 247 billion emails a day. When people are constantly being inundated with information and interruptions, their focus is not operating at full capacity and can lead to stress related problems like “information fatigue syndrome.”

Micro-communications are now, and will be the future, how information is corresponded to people. They are bit-sized pieces of information that get messages across as efficiently as possible. Micro-communications combine elements of blogging with instant messaging and social networking. There are multiple channels that allow diverse audiences to view a broad range of content at the virtual water coolers.

Because it's much easier to talk than to type, eventually, people will be able to micro-communicate audibly. Think about traveling to a conference, you're stuck in traffic, and you just found out that your business has made a huge discovery; you will be able to talk into your smart phone, which will subsequently put your announcement on Twitter, Foursquare, Google, etc.

The future by definition is unknown, but the future is right in front of us. Technology will always be evolving and coincidentally becoming outdated. The more we can learn to harness all the capabilities of our technology, and accept the stress that comes with it, the sooner we will be able to take full advantage of what it can do for us.