How will 2014 marketing trends differ from 2013?

1. Will marketer’s budgets increase, decrease or stay the same?
For most, 2013 was a year of cautious optimism. In 2013, 42% of marketers reported their budgets were holding firm with no change from the previous year.* This seems like a positive economic indicator over the reductions many marketers saw the previous year. However, over a third of marketers reported a 2013 budget increase from the previous year. On a positive note, only a small percentage of marketers surveyed saw a reduction, with 15% reporting a budget decrease from 2012 to 2013. Overall, it feels like there is optimism around marketing budgets. It also appears that there is increasing pressure on marketers, as most marketers are working with the same budget as last year. Will 2014 be a year of increased budgets, or will marketers continue to be pushed to deliver increased results with the same budget?

2. Will email marketing continue to be utilized as a primary channel, and will the increased use of email impact performance?
In 2013, almost 90% of respondents reported using email marketing. Email is clearly a universal channel that many different marketers are incorporating into their marketing mix in some way. It’s hard to imagine marketers planning less use of email in 2014. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if marketers find email performance in a decline. I believe there is a direct impact on email performance and the number of marketers using email. Oversaturation of email is a critical issue facing many marketers, and unfortunately I wouldn’t be surprised if many marketers face continued decline in their email performance.

3. Will 2014 be the year marketers realize that mass email is dead?
Marketers cited breaking through cluttered inboxes and generating click-throughs as their top email challenges in 2013. These challenges continue to underscore marketers need to be sure they are doing everything possible to optimize their email communications. Marketers will need to step up their email marketing efforts and leave mass emails behind.

Marketers should explore applying behavioral data, establishing trigger email programs and exploring mechanisms to differentiate their email marketing from mass emails. Check out our email marketing ebook, 33 Reasons why Mass Emails are Dead, for more details.

4. Are marketers going to evolve or downplay social media in 2014?
In 2013, social media became a foundational component that many marketers turned to, ranking as the 2nd most-used tactic. In fact, 75% of marketers reported using social media in 2013. Like many shiny new toys, social media is being re-evaluated by many marketers. The social media space is crowded, and marketers are going to need to work harder to differentiate their social media efforts. Themes in 2014 may include more cohesive integration between social media and other channels, deliberate objective setting and measurement definition as well as leveraging behavior to develop targeted relevant communications. Social CRM is likely to gain more widespread use as marketers realize one-way social media dialogues don’t provide the measurable results social CRM offers. To learn more about how to make this evolution, click here.

5. Digital marketing will become more tightly defined.
The term “digital marketing” is utilized by many, covering a broader scope of channels and tactics. One of the trends we saw in our 2013 Marketing Trends Study was that almost half of marketers are using social media to drive sales leads. So is social media a form of digital lead generation? Is social media a form of inbound marketing? I expect that as a marketing community we’ll start to bring some clarity to what falls under the digital marketing umbrella. Or we’ll begin to define all the sub-parts of digital marketing and invent an entirely new marketing vocabulary.

6. More marketers will turn to direct mail again in 2014.
In 2013, over 50% of marketers reported using direct mail, establishing it as the 3rd most-used tactic. Direct mail is growing annually, and response rates remain steady. With email performance in decline, many marketers will begin to turn back to direct mail as a viable channel for targeted marketing efforts. Direct mail continues to be one of the most effective marketing channels in reaching a defined universe, and can be an extremely effective channel when utilized as part of a multichannel marketing mix. If you aren’t confident you’re fully optimizing direct mail, see my blog article on direct mail best practices.

7. Marketers will make multichannel integration a 2014 new year’s resolution.
In our 2013 Marketing Trends Study, less than 40% of marketers said their marketing efforts are integrated across web, social media, email and direct channels. With marketers’ budgets not seeing increases, every tactic in the marketing mix needs to work harder. This includes ensuring each channel is being optimized for best practices, as well as ensuring synergy across channels. The reality is, however, that marketing channels work together. And almost nothing works as a stand-alone vehicle. Individual channel performance will almost always receive a benefit of cross-channel integration. Download our 2-page guide highlighting 20 tips for optimizing your marketing communications.

8. 40% of marketers stated that too many priorities and not enough time were their biggest challenges in 2013.
Marketers are becoming proficient at prioritization. It’s not a surprise that managing time and resources were identified as the greatest challenge in 2013. Will this change in 2014? I hate to admit it, but I would be shocked if this trend doesn’t continue. With so many channels and most marketing departments not growing in head count, it’s clear why marketers might feel they have more to do than they have the time and resources available.

9. More marketers will be forced to commit to some form of mobile marketing.
In 2013, 36% of marketers stated they are using some form of mobile marketing. Of those using some form of mobile marketing, mobile optimization of email and landing pages is the number-one mobile application. With the number of users reading emails on mobile devices growing, mobile marketing is a must, not a nice-to-have. All marketers need to quickly adapt their email and landing pages to align with mobile usage. Additionally, marketers should consider whether investing in an SMS program or other form of mobile marketing makes sense for their marketing strategy. Check out our mobile marketing ebook for 40 more facts and strategies on how to get started with mobile marketing.