Admin Manager 
In 2010, the customer base is smarter than ever. That's partly because we live in an era where technology is working miracles...literally: this week we've seen headlines about eye implants that allow the blind to see. We're on the horizon where science fiction becomes science news, and that's been disrupting every industry known to mankind.
Business has a strange logic, here in the future. Google's biggest concern isn't the fact that their rival Bing just merged with Yahoo, they're worried about Facebook. The industry media plays up the rivalry between Trulia and Zillow, but yet the biggest Real Estate Network online recently turned out to be...boring old MSN. For better or worse, everyone is learning to expect the unexpected.
In our ebook Marketing to the Super-Empowered, we talk about professor John Gerzema, who believes that tough economic times have created today's smarter customers. His name for the concept: "The Post-Crisis Consumer." He's got a lot of Fortune 500 companies listening to what he has to say, too.
Times are tough all over...but our focus is still on how to thrive in a hostile climate, not just survive. Our answer involves some breakthrough technology and a winning formula:
Connect ==> Collect ==> Convert.
Entrepreneurs always focus on that last part...which is understandable! However, the hardest part is the most overlooked: the authentic and professional connection that establishes and sustains your business relationships. If making a sale were as easy as getting an email address, we would all be billionaires by now.
Your customers are smarter than ever, and this is especially true for Information Marketing. The industry is growing fast in 2010, and in our 24-7 media cycle, everyone stays focused on the latest statistics. The most important news, though, gets lost in the big picture. You see, the Infomarketing business has been growing fast for nearly a decade now, which means there's a huge number of Expert Customers out there. These are people who are completely familiar with the basics, free-time entrepreneurs who have built their own lists and created a couple dozen websites already.
So although the "Big Launch" product hype is always focused on new markets and new consumers, the biggest story in 2010 is the Super-Empowered Consumers who have been here for awhile already! In a recession with no end in sight, these are the very best customers to have. A network of motivated small businesses is exactly the kind of foundation that keeps a company intact through tough times.
Trends are just a treadmill. Like you, we're in business every single day and there's plenty of work to do. We can't be changing focus every time the blogging herd finds a new shiny object to play with. In the past 10 years, the cycle of fads and trends has acclerated, but one thing remains the same: most of them didn't add up to very much. Infomarketer is here to steer you in the right direction -- not barrage you with the latest distractions.
Here at Infomarketer, our focus is simple: What Works?
P.S. Best read of the week so far: some advice on "Fighting to Win in Established Markets" from Richard Branson. He's got a great writing style and his love of business really shines through.
