What is my third prediction for content?

Companies will focus on quality content to improve lead generation.

In the 1990s, every company was debating whether or not it needed a Web site. Companies had meetings about it, discussed the pros and cons, and pondered it for months. If your business did not have a Web site back then, your customers probably had a difficult time contacting you. If your company does not have a Web site today, your customers might not even know you exist.

For most companies, building a Web site is not the problem—but how do you drive traffic to it? With a plethora of information available to consumers via the Internet, it is becoming increasingly difficult for companies to distinguish their message from the messages of others. And as more businesses continue to push online marketing initiatives, SEO, and social media campaigns, establishing your company as the authoritative voice in your market is becoming much harder.

The best way for companies to develop a successful marketing strategy and increase lead generation is to focus on developing quality content, and I expect more and more companies to recognize its value in the year ahead. If companies want to separate their brand identity from the other the white noise out there, they have to create engaging content that their customers find relevant and meaningful. Quality content will increase conversion to sales, the amount of time consumers spend on your Web site, and the number of unique visitors to your page. Smart businesses will find companies who will not only build their digital presence, but who will get them the traffic they need to grow.

Check back next week to find out my next 2010 prediction for content.

What is my second prediction for content?

As the economy begins to slowly recover, businesses will use quality content to reach out to their market and connect with their customers.

The recession may come to an end this year, but economists are not predicting much of a recovery. Growth will be slow, job creation will be a challenge, and the housing market will continue to struggle. Economy.com predicts a 1.2 percent growth for Chicago in 2010, and the Chicago unemployment rate is set to peak in the third quarter at 11.5 percent.

But as businesses continue to maneuver through this difficult time, I expect content to play a pivotal role in the recovery process. With the worst of the recession behind us, now is the time for businesses to reconnect with their market and to let their customers know that they are still here. Digital media outlets like e-mail, blogs, social media networks, and e-newsletters offer companies an important opportunity to create viral exposure for their brand and to do so in a relatively inexpensive way.

In order to reconnect with their market during the recovery process, companies can:

• utilize e-mail marketing and clean up their bounce back rate;
• update their LinkedIn status to inform their network of exciting things happening with their business;
• create a Webinar on their latest product or service to reinstate themselves as the authoritative voice within their market.

For more information on e-mail marketing, social media, or other digital media initiatives, go to the S2EO blog here.

Check back next week to find out my next 2010 prediction for content.

What is my first prediction for content in 2010?

Companies will focus on generating quality content to aid them in training, sales, Human Resources, and online marketing initiatives.

Now that 2009 is over (farewell!), companies are looking to enter a period of recovery in 2010 and beyond. Unfortunately, due to cuts in staffing and resources, businesses will need to adapt and adjust to a new sense of “normal.” But with technology constantly advancing, companies have an opportunity to innovate and evolve in order to stay competitive and move forward.

Here at Shakespeare Squared, part of our ability to remain successful is our continuing focus on providing quality content to our clients. And while at one time the majority of our content came in the form of textbooks and workbooks, today we find ourselves creating content (educational, marketing, and more) for a variety of industries. We create and maintain Webinars and podcasts, white papers and Web articles—and in the coming year, more and more businesses will get on board and do the same.

I believe that we will see businesses providing new employee training over the Internet via Webinars, podcasts, and interactive programs and quizzes. Companies will utilize social media communities to align their sales force and increase productivity, and they will implement online marketing initiatives such as e-newsletters as an efficient and less expensive way to connect with their clients. Videos and ways to optimize them will make a large splash on the Web, too—much more so than today.

Most people have heard about social media and online marketing, but how many businesses are placing the right value on these tools?

How will your company recover in this economy? That should be the question your company is asking, and acting on the answers will be the most important move your company can make.

If you would like more information on some of these technologies and their impact on businesses, read our S2EO blog here.

And don’t forget to check back next week to find out my next 2010 prediction for content.

What is my last prediction for Education?

As the federal and state governments continue to struggle to formulate policies, children will be the ones to miss out.

Nearly a year after the Obama administration allocated $100 billion of its economic-stimulus package to improving the nation’s public education system, few substantive changes in education have been made. While the surge in funds did prevent teacher layoffs and the cutting of programs in school districts nationwide, it is difficult to determine the lasting affects of the initiative on K–12 policy.

However, with Race to the Top (RTT) and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) at the forefront of Education, it is time for technology and innovation to come together to help school districts lower costs while embracing the highest standards of the most successful school districts in our nation. Through the adoption of common core state standards, school districts can begin to defray costs as states like Texas seek to include digital products on their adoption lists.

By incorporating more technology into the public education system, states can lower the cost of learning per student and eliminate the high textbook cost problem plaguing many school districts. It is my hope that between the new federal policy and the bridging together of technology and innovation, we will begin to see a decrease in the cost of materials per student by the end of 2010—and with it, more lasting positive changes in our public education system.

Check back next week as I kick off my five predictions for content in 2010.

What is my fourth prediction for Education?

