Tag Archives: business owners

KL Social Media 2012

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FB - Socially Devoted Countries [2012]

Social media is not something new in Malaysia and is widely utilized as a marketing channel across businesses and corporate organizations alike. In fact, a recent research by SocialBakers reported that Malaysia is among the top 10 most socially devoted countries on Facebook, led by corporate titans such as AirAsia!

However, many businesses are still trying to catch up with the rapid pace to see how can they effectively reach out to their target audience on social media networks as Malaysia is quite diverse in culture after all.

That said, there’s an upcoming event that I’m pretty excited about – the KL Social Media 2012 which is a gathering of different industry players to network, share ideas and to learn more about the ever changing landscape of social media.

KL Social Media 2012

The event will be held on the 25th August 2012 (a Saturday), from 3pm to 6pm at Midi57 Bangsar, Kuala Lumpur with a range of speakers from various industries on topics such as mobile marketing and the usage of LinkedIn for businesses.

If you’re interested, do drop them a line at [email protected] or call 03-21697386. Tickets are sold for only 60MYR, inclusive of food and drinks and a special door gift.

To find out more info about the event, the speakers, the topics and the prizes you may take home (including a book by Neal Schaffer!) lined up, head over to the event page and join the fun!

I will definitely be there so if you’re coming along, do drop me a note and we can probably meet up to have a chat over coffee or something. See you there! :)

Disclaimer: this event is organized by a friend of mine which is an advocate for making online marketing more human and blogs over here.  

Brand Focus #12: Online PR Gone Bad [Paradigm Mall]

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Online PR have always been a popular topic among marketers and social media enthusiasts and I really don’t blame them because it IS an important topic to address and for some reason, I’ve been bumping into some really bad PR campaigns online lately. Take for an example Mayo Clinic where they posted an article on their blog on ectopic pregnancy right beside an ad for ‘cute little dresses’, the recent outbreak of really bad customer service with KFC Malaysia and more recently, with a newly opened shopping mall in Malaysia (see below). 

What went wrong?

I don’t know about you but I got a shock reading the reply from the management or their supposed social media team. You’ve guessed it right – this immediately turned viral where customers started creating photos, videos and tagging their friends into what they are calling the ‘magical moment’.

3 Things to Learn from this Incident

#1: Speed Matters

If there’s anything I’ve learnt through the years, consumers want to be noticed and wants an answer yesterday (no, this is not a typo). They are not inclined to know that you are on a holiday or whether it is a weekend. To them, social media does not sleep because they aren’t, and they want to hear from you.

#2: Never Fight Fire with Fire

Dealing with customers is tough. And it’s normal. There are days where you just aren’t in the mood and here comes this customer with a complain that drives you up the wall. Stop, take a walk and reply positively. It is never, ever a good thing to be sarcastic, unapologetic or to even outsmart a customer – it’ll just make matters worst.

#3: Never Let the Fire go Wild

A wildfire is the last you want to start online. Sure, mistakes do happen but you must be able to sniff out fire and put them out within the shortest time available. Never let it go unnoticed, thinking that it’ll eventually go away because it won’t. And when it starts going out of hand, things will be harder to fix.

What to do if you can’t seem to keep up?

#1: Bring it Off-Grid

If things go out of hand (or you’re already sniffing fire), try bringing the conversation off-grid – whether it is through email, a phone conversation, a direct message on Twitter or Facebook’s ‘message’ feature with the new Timeline update. Politely request for a change of platform and in most cases, customers do comply as they too want their problem fixed.

#2: Get a Trained Team

While going off-grid may make things better, you don’t really want to get there in the first place. Make sure your team is well trained to handle situations like these. Have a guideline in place spelling out the do’s and don’ts and make sure the guidelines are readily available.

#3: Make Things Clear

If time is out of your hands, you may want to consider announcing your ‘customer service’ hours. While this is not exactly the best way to go about online, this method will be able to set an expectation among your customers by telling them when will you be available to reply accordingly.

Social media platforms have become so important that most businesses today see the need of leveraging on its potential, but there is a greater need to be able to MANAGE these platforms to achieve that potential.

Paradigm Mall is just one of the many examples out there and I would love to hear your experiences on other online PR disasters too!

p.s. The management of Paradigm Mall publicly apologized on their Facebook page a couple of hours after the incident and to that, a job well done!

