Ben Cotton looks at ways to succeed online in the age of austerity.

1. SUCCEEDING ONLINE IN THE AGE OF AUSTERITY
By Ben Cotton
@bencotton
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2. BUDGETS ARE SHRINKING
Marketing budgets are contracting and have been for a while. There is a very real
need to be able to pick marketing wins with more accuracy so that budget for
activity is allocated more effectively.
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3. TRUST IS FALLING
Trust is fragile and we now live in an age of scepticism. Institutions now have to
work much harder to earn trust. They need to communicate across multiple
platforms so their messaging is received.
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4. PAGE VIEW LED NEWSROOM
Media across Europe are reducing headcount as they explore ways to generate
revenue. Everything from paywalls to community hacks have been mooted. Until
this conundrum is solved media will increasingly focus on page views.
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5. STOP TRYING TO WOW YOUR CUSTOMERS
Brands should focus on doing what’s expected of them. Every brand would love to
wow every consumer, but only few can. The rise of the savvy shopper has changed
expectations and businesses should now focus on meeting, not exceeding them.
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6. RISE OF THE MARKETING MATHEMATICIAN
Marketing mathematicians are the movie stars of the digital world. With the rise
of big data, moneyball marketing and powerful BI tools marketing budgets can be
spent more wisely. Hire one now to make sure you’re not dazzled by the data.
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7. FUNCTIONALITY, NOT FANFARE
We’re going to see a return to functionality over fanfare with a sharper focus on
business benefits. This new perspective will require a new approach from some
agencies. In the age of austerity we need projects that drive action, not chit-chat.
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8. THE PERSONALISED WEB
We’ve had a taste of the personalised web thanks to Facebook, Google+, Amazon
and eBay. In the future we’ll be served content tailored to our preferences and
that of our networks as algorithm served content becomes pervasive.
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9. Thank you
Contact details
@bencotton
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linkedin.com/bencotton
slideshare.net/bencotton
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