Curriculum for gifted students will expand, and states will allot money for programs and technology for them.

As a subcategory of Special Education, gifted programs are often put on the backburner in school districts. I know many parents who had to fight for their child to be tested and for courses to be designed for their gifted child. In fact, gifted programs were some of the first to be cut under No Child Left Behind (NCLB). The problem I have with NCLB is that it fails to recognize the potential of gifted students to raise standardized test scores—by giving them an opportunity to participate in programs that will really motivate and challenge them.

When my 11-year-old daughter was recommended for a gifted program (at age 6), we were told to go to the Center for Talent and Development at Northwestern University. Since our school did not have any programs to help her, and she was starting to display signs of boredom in the classroom, we decided to check it out.

The center aims to integrate rigorous coursework with fun learning activities to both interest and stimulate students—courses like Adventures & Fantasy, the Computer Gaming Academy, Robotics, and Poetry Slam. Many of these courses included collaborative learning methods, inquiry-based learning, and self-discovery.

These courses sound great, but we need to find a way to offer these types of classes in mainstream schools and to translate them to every student in some capacity. And unlike NCLB, Race to the Top seeks to boost student achievement through the implementation of more innovative and creative curriculum. With this in mind, and with technology and STEM in the forefront, we are truly poised to focus on children who may not have been left behind, but who were definitely forgotten.

To find out my next prediction for Education, check back next week.

What is my third prediction for Education?

Race to the Top will boost states that have not been top performers.

Last week, the Department of Education announced that 40 states and the District of Columbia applied for a share of the Race to the Top fund. And with usual movers and shakers like Texas stepping out of the competition, Race to the Top promises to spark action among states that have not been performing well under NCLB, pushing them to the forefront of educational reform.

Ohio says that it plans to use RTT as a motivator for educators to move from the fifth-best school system in the nation to the first in four years. And according to a report by The New Teacher’s Project, other states to watch out for include Colorado, Delaware, Louisiana, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The winners of RTT awards will not be announced until April, but it looks to be an exciting time for Education.

To find out my next prediction for Education, check back next week. 

What is my second prediction for 2010?

Assessment will become a broader term.

As a result of Race to the Top, states will need to cultivate their creativity and originality to target the different ways that students learn. States will have to pay greater attention to Special Education subgroups like ELL, remedial, and gifted students and truly assess students beyond just standardized testing. Unlike traditional testing methods, authentic assessment moves away from rote learning techniques and instead aims to evaluate students in “real world” contexts. Children who learn differently will have an opportunity to demonstrate their skills and knowledge through a variety of tasks and projects.

To find out my next 2010 prediction for Education, check back next week.

This week, I will begin to discuss the first of five predictions for Education. So, what is my first prediction for Education in 2010?

Education and innovation will be used in tandem.

The broken model in Education stems from the relationship between states and publishers. This has created the perfect storm for Education to really move forward. With the implementation of Race to the Top (RTT) at the federal level, states will have to channel their creativity and innovation in order to gain a share of the federal dollars they need. This competitive grant program rewards states that strive to achieve significant reforms in four specified areas of Education: enhancing standards and assessments; improving the collection and use of data; increasing teacher effectiveness and achieving equity in teacher distribution; and turning around struggling schools. We can only hope that this program will begin to turn our Education structure into a true 21st century system.

To find out my next 2010 prediction for Education, check back next week.

But first, I begin this week with a prediction I already made for Joe Pulizzi, founder of Junta42, for his blog on social media and content marketing. As an author, speaker and strategist for content marketing, Pulizzi wanted to know, “What is your prediction for how brand marketers will create and distribute their own content in 2010?”

More than 60 professionals in marketing, content marketing, custom publishing and social media offered their predictions. So, what was my answer? I predict that in 2010 there will be a clear division between quality customized content and content that is created in a factory-like fashion. To read the rest of my prediction—and to see what the other experts had to say--check me out on page 31 of the ebook created by Zmags. You can download it for free here. Or, check out the original blog post with the predictions here.

And don’t forget to check back next week to find out my other predictions for 2010.

My final prediction for 2009? Supplemental publishers are poised to make a big jump into the publishing pool.

Valid prediction? No.

Well, they may have been poised, but they never took the plunge.

When I first made this prediction, we had been seeing more work from our supplemental publishing clients. Between that and the proposed budgets that called for more differentiated and pre-kindergarten materials, I was sure 2009 would see at least one of the supplemental publishers turn into a major player.

As with my third prediction (third quarter would see business loosening up), the stimulus budgets and proposed monies didn’t materialize in the way we thought—or hoped—they would, which prohibited supplemental publishers from taking the spotlight.

So how’d I do? Three out of five—60% was a failing grade when I was a teacher! But, I will say it was my first time as a professional forecaster, and I think few people could have predicted where this year was going to take us. Hopefully I can shoot for a better score with my 2010 predictions—so come back next year to check them out.

In the meantime, may you have a wonderful, healthy, and happy New Year!

My fourth prediction for 2009? Repurposing content will be the key—but it’s not as cheap as most think.