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: Friend or Foe?

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Note: This is Part 4 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

Social media networks are awesome to have

This is Part 4 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Disclaimer: The video was recorded as part of the RU Ready series targeted to entrepreneurs in Malaysia by Prudential which I was involved in. This also happen to be my first ever video series :)

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: The 5 Realities of Social Media

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Note: This is Part 3 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

With the many benefits social networking platforms have, it is no wonder many that are new imagined being ‘social’ is easier than it actually is. After all, you probably already have a personal Facebook or Twitter account in which you’re up-keeping well.

Unfortunately, having your business on social media isn’t something (as) easy.

The difference is this – on your personal page you’re free to share and talk about anything you want and let’s be honest, the main reason you’re spending so much time on these platforms is because it has been, and continues to be all about yourself; and you keep track (or stalk) your friends’ latest happenings.

And that does not happen with your business. Watch the video below on the reality of social media.

The 5 Realities of Social Media An Entrepreneur Should Know Of

Note: this is an extension of the video above

#1: You’re not connected as you think you are

It is always a good idea to first reach out to your existing networks (friends or followers) when putting together your business page. However, the friends you have may not be fans of your business. Even if they are, they may not necessarily be your potential customers. And you’re certainly not connected to all 800 million people on Facebook. Which also means that your business is hardly global.

#2: It won’t be a case of increasing sales

At least not so soon. Social media platforms should never be seen as an answer to low sales simply because it never is a sales platform to begin with. It says ‘social’ for a reason. Don’t get me wrong – sales CAN happen but it will be a result of communication and relationship building, not through blatant advertising.

#3: It is not easy. At all.

Just like starting up a business or a new website, it isn’t easy at all and there are many reasons to it. Whether it is marketing strategy, customer acquisition or retention, they are also valid (and prevailing) challenges on social media platforms so much so that if you think that getting started is tough, you’re wrong. It’s tougher ahead.

The frequent changes and updates in technology, the fact that you’re dealing with consumers that continuously demand, and the time required to be seen as ‘present’ on these platforms for people to take notice of your business is sufficient enough to get you going for as long your business is running.

#4: It isn’t free either

Speaking of time (in #3 above), time isn’t free, and by now you should have noticed the heavy involvement / requirement of time on social media. You need time to build connections, to create conversations and the dedication to make it happen for you.

This also means that you may have lesser time to do (actual) business thus losing out on potential sales elsewhere. If you choose to hire, there are costs involved as well. Sure, the platforms such as Facebook and Twitter are free, but the calculation does not stop there.

#5: And it isn’t a numbers game

Many have said this and I’ll say it again – don’t ever get caught in the numbers game. In other words, don’t spend all your time accumulating the number of followers or fans! Unless your only goal is to look better than your competitor and not get anything out of it, never compete in numbers.

In fact, you can even purchase fans and followers from as low as $5 USD. That’s how ‘cheap’ they are.

Additional read: 8 Grave Misconceptions about Social Media

“Okay, what to do then?”

what to do on social media+ Keep your head in the game and focus on what’s most important for your business.
+ Strive to provide value and provide them consistently.
+ Create conversations that is about them, not about you.
+ At appropriate opportunities, give them a reason to share about you and tell them how to.
+ Get them involved in your business through discussions. Hear them out!
+ Encourage them to share their thoughts or ideas.
+ Take a step further to get to know them better, for example, their interests.
+ Don’t be all suited up. Have fun! Run promotions, giveaways or share lighthearted resources (don’t go overboard though!).
+ Don’t automate replies. Being genuine is key.
+ And ultimately, stay committed.

Next up in Part 4: Friend or Foe?

This is Part 3 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Disclaimer: The video was recorded as part of the RU Ready series targeted to entrepreneurs in Malaysia by Prudential which I was involved in. This also happen to be my first ever video series :)

Photo credit: BizOrigin

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: 3 Reasons Why Social Media is Made for You

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Note: This is Part 2 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

Social media networks are powerful tools for both individuals and businesses. No, I’m not referring to the fact that it has a huge user base (because you will not be able to reach out to all of them anyway) but the ability to do the below 3 amazing things for your business.

Watch the short video below!

