Online Marketing Trends For 2013 That You Need To Be Aware Of

After a bit of a stale start to the year, 2012 turned out to mean big things for the world of online marketing (including buzz words mobile, big brands and Google updates). As January 2013 slowly draws to a close, many people are starting to wonder exactly what marketing trends they should be looking out for (and possibly utilizing) this year.

Gamification

This is a trend that has already begun, as more and more people are applying game-design thinking to non-game applications in a bid to make them more fun. In 2013, however, it is believed that this online marketing trend will finally come to a head with companies of all sizes spending hundreds of dollars on 'gamifying' their products.

Inbound Marketing

This is a type of advertising the involves companies utilizing their resources to create content, conversations, valuable resources and so on that work to draw customers in without using traditional paid advertising methods. Focus your time on creating fantastic content, attractive websites and analytic.

Loyalty Marketing

Over the years, it has become clear that it is much more costly to acquire a new customer than it is to retain an old one. Combine this with the fact that customers are much more engaged with brands and products today than they have been in the past and you have a real online marketing opportunity - make your customers' loyalty feel appreciated.

Analytics

With more and more marketing channels being introduced, it is becoming increasingly important to understand exactly how these channels all work and interact. Analytics for this area, however, will focus on measuring and optimizing your advertising activities. The information gathered will help you to plan for the future.

Local Marketing

It is believed that 2013 is the year that local online marketing will finally go mainstream. Companies have never before had the number and complexity of the tools available today, which will help them to improve their localized results, to engage with their customers and to measure their success on a much smaller scale.

With each of the online marketing trends outlined above set to really take off in 2013, we are sure to see a busy year ahead in terms of promoting our products and services. Which of the above trends do you think will really come to a head at some stage this year, and which of the trends do you think will benefit your own business the most?