Internet marketing 10 years from now...

There's a very good chance the wide open, low barrier situations that have been around since the late 90's could close up as the data carriers and government want to get their share and the level playing field we currently enjoy will start to close up.
There are plenty of examples in marketing where what used to be highly accessible access changes to only being available for the big players, the most obvious is the informercial business which used to allow small time players to get exposure. (Adwords seems to be going in this direction as well)
If I were you I would just take advantage of the opportunities now to get easy/free exposure with key players in whatever area you want to be known for and not stay in the low level, anonymous or just propogating one shot or hot lead products and instead build some kind of assets in relationships, connections, industry knowledge as opposed to techniques which never really give you much momentum in the larger scope of things.

I agree that there will be many more people trying to make money online and many more people using the internet.

The problem I have is that I think there is going to be far too much competition for newbies to get going which is why we all need to build our email lists as fast as possible before the internet marketing apocalypse hits.

I'm fairly sure things like YouTube and even Facebook/Twitter will retain their current user base because of the money they have at their disposal. If they ever see a drop in numbers they could use their massive cash reserves to re-brand and attract people back.

Google will support YouTube to the end of the world and Google will stomp anybody who tries to take them on.

Technology/Tools
Information
Services
Connections

Those will become even more available, anyone lacking the above may try and use his/her creativity again, sometimes people have to rely purely on the little they have.

Before Youtube, Social networks and internet rules, people had to rely on what they had. Spamming forums and emails.

It only gets better, the more people become involved the more channels will open up.

It will be harder to get noticed wearing the same colors your competitors do, but there will be more looking.

I think there will be new in the future that comes along.

I don't think anyone can come up with accurate answers on how internet marketing will look like after 10 years otherwise everyone would have done their home work.

My guess:

The barrier for entry will get higher, as it already seems to be doing. Scammers are easier to spot. Loopholes are faster to close.

Those who have built, are building or will build a good foundation are going to be alright. If you really look at things (I have been doing so for a little while now) the same stuff that worked about five years ago still works. But most people can't do that stuff, or just aren't willing to try.

If you're good online business should be fine in the next decade. If not, it's back to that 9-5.

Looking 10 years back, late 2003, internet marketing was being leaded by just a small portion of entrepreneurs; now in 2013, there are more opportunities than ever to start an online business, or at less make money online. 10 years from now, I believe there will be even more opportunities to make money online, but the competition will be high, and it will be difficult for someone to start a real business online if he is a complete newbie.

Honestly, am not worried about 10 years from now. Nobody here can with certainty tell you what's going to happen next year let alone a decade from now.
Concentrate on what's happening now...

If targetted traffic is all you are worried about then I want to know what have you learnt in past years.you shouldn't be worried because social media will always help you in this case.
When ever I needed targetted traffic socail media has been very helpful and effective so I see social networks to be paradise of IMers.

I think internet marketing will have its brightest days when Chinese join the West in spending online. imagine if you will hundreds of millions Chinese starting to spend online.

The illuminati or some others might destroy it. The other day I read some article in Gizmodo

How to Destroy the Internet

In 2015 half of all web traffic will come from tablets and smart phones as projected by Mary Meeker - a well respected expert on tech trends.

Internet marketers will have to change the way they market accordingly. Optimizing sales pages for the mobile experience will be key.

Don't expect it to get easier to generate traffic via social media. Open up the Facebook app on tablet and smart phone, where in the world is there space for IM? Keep in mind 10 years from now, laptops will be antiquated. We live in the post PC era.

There's an incredible oppty for to IM'ers, to spot these emerging trends and begin adjusting. Videos will replace sales pages, and there are start ups that are enabling you to sell a product right within the video. Currently, you can capture leads when the vid is playing, but later, you'll be able to get paid.

Offline will have to be used to generate traffic online because it will be tough. For instance, IM'ers may want to jump on the 9 x 12 bandwaggon and buy squares on post card mailers; "you have to check out this video!!"

Also, Eric Schmidt put out a book (former CEO of Google) where the new mission of Google is to wipe anonymity from the internet. If you want to use Google products and services (and be ranked) you'll have to use your real identity - this can be disruptive as well.

There will be more challenges for IM'ers going forward, but wherever there is a problem, there is a solution.

In art, fashion, and even politics, things usually go in waves and resurface later. I don't know if that's how it will be with the internet though. It's too young to tell. So far, it's basically been on the rise, getting better and better since it started. "Better" meaning it's easier for the end user and also easier to utilize for business. It's more effective in many ways, but the competition is huge.

I think it will become more and more important to stand out - to offer something truly unique. I think, at the same time, a lot more people around the world will be able to be entrepreneurs through the internet utilizing some proven methods - just as it has been with offline business over time.

It is really hard to speculate on the future - 10 years from now.

Who knows if youtube (or even Google) will be as powerful as they are now.

I don't think that it would be any harder to get started and become successful in IM in 10 years. The price for success will most likely be the same in any industry or 'time'.

However, which one of you guys who sticks out your learning curve and figures this stuff out, will be automatically put in the position of those who are 'prospering' at levels you probably can't imagine for yourself right now.

Learn this thing called 'Marketing'.

Because if you do, it will feed you, clothe you and buy you extravagances for life!!

10 years from now..... I know for sure the people who doubt that one can make money online will wish they hadn't.....

Not sure about internet marketing in 10 years
but yes good news for Amazon Affiliates is that in next few years Amazon will be delivering customers stuff within 30 minutes of ordering with the help of drones. :confused:
Amazon to deliver by drone? Don't believe the hype | James Ball | Comment is free | theguardian.com

I think affiliate / Internet marketing will not be a lot different than it is today. Cars ten years ago are not too terribly different than they are today either. I know that these are probably incompatible things to compare, but I think that there will be more of a focus on niche marketing and laser focused advertisements. The way businesses are able to track potential clients as well as existing ones will become better at approaching clients as well as predicting what people really want at any given time. It i kind of scary and exciting at the same time.

Maybe becoming more high tech? more complicated software? I hope by 10 years, i will be financially free and success with IM world.
Wish me luck guys!

The current data shows that every year more and more purchases are shifting from offline to online.

It also shows that businesses are putting more reliance on online platforms to cut expenses in various bottom line expenses such as in marketing and training.

With no let up in either of these statistics, the opportunities will still be plentiful to those who can successfully go after the ever expanding pies in the area of affiliate marketing as well as software/web platform applications for business.

Despite the growing number of people who vie for this type of business online, the continual growth in these areas will keep the playing field somewhat competitive but not so much that you cannot make a GREAT living at it.

So hop to it!

As if today's newbies aren't screwed enough? There are still opportunities, but also mountains to climb that didn't exist 10 years ago.

10 years from now the game is going to be so different that newbies will have to be of a completely different mindset than past eras. Those will be days when newbies have to bring something to the table on day 1 (likely through a formal education).

Not really. By then, they're probably be TONS more courses, and tons more free value. A lot more info around on the whole "how to make money online" concept.

I 'spect that traffic will be considerably higher - only one third of the world currently has access to the Internet.

In my opinion, the competition will rise at a different proportion to the amount of traffic - meaning that there will be more competition per traffic? Does that make sense?

Especially nowadays, there are tons and tons of people trying to make money online, and probably hundreds (if not thousands) are joining the throng everyday.

MySpace used to be the biggest thing. Now it's Facebook. Perhaps FaceSpace is up next?

Things will come and go. The same basic concepts will underly, and we marketers will probably be able to extract traffic from it still.

Just my opinion...