If you missed this part in the video above, let me ask you again:

“Everyone, including your competitors are on social media networks. Why are you on social media? What are you doing different than them?”

That may sound like a simple question but you’ll also need to understand the 3 reasons why social media will benefit you as an entrepreneur to understand what can be done:

Note: the below is an excerpt from the video above (with a little extra)

#1: Social Media Levels the Playing Field

Social media is all about building a relationship with your target audience in a two-way conversation. It is not meant to be collected and admired upon. This also means that brands with huge budget cannot directly purchase success on social networks, unlike on print ads where visibility wins. High visibility does not guarantee a growing relationship with your audience.

On top of that, these social media platforms often go through updates (like the recent Facebook timeline update). Big brands have to keep up with it as well and there are no shortcuts to it.

#2: Social Media Can Be (Very) Targeted

One of the advantage social networks have over traditional mediums is that it can be a whole lot more targeted. Not only it allows you to target potential customers in a specific location, gender, age or interest (such as in Facebook Ads), it can also be used to target conversations (on Twitter) or even current locations (on FourSquare).

This means that entrepreneurs today have the ability to reach out to their target audience specifically without spending unnecessarily while effectively meeting the ‘wants’ of a customer.

#3: Social Media is a Network of Networks

Many people limit their networks to their immediate friends or followers, thinking that it is only them that they are reaching out to and this is a flawed concept. One of the main benefits of social networks is the ability to tap into the networks of your friends or followers. This can be done through the ‘sharing’, ‘retweeting’ or ‘recommend’ feature on Facebook and Twitter.

How else can social media benefit you as an entrepreneur?

Next up in Part 3: The 5 Realities of Social Media

This is Part 2 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Disclaimer: The video was recorded as part of the RU Ready series targeted to entrepreneurs in Malaysia by Prudential which I was involved in. This also happen to be my first ever video series :)

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: The Basics

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Note: This is Part 1 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series.

“With power comes great responsibility”

I’ve always found that quote from Spiderman to be so very true. The thing is, social media networks over the years have become a checklist item for entrepreneurs, business owners and individuals alike, so much so that people are just doing it because it is THE thing to do.

They forget that social media is a force to be reckon with and cannot be taken lightly. It is not something where you setup and forget or a tool to make you money in your pyjamas.

Have that said, here are 4 responsibilities entrepreneurs should take note of on social media:

#1: Stay dedicated

It is easy to give up especially when you’re lacking in followers / fans or when no one seems to be reading your articles, replying to your posts or retweeting your content. But instead of throwing in the towel saying “It does not work”, ask yourself, “Why isn’t it working?” instead and do something about it.

Could it be your approach? Could it be your timing? Or could it even be your profile description? Remember that you’re dealing with people on social networks behind those pretty avatars therefore it can take some time before you catch their attention. Again it is a game of trial and error. Never give up!

However, be aware that social media can be a major time suck. Something as simple as replying to a comment can lead on to many other activities and distractions so set a time for yourself to be ‘at work’ on social networks and turn it off when you’re done so you won’t miss out on ‘real work’ in your business.

#2: Learn, and never stop learning

You need to be in the know as an entrepreneur, especially if you’re on social media and having not enough time is NOT an excuse. Technology and business today are moving so quickly that it might cost you if you are oblivious to what’s happening. Besides, it is just unforgivable if you’re not taking time off to learn especially with the abundant of resources online today.

Reading 3 articles a day can take you very far and that will probably just take you less than 10 minutes. I have personally subscribed to a number of feeds on my Google Reader so that I won’t miss out on what I deem as important such as technology news, social statistics / infographics and marketing insights. You should, too!

#3: Ignore the glitter

Do you really need a pair of 3d glasses

It is extremely easy to get caught in the glitter as an entrepreneur. Yes, like a magpie.  It can be the iPhone 7 (new gadgets), Mega Hootsuite (new apps) or whatever that is supposedly made to help ease the workload on social networks.

Sure, there are tools or gadgets that WILL help (and I use a number of them) but do you need the latest of them or even at all? Choose your tools wisely and work with them. Remember, it is quality engagement you need on social networks so complete automation is not necessarily a good thing. And if you’re thinking about auto DMs on Twitter, forget it. It ain’t cool!

