Top 5 Online Marketing Trends For 2010

Welcome back!

This is something we should have addressed earlier in the year. But better late than never.

If you have been involved in online marketing for more than a couple of years, you’re familiar with how quickly things change. Marketing strategies that burst onto the scene a few years ago are less effective today. Search engine   optimization tactics that worked phenomenally well in 2008 barely have an impact these days.

If you’re not evolving with these changes, you’ll be left behind.

Today, I’m going to reveal the top 5 online marketing trends for 2010. Can you make money online while ignoring them? Of course. But if you keep the following trends in mind, you’ll make more money while attracting a growing legion of happier customers and affiliates.

#1 – ROI Takes Center Stage

ROI has always been more important than traffic. Bringing 5,000 visitors to your site each day means very little unless they’re buying something or clicking an ad. Likewise, if you’re using PPC to drive traffic, your backend must be able to monetize that traffic over your click costs.

Over the last few years, marketers have realized that traffic does not necessarily mean profit. This trend is going to escalate further as marketers begin to refine their strategies. We’ll see this happening in email, search marketing, social media, and every other channel.

#2 – Local Search Continues To Grow

Local SEO started to gather steam a few years ago. At the time, a lot of the old school search experts ignored it, thinking it was a waste. They’re paying attention now. And so are their clients.

If you’re targeting a location-based niche or you’re doing SEO work for clients, you’ll need to master local search. Many of the same strategies you use to rank your sites in Google’s broad index can be used for their local index. But there are also a host of other tactics exclusive to local SEO. This area is going to heat up.

#3 – Online Marketing Drills Into Micro-Niches

Niches are much easier to serve than trying to appeal to the masses. They’re also easier to target and approach. For example, the weight loss space is more difficult to penetrate than the “losing pregnancy weight after having a baby” niche.

Get ready for your niches to shrink. Tight niches will become tighter. Small niches will contract to micro size. Start thinking about where your market spends its time and create your strategy for reaching them.

This is an exciting trend. Targeting a wide niche is like being a small fish in a large pond. Controlling a micro-niche is like having a small pond to yourself. There’s a lot of money to made there.

Rosalind Gardner offers excellent information on niche marketing and making a income online with her Super Affiliate Handbook  Click Here to Read More About it.

#4 – Site Buying And Selling Accelerates

In a recent post, I mentioned that you can buy your way into the top search positions by purchasing aged, authoritative sites. This happens more frequently than a lot of online marketers realize. In fact, marketplace sites like Flippa.com are attracting more attention than ever.

Even though this buying and selling activity has been going on for several years, most of it has been under the radar. That’s already changing. You’re going to witness a flood of people rushing to pick up sites. However, rather than merely buying old sites for quick search positions, marketers will begin picking them up as cash-generating properties (similar to real estate).

For more information on selling see my post on how to Flip Sites for Money.

#5 – Social Media Focuses On Metrics

When social media marketing first launched out of the gates, everyone with a Facebook account seemed to be an expert. At the time, nobody had the numbers to prove what they were saying, so there was very little accountability.

This too, has begun to change. Social media is maturing and the focus has shifted to the metrics. This means the field of “experts” will begin thinning out as true professionals in the space emerge. They’re the ones to watch.

Online marketing has been evolving from the beginning. But its evolution is about to be thrown into high gear. Keep your eyes on the trends in today’s post and find a way to integrate them into your marketing plan. As I said earlier, there’s a lot of money to be made.

P.S. – You Should read my Review of Socialnomics By Erik Qualman and for more information on niche marketing see the Niche Affiliate Marketing Workshop