Change, innovation, progress, while these terms should always be associated with the positive, for marketers entrenched in their current methodologies, the future can seem down right scary as the lines blur. The ways in which consumers can now discover, consume and engage about products and services, makes it a challenge for marketing professionals to keep up.
It only makes sense that with dynamic change, some concepts fall by the wayside, while others emerge to further our goals. Here are some pertinent predictions for 2013.
Is outbound marketing over?
2012 saw the continued growth of social media and the ‘Big Data’ explosion – will 2013 deliver more of the same, or are there more new strategies and functions on the horizon?
According to Useful Social Media’s research with over 100 CMOs, 2013 will see:
- The death of push marketing
With the advent of inbound marketing, it’s long been predicted. But will 2013 really be the end for outbound? We’ll get back to you on that in 12 months’ time…
- More customer centricity
The companies that understand their customers and prospects best and put them firmly at the centre of everything they do will have the greatest success.
Will your marketing be retro and responsive?
Meanwhile, on the Marketing blog, they’re predicting B2B will see the rise of:
- Responsive websites
By 2015, mobile is expected to surpass the PC as the most popular way to get online. All websites now need to resize automatically to the screen they are viewed on.
- Retro offline approaches
Apparently, more brands will decide to go retro and personal in an attempt to cut through the noise facing decision makers with a return to direct mail! Who’d have thought it?
Is marketing automation taking over?
The use of marketing automation continues to rise as businesses see the rewards those already using it well are reaping. SiriusDecisions has some predictions for how it will evolve:
- More choice, more functionality
The solutions available will become more sophisticated; and email marketing solution providers will enter the automation space by adding increased functionality to their existing systems.
- Advanced tactics
Those best-in-class companies that are already using it well will up their game even further with more advanced lead scoring processes.
The Modern World of Marketing
Change can be a scary thing, and making the exodus from our comfortable world where we know how everything is done won’t be easy. But businesses who do manage to adjust to the new environment may be the ones to ‘inherit the Earth.’
One example is the move many marketers are making towards streamlined measurement and metrics to keep track of how they are doing. Research has proven that businesses that use revenue performance management in conjunction with marketing automation are the best performing businesses out there.
The Brave New World is coming, whether we like it or not. So how do we learn to survive it? Predictions for B2B marketing in 2013 include the extended use of automation and the rise of responsive websites. What predictions have you got?
Photo credit: Blurred marketing lines – courtesy © Dmitriy Danilenko – Fotolia.com