Disclaimer: the gadgets and apps mentioned in this section are all made up and is not to be represented as a rumor, leaked information or marketing attempt for any kind.

#4: Don’t abuse the usage of social media networks

Now before you go trigger happy with social media networks, you should be mindful that there are certain social media manners and rules to adhere to. Take Facebook for example, tagging your followers / friends on a promotional flyer, posting on their walls to promote your product, and pestering them to “Like” your page are seen as spam. A rule of thumb is to not do to others what you don’t like others doing to you.

As for rules, know that the Facebook rules and guidelines forbids you using Facebook as a promotional platform. This includes contests of any kind. Sounds familiar? Yes, this means a contest of “Likes” or “Tagging” or “Sharing” are all prohibited on Facebook.

I wrote this article some time back on this and though much has changed, the gist of it still remains. Check it out if you’re unsure about the Facebook promotional guidelines.

What’s your experience or advice to entrepreneurs on social media? Do leave your thoughts at the comment section below.

This is Part 1 to the Social Media for Entrepreneurs series. Quick access to the series below:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2: Why It’s Made for You | Part 3: The Reality | Part 4 ]

Next up in Part 2: Why Social Media for Entrepreneurs?

3D glasses image credit: CoolGadgetConcepts.com

Social Media for Entrepreneurs: An Introduction

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About two weeks ago I was invited to speak to 120 aspiring entrepreneurs at a workshop hosted by Prudential Malaysia under the RU Ready campaign, specifically targeted towards college / university students and young adults. It was an exciting opportunity as I always enjoy sharing with young people but yet a humbling experience to be speaking alongside two well established entrepreneurs, Candice Lee (Sales Director of Capital Asia Group) and Timothy Tiah (Co-founder of Nuffnang).

Speaking to young entrepreneurs always reminds me of the excitement of being an entrepreneur, especially when you’ve a new idea in mind. You just can’t stop thinking and talking about it with the intention to grow the idea and eventually commercializing it. However, any entrepreneur would tell you that the journey won’t be easy. It’ll be tough. That’s because…

Entrepreneurship isn’t science

One of the key attributes of an entrepreneur is to not fear failure, so much so that if you’re afraid of failing, you won’t cut it as an entrepreneur. It is a never ending journey of trial and error and what worked for Mark Zuckerberg or Steve Jobs may not work for you, simply because there’s no one fixed formula to success in entrepreneurship.

Similarly, there is no fixed formula to social media success

In the excitement of establishing a new business as an entrepreneur, many approach social media as if it is the cure to business problems or the formula to a successful business. The thing is, entrepreneurs must remember that building your social media presence is similar to building a business. It takes time, commitment and dedication that grows through time.

Social media can be part of the cure or formula, but never THE cure or formula

Social networks are a gift to entrepreneurs. It is only until the introduction of social networks that entrepreneurs are able to start at a faster pace. Think about it – you’ve resources on blogs, video content on YouTube, and a whole world to explore and to be in contact with potential investors, partners or buyers via Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Is there more?

This is the introduction to a 4-part series on social media for entrepreneurs so stay tuned for more!

[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]

Here are the slides to my sharing session at the workshop if you’re interested:

Social Media for Entrepreneurs

Quick access to the series:
[ Introduction | Part 1: The Basics | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 ]

The Credibility Curve, 2nd Impressions and Social Media

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I was listening to someone over the radio the other day speaking about sales on how the importance of building your credibility in your networks will attract more business opportunities. I wasn’t really paying attention at first and I suddenly thought:

“Hey, isn’t this true on social media networks too?”

If you take a look around, you’ll find many companies, businesses and individuals trying their very best to accumulate masses of fans. You know how it works – some put together promotions and contests requiring you to first “Like” their page or to “Share” with their friends, some go all out to build connections and to send personal invitations, some create a welcome page with a freebie to give away upon a “Like”, and some go by the shady way of just purchasing fans / followers.

Where am I getting at

Many tend to spend their time accumulating, amassing huge amount of fans by creating a very well polished, presentable and approachable first impression. It’s like walking into a newly opened cafe in town and the waiters are friendly. They greet you by name, start small talks and will even leave you something so that you’ll come by again. All these are great to have, however…

How many take note of creating a great 2nd impression?

