JDsBlog.com

Marketing is changing almost as fast as technology.  The two have created a sort of marriage; where technology moves forward, so does marketing.  I am of course referring to web marketing primarily. 

How to Stay on Top of the Game

The best way to stay on top of the marketing game is research, but research takes a lot of time.  Here are some marketing resources that are essential:

eMarketer - Great marketing data on trends

MarketingSherpa - Case studies and reports

MarketingProfs - Marketing ideas and webinars

ProBlogger - Darren Rowse’s blog (premier blog marketer)

These are all resources that will help you stay on top of trends, innovations and case studies.  They are the resources that help determine what you should be looking forward to, what trends are doing, and what the big shots are doing that works. 

Hot Trends in 2008

The best way to stay on top of the marketing game is research, but research takes a lot of time. That’s where I come in. I am going to help you look to the future, not just for 2008 but beyond. And I am going to tell you where to go to help overcome your competitors

The two hottest trends for 2008 are without a doubt mobile marketing and social networking/marketing. That’s not to say that blogs aren’t still a hot item. I am talking new trends and blogging (while a wonderful marketing front) is an established venue.

Mobile Marketing:

If you’re already moving toward mobile or at least planning for it, you are behind much of your competition potentially. According to