photo by ian.crowther
Internet marketing is now a one of the most important pieces of any company’s marketing mix. There are few marketing options with the speed, efficiency and reach- so you should take the time to ensure your efforts in this area help to maximize your revenue and growth.
2013 will prove yet another year in which the array of internet marketing vehicles, tools and techniques will continue to increase. So lets help you capitalize on some of the hot opportunities out there. Below you’ll find a list of project internet marketing trends. You should take these in consideration when you are doing your planning or you can ignore them completely and see where you end up.
What it looks like makes all the difference
Looks matter, because design helps to sell and woo!- look at all the success of major well branded companies, such as Nike, or Apple Focus on great design for all of your internet marketing in 2013. Similarly, communication through visual means is red hot, and only going to get hotter. For example look at the explosion of infographics, or the dramatic rise in the popularity of Pinterest, or the redesigns of Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter, we are going through a visual revolution. Make more of your marketing visual in 2013 and reap in the success.
Growing Smartphone Adoption = Mobile Madness
By 2013, 90% of all mobile phones will be smartphones. Location-based marketing and innovations like Google Wallet are reshaping the way consumers will source, buy, and review their product choices. Just think about it: a young woman is trying to decide which restaurant she should choose for the evening. She might post a question on Facebook, asking for recommendations from family and friends. Once she’s got it narrowed down, she’ll probably Google the location to find an address, phone number, and menu. She could even check out Yelp, TripAdvisor, or UrbanSpoon for more peer reviews. Once she’s at the location, she may choose to check in via smartphone on Foursquare, take an Instagram photo of her meal and upload it to Facebook, and then probably leave a review of her own. The purchasing process involves a complex web of both online and offline platforms, which are all connected in the reputation your business will develop. Make sure you have a strong presence on the platforms your audience frequents most, including monitoring and interacting through those outlets.
Video : The Gangnam style effect
More than 4 billion online videos are watched every day. Sixty-eight percent of video watchers share video links. So it’s clear your audience likes video. On top of this, consider that after 72 hours, a typical person can retain about 10% of text that they’ve read, 65% of an image they’ve seen, or 95% of a video they watched. Now lets think… that video might be helpful with communicating your message to your audience? Just a bit, huh?!? Like the old saying “the proof is in the pudding” and that’s some good pudding!
The Hispanic Market
Did you know Hispanics are the fastest-growing segment of the US population and currently they represent approximately 25% of new births so you can expect them to have a major impact on your future business. These number show that Hispanics will be spending more time online than non-Hispanics all while being more active online than non-Hispanics. If you have been ignoring the Hispanic market in your focus or target group perhaps its time to change. In 2013 it is time to start providing that market with the attention and customization that it deserves. Early adoption of your products, services or a combination of the both could play be huge for any long term success.
Media from Social Sites Gets Smarter: One e-Card a day
Currently Facebook has over 1 billion users, and Twitter has more than 500 million. Social media is growing and will continue to grow with this growth provides huge opportunity for your business. However it has proven to be difficult for many businesses to make sense of it all and to gain solid business value out of it. In 2012 and going into 2013 there are number of marketing platforms such as Wildfire by Google and ShortStack that making it easier to decipher all of this data. IN 2013 you can expect more granular social media analytics as provided by tools such as SproutSocial, Followerwonk and PageLever, to be born/evolve for helping businesses get more from their social marketing.
There is so much that 2013 has to offer how will you make the most of it? If you have some tools, tips, tricks or secrets you don’t mind parting with please share them in the comments.