It is very easy to start off something big but it is never easy sustaining its growth and its the same on social media. You see, being social does not end at having amassed 100,000 or 1,000,000 fans. In fact, whatever the number of followers are, that is only the beginning and here are 3 reasons why:

#1: You’re the new kid in town

Which also means that you’re probably one out of the many competitors out there doing the same thing.

A painful truth: Your followers may have “Liked” you only for the sake of winning that brand new gadget you offered as a prize.

What can you do: Show them you’re not just a pretty face. Give them reasons to remember or to talk about you in their personal networks. Leave them something to share and to take action of, keep them involved in one way or another.

#2: You’ve left them looking forward for more

Consumers have high expectations, especially when you’ve created an unforgettable first impression. They’ll want to experience it again, or more.

A painful truth: If you’re unable to keep up with their expectations on their 2nd experience with you, there’s a possibility that you’re out.

What can you do: Never, ever over promise beyond your means. Can you still fulfill that promise if you have 10, 100, 1000 or even 10000 customers? Go small, but strive to over deliver all the time. Ask yourself, “What else can I offer to create a better experience?”. Sometimes the key is not to create an extensive but a unique experience.

social call to action#3: You’ll be forgotten, soon

No matter how good the experience is, there’ll be a time where your customers will experience something better elsewhere and you’ll be forgotten.

A painful truth: They forget quicker online. Can you remember all the pages you’ve “Liked” on Facebook in the past? When was the last time you posted / interacted on a brand’s Facebook page?

What can you do: Don’t let the momentum of your launch campaign go down. Start putting out content that matters. It helps when you tell your fans what you want them to do or to even ask for suggestions on what you can do better. This may sound like common sense but the more people you get interacting, the more people will see your brand on their timeline.

So how is credibility related to this then?

Creating memorable experiences naturally breeds memorability towards your business. When that happens, a relationship is formed between you and your customer – because you’ve been there with them. It’s a feeling of familiarity, or trust. The reason why you say or think that social media isn’t working for you is because the perception of risk continues to supersede the perception of trust among your customers.

To make social media ‘work’, you’ll need build your credibility with your customers.

So if you haven’t already, remember,

2nd impression matters. It drives credibility.

Yes, even on Social Media.

Photo credit: Bob Gorrell

A Crawling Restaurant Experience @ The Hungry Hog

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It was my mum’s birthday last weekend and we decided to head to a nearby cozy local restaurant for a simple celebration dinner. It wasn’t our first time there so we ordered our usuals and all was well… until my dad started swinging his leg about. He stood up and lo and behold, a cockroach fell out of his trousers. Yes, it crawled into his trousers when we were eating. Disgusted, we decided to get the bill and leave.

Being concerned customers, we told the waiter (or what seemed like the boss) what happened and to my disbelief, she just shook her head saying:

“Sorry, it’s too bad. I just got in so I didn’t see what happened.”

Followed with the bill, with a 10% service tax and the usual 6% government tax.

What was she thinking!?

Now, we weren’t expecting a discount or a free meal but it would be nice if we got a (nicer) apology rather than a (very) poor excuse. While you’re nodding your head in agreement (I’m guessing you are), it’s amazing to see similar occurrences happening even on digital platforms. From the recent Paul Christoforo to Versace’s Facebook wall-closing incident, we can learn two things:

1. Treat your customers like customers. Sure, some customers can be a pain and customers are not always right but they’re still your customers. Did you know that for every 1 complaint received, there are 26 others that did not complain, making up to 10,000 dissatisfaction?

2. Avoiding the situation won’t make things better. In fact, it’ll get worse. In the case of Christoforo, let’s just say that his career is over. As for Versace, well, they got a whole lot of blasting themselves from fans and supporters.

With all that said, it is important for businesses today to remember that…

Customers today are social customers

They no longer are customers who purchase blindly and allows you to get away with things easily. The proof?

social media supporting consumer decision making in malaysia

click for larger image

Malaysians actually rely pretty heavily on social networks to receive advice prior to making a purchase. On top of that, 78% of the Malaysian internet population are on Facebook and 31% of them has a blog on Blogger (source: Nielson Research). This also means that if they don’t like you, there’s a 78% chance you’ll end up on their Facebook wall or in a blog post somewhere in the digital world.

