I write this post with a little trepidation, as I know it will still be there at the end of the year, but having looked back at 2012, I thought it might be fun to make a few predictions for 2013. Here are our Top 5:
1. Mobile usage will continue to grow
Probably not sticking my neck out too much here, but I think mobile will continue to be of increasing importance in B2B market, but how will this inform activity? Email – This is where I believe the big growth will come, in the number of B2B emails being opened on smart phones. This means that ease of reading of content on small screens & text sizes will need to be carefully considered. Websites – Although this will increase in importance, I believe that in B2B markets its importance will still be less significant with most websites still being viewed on either desktops or tablets where screen size is not too much of an issue. I do however believe that the use of Flash will continue to decline as realistic alternatives progress and the importance of having sites that are fully functional on iPads is recognised.
2. Focus on “Joined-up”
As anyone who reads Marketing Matters regularly will know, we are passionate about Joined-up Marketing. In the past, sometimes we have felt like a little alone on our soapbox on the subject, but I predict that the idea of connected marketing campaigns that join up all relevant aspects of both on and off line marketing will become more mainstream. As individual elements like SEO, Social, Email reach a higher level of maturity, they are more likely to be considered in a balanced way alongside the traditional elements of the marketing mix like PR, Networking, Telephone etc.
3. Content will continue to be king
“Content is King” has been a consistent web mantra over the past years, but I believe that this will become even more so as we move forward. In our experience good marketing campaigns flow out of a good source of content, and as the web continues to grow its ability to consume content will grow also. Put this alongside the increasing sophistication of web users, and I think the result will be that over and above all other factors. The delivery of good content that is valued by the market will be key.
4. Analyse Everything
There is absolutely no excuse these days for not having a comprehensive set of rich usage data for your web marketing campaigns, whether it be Google analytics for you website, or stats for your email campaigns. As we move forward, marketing will continue to be driven by the analysis of these stats. The key here is having a solid set of statistical data, and clear objectives for your campaign, but then to use the analytics data to inform rather than drive your marketing activities. After all, stats are only as useful as the ability to analyse and understand how they relate to your objectives.
5. Content Management will continue to grow.
With great open source tools like WordPress available to everyone, there is really no reason to develop static HTML websites anymore. I can count the number of non CMS sites that we have developed in 2012 on the fingers of one hand, I predict that in 2013 that number is likely to be ZERO! CMS gives control to the website owner, and allows the site to develop & adapt with the marketing activities. I can think of no good reason to develop a website outside a CMS system anymore! These are my 5 predictions for 2013. As always we look forward to your comments!!