Valid prediction? Yes.

This past year was the year of repurposing content! From workbooks to webinars, alignments to articles, many of the projects we worked on involved repurposing existing content into a new product.

But as I also originally noted in my prediction, it’s not as cheap as most people think it will be. It is certainly helpful to work off of existing content, but it still takes a lot of work and creativity to make it into something new. In some cases, it can even be more difficult than starting from scratch, say for example if the original research doesn’t fulfill the current goal, or the source material is out-of-date.

If you’re looking for a way to keep costs down, repurposing your existing content might be the answer—but it’s certainly not free! It still takes time, money, and effort. However, if you’re trying to put out a new product in an era when money and resources are tight, repurposing what you already have can help stretch your dollar farther. It’s certainly a tactic that many of our clients used!

Check back next week when I’ll review my final prediction—and then get ready for my predictions for 2010!

My third prediction for 2009? Third quarter will see business loosening up.

Valid prediction? No.

When I posted this prediction originally at the beginning of second quarter, I thought I was about to see decisions being made by higher-ups that would loosen up some business that had been put on hold. I believed things would slowly—but surely—get better.

Maybe it was just that’s what I wanted to happen, or hoped that’s what would happen. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. Everyone hoped 2009 would be better, but instead the recession continued to drag on. The stimulus package didn’t turn into increased spending in 2009, and credit opportunities continued to shrink instead of grow.

Third quarter wasn’t all bad, but it was hard. It’s hard to be wrong anytime, but even harder to be wrong when times are tough. If I had predicted that third quarter would be tight but in reality business had poured in from all over, I would have been happy to be wrong!

Thankfully, because we worked hard and made smart business decisions, we were able to come through 2009, regardless of the climate. As we ring in 2010, more and more people are predicting that a recovery will happen. Do I change my predictions on business loosening up again? Stay tuned to find out…

Check back next week when I’ll review my fourth prediction!

My second prediction for 2009? Innovation is a must.

Valid prediction? Yes.

Education and content go hand in hand, and if the term “education” is evolving, so must content. As I said in my prediction, content that educates does not have to be in a textbook. We get educated by videos we watch on YouTube, podcasts we download to our iPod, even tweets on Twitter—I’m a firm believer in this!

As I expand Shakespeare Squared and its offerings, even though I hate to admit it, I don’t know everything. Whether I want to find out how people in a similar situation have handled a business issue I’m dealing with or I have a question on the latest marketing technique, I’ve found a quick tweet on Twitter will provide me with a wealth of information.

YouTube is not just about funny home videos. Twitter is not just about what someone ate for lunch.  These are tools to deliver your message and reach your communities. Technology continues to evolve, forcing all of us to evolve as well. The businesses that won’t or cannot innovate will be left in the dust, and we’ve seen this all over. I’ve seen too many businesses—in my industry, in the news, on the boarded-up storefronts—struggle because they couldn’t innovate this year.  It’s one of the reasons Shakespeare Squared is so heavily involved in incorporating technology into our work and our offerings—you can’t survive without it.

Check back later this week when I’ll review my third prediction!

At the beginning of this year, I made five predictions about what I thought 2009 would look like. Was I on track? As we round out the year, I’ll discuss my predictions, whether or not I was right, and why. Then, once we ring in the new year, I’ll look back into my crystal ball and make some new predictions for 2010.

My first 2009 prediction? Education would become a general term.

Valid prediction? Yes.

I predicted that we would see more and more companies focusing on educating their clientele, and we have definitely seen this to be the case at Shakespeare Squared. We do educational work day in and day out, but it’s not the same kind of education we were looking at two or three years ago.

Whereas previously we might have classified our educational content as almost exclusively textbooks and supplemental workbooks, this year has seen our educational content broaden to workbooks one day and whitepapers the next, with a healthy dose of educational Internet articles thrown in for good measure.

People really do want to learn—we’re truly thirsty for knowledge. Smart businesses are getting on board by providing educational content—webinars, whitepapers, podcasts, Internet article series, etc—and are poised for recovery for 2010 and beyond.

Check back next week when I’ll review my second prediction!

First, I would like to thank my staff here at Shakespeare Squared. It has been a challenging economy, market and model to keep running. This past year hasn’t been easy, but each and every staff member has put forth heroic efforts to push through, allowing us to keep our eyes on the ball and to keep moving forward.

I would also like to thank our clients.  We are grateful you have given us opportunities to create wonderfully creative products.  We are very proud of the work we have created for you!

As I am writing this, I am continually grateful for my family and friends. It is amazing how supportive and encouraging they have been.

I am the first one to admit, I am looking forward to ringing out 2009 and embracing 2010. Even though I know we will not return to “normal” as we once knew it, I’m very, very ready to move into a new year.  I feel prepared with the skill sets I have developed in this downturn, and believe they have been a blessing in disguise.

I wish everyone a happy holiday season and look forward to creating my predictions for 2010. Before those predictions are given, I will look back on my 2009 predictions to see how close (or far) from reality I really was!