What happens in the digital world? It gets worse

Not only the complaints are visible to potential customers, they are permanent. And since these content are user generated, you have no way of removing them. A well optimized complaint on a blog will probably guarantee frontage results across search engines. Same goes to negative reviews on FourSquare, Amazon, eBay or TripAdvisor and shared across Facebook and Twitter.

Think about it – would you really want that for your business? What if you’re able to turn that around to a positive testimonial instead? Wouldn’t that be good? I’m sure it is.

With an experience like that, will we go back there again? We won’t. Will you?

4 Social Media Predictions for Malaysia 2012

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2011 has been an amazing year in the digital realm. From the major Google Panda update somewhere in February 2011, to the design overhauls with major social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and even StumbleUpon, the introduction of Google+, the beta launch of Kred and the list goes on.

What excites me most is that more and more businesses are seen to be adopting and experimenting on social media, leading towards exciting times for both marketers and consumers alike in 2012 – a concrete indication that social networking is indeed changing the way we communicate, do business and definitely not a trend.

Having seen all that, have you wondered what 2012 would be like for social media? Here are my four (4) predictions of social media in Malaysia for 2012:

Prediction #1: Increased social media adoption among small business owners

Why: Social media campaigns have been prevalent in larger corporations throughout 2011. However, small businesses (known as Small-Medium Enterprises) makes up the largest business establishment in Malaysia with 99.2%, equivalent to 518,996 businesses in which the huge majority (86.5%) are in the services sector which includes retail, restaurant and wholesale businesses. (source: Census of Establishments and Enterprises 2005)

What does this mean: With larger corporations leading the way in 2011, the SMEs in Malaysia have tangibly seen the implementation and results of different online marketing campaigns and may emulate the success. On top of that, the nature of businesses in the services sector (especially B2C) can greatly reap the potential of social media networks.

If you’re a small business owner, here’s a bonus article on why your business benefits best on social media.

Prediction #2: Rise of social commerce

Why: Malaysians spent MYR 1.8 billion on online purchases back in 2010 . In 2011, there was a rise of e-commerce enabled websites (putting behind the usual blog layouts), electronic marketplaces (e.g. Mudah.my, AsiaAsiaMegastore.com), digital services (in government and private sectors alike), group buying sites such as Groupon and the recent opening of PayPal’s Global Operation Centre in Malaysia. To top it off, these businesses have been promoting their sites across social networking platforms using various methods with 94% of Malaysian online consumers using social networks as a guide to shopping (source: Nielsen Company).

Before and After E-Commerce Integration: Online Fashion Entrepreneur – Soul Chic (from the MOFEW community)

What does this mean: Businesses in Malaysia are beginning to recognize the importance of using electronic mediums while consumers are experiencing the convenience of online purchasing. Having that said, consumers may grow and continuously seek social proof or recognition from their peers and businesses when making a purchasing decision.

Prediction #3: Increased importance of social media integration in marketing campaigns

Why: Existing local business pages on Facebook have been using similar strategies in building their presence using various promotional campaigns such as sweepstakes or contests in which will continue to grow. Having said that, competition will increase having to attract the consumers’ attention which may lead to the need for more innovative or integrated social marketing campaigns to break out from the norm.

Local businesses such as the above video are already innovating to be different from their competitors.

What does this mean: As business competition increases across platforms, the demand and expectations among consumers also increases. This demand may act as a requirement benchmark in which businesses have to keep up (or surpass) with, whether it is the level of engagement, method of engagement or even the tools of engagement.

Prediction #4: The growth of mobile

Why: The growth of smart phone users in Malaysia is scary. A recent report by Nielsen’s online consumer survey in Malaysia revealed that the number of smart phone users are expected to rise from 48% to 89% within a year.

Crowd at iPhone 4s Launch Malaysia

Thousands of people queuing at the launch of the iPhone 4s. Image source: www.yogaretnam.com

What’s even more interesting is that 83% of existing smart phone users are using free apps while 37% are on paid versions.

What does this mean: This suggests that the penetration rate of smart phone users are not as low we thought it has been and people with such devices ARE using mobile apps. We may be able to see a rise in the adoption of mobile driven / optimized websites, apps, mobile games or a wider use of quick response (QR) codes.

What do you think?