As digital is at the heart of business communication, I thought it might be a good time to look at the top four digital trends to look out for in 2012. Starting with…
Growth of the Tablet Market
We’ve seen huge growth in this space since the release of the iPad 1 in 2010 and this year is no different with Apple set to release its latest gadget in March. In addition, we’re now seeing competitors branching away from simply trying to mimic the iPad. Competitors including the Asus Eee Pad Transformer, Toshiba Excite x10 and the Samsung Galaxy will all be jostling for position in the market place throughout 2012. From a technical side, we’ll see further development of quad-core technology, giving tablets that extra boost in performance for a better overall experience. Looking beyond this year, Razer’s Project Fiona is a unique concept that has brought together gaming and tablet technology. We’re looking forward to seeing which tablet is able to take some of iPad’s lion share this year and what further concepts are developed.
Growth of Social Media for Business
We’ll see further demand for all forms of social media for business, locally and globally. This is primarily due to seminal changes of how we as a society consume information and media on a day-to-day basis. Over the last few years businesses have simply taken the stance of ignoring the conversations that have taken place on social media channels, but by taking this stance, they’re not giving themselves a chance to influence their customers. They’re also missing out on opportunities to connect with current and prospective customers. This year we’ll see businesses take a more active role on the different social media channels, maximising their influence and reach to customers and prospects.
Growth of Twitter
Twitter has been touted by Brian Solis, a globally recognised thought leader and published author in new media, as “the most efficient global information network in existence today”. This is undeniably true as Twitter is the platform that everyone turns to for the most up-to-date information – be it sports results, polling results for political campaigns, developments in technology or even trending places to dine wherever you are in the world. It provides tweeps (twitter people) a place to share learnings and information in 140 characters.
It seems there’s no stopping Twitter, with breaking news of scandals and global events attracting more than 350 million users to the platform by June 2011. Twitter did have a few brushes with the law in 2011, specifically the British privacy law with the Ryan Giggs sex scandal, but it seems events such as these only serve to promote the platform. With 2012, we expect more of the same from Twitter, with tweeps growing exponentially, especially ahead of the London 2012 Olympic Games in July. Further technical developments on the platform will make it even more accessible and inviting.
Going Mobile
People have been touting the growth of mobile for years and we feel that 2012 is the year that mobile will really earn its stripes. Smartphones have become even more accessible and increasingly intuitive and easy to use, not to mention a substitute for a laptop to an increasing number of users. Social networking, gaming, looking up the weather and finding local information are all catered for by mobile devices, and with further developments on the way, we’ll see increased usage and reliance on smartphones. Businesses should be taking notice of this to ensure they don’t miss the boat, like many of them did with SEO and social media!
Any business that undertakes a digital project should be asking themselves “how will this be accessible for our customers and prospects on a smartphone?”. There are multiple ways to cater for smartphones – apps, agile website design or developing a separate mobile website – the solution will depend on a number of variables, I’ve listed a few below to help you out:
• What is the end goal of the project?
• What is the budget?
• What is the target market and what smartphones do they use?
• Compatibility issues
• Website navigation, images and links that will be used
• How often will you need to update the information?
• Findability
• Shareability
• Reach
So these are my top four digital trends to watch out for in 2012. I’m sure this year will be much like the last with further reliance on the digital sphere – advances in technology will continue to change how we choose to communicate with each other and search for information. So let’s wait and see what happens. I’ll leave you with one bit of advice, especially with regards to the digital arena – never accept the status quo, always ask why and think of other ways to solve problems. This will continue to drive innovation and keep you ahead of the game.
