Marketing Predictions for 2013

The world of marketing is changing at a rapid pace. Hubspot, home to all-in-one marketing software, has looked into 2013 to see where marketing is going for the next year. They think (and we agree!) marketing will continue making changes at lightening speed. Here is a summary of their top 20 predictions for the year 2013:

• Marketing campaigns will evolve into real-time efforts that involves integrated customer tracking data. This will include integrating social media into real-time marketing. 
• Marketing efforts are leaving the marketing silo and going company wide. Any department that has contact with customers (sales, billing, administration) will be doing active marketing to consumers. 
• Companies expect more revenue generation from marketing efforts. As a result, they are hiring more inbound marketers. 
• Mobile marketing becomes a mainstream marketing strategy. 
• Content and social linking is driving SEO content in new directions. Dynamic content is making consumer experiences unique on innovative websites. Content in the context of each person's preferences is driving many of these changes. The quantity of content also needs to increase. 
• Access to "big data" is innovating the world of marketing. The volume of data created every day is mind-blowing. But, amidst this data lies information on consumer desires that a smart marketing department needs to leverage. 
• Marketing needs to communicate at a personal level. As an example, "gamification" will integrate marketing efforts into fun activities like games. Logo placement in certain games is only the first step. Making a company and its products part of the game is the next step. 
• Email use in marketing is more personal and targeted. 
• Inbound marketing, when the consumer finds your company, is taking priority over mass marketing, while outbound marketing, the traditional model, is quickly losing its dominance.  
• A smart company uses many channels of inbound marketing to grab consumer attention (search engines, social media, etc.). Technology allows integration of these diverse channels. 
• Crowd-sourced content is catching fire. By leveraging networks of fans and followers, you can gain valuable website content from multiple sources which increases search engine visibility. 
• Visuals, infographics, and high-resolution pictures are even more important in 2013. 

All of these trends are strong enough to influence marketing well into 2014 and beyond. Smart companies will begin making the moves now to position their marketing to take advantage of these emerging trends.   What changes are in your 2013 Marketing Plan?  Contact Wax Marketing if you need help putting together that plan!