You can expect some exciting changes and innovation in online marketing. Here are the top 10 trends for 2013.

1. Continued focus on pull marketing

We have been moving away from centralized push marketing to fragmented pull marketing where consumers select what they want to consume, when and on what device. Marketers will continue to employ channels that prospects prefer.

2. Multichannel integration and measurement

You can expect more consumers to research online and purchase offline. As more and more users use multiple devices across different channels, it will become more difficult and important to be able to track the journey across various channels. You can expect a lot of innovation in end-to-end reporting especially in the social space. It is critical to be able to see the full picture and be able to attribute the revenue to its appropriate drivers.

3. Increase in proximity marketing

More users will continue to opt in to receive promotions from local businesses on their cell phones. By enabling location detection, consumers can receive targeted and relevant promotions based on their location.

4. Focus on visual and interactive content

This includes charts, infographics and videos to communicate your message. It’s more visual and easier to understand. As users have less and less time, anything that delivers value quickly and easily will resonate better. This is why Pinterest gained quick adoption. Developing interesting visual and interactive content will be crucial in marketing communication.

5. Engagement strategy will be critical

Prospects favor engaging brands that are able to create an interactive experience. This can be online, offline or some combination of both. Engaging with your prospects will make them more attentive to any communication or advertisements from your business.

6. Good content + right context = success

Good content is important but only in the right context. In 2013, there will be an increased focus on developing and delivering content based on the context.

7. More focus on mobile

More and more consumers surf the net and find what they are looking for through their tablet or smart phones. As a result, more websites will use responsive design so that their website will adjust to any resolution and be device agnostic. There will also be more focus on mobile marketing, especially for small and local businesses.

8. More focus on social media

Businesses realize the social media has other benefits apart from direct sales. Social networks allow for a two-way conversation and can humanize your brand. It also allows you to get unfiltered first-hand insights from your customers and prospects. Its great for building and maintaining relationships. You can expect to see better tools and more innovation in the social space for some time to come.

9. Tighter CRM integration

CRMs will be better integrated with social and other applications, which will allow for better alignment of various business processes. As social continues to gather momentum, CRMs will incorporate social to provide an extra dimension. As a result the communication will be more targeted and relevant.

10. Innovation in analytics

To get the full picture, more platforms will capture and analyze social data. Sentiment analysis will become more precise and accurate. Marketers will be able to better segment their prospects and customers, which will help increase relevance.

Contact: David Viele, David@StrategyVP.com, Marketing If you need help with online marketing, please visit http://www.StrategyVP.com. It’s the world\’s first decision engine that matches business strategies with business goals.

Contact: David Viele, David@StrategyVP.com, Marketing If you need help with online marketing, please visit http://www.StrategyVP.com. It’s the world\’s first decision engine that matches business strategies with business goals.

Author Bio: Contact: David Viele, David@StrategyVP.com, Marketing If you need help with online marketing, please visit http://www.StrategyVP.com. It’s the world\’s first decision engine that matches business strategies with business goals.

Category: Marketing
Keywords: internet marketing, eMarketing, marketing trends, small businesses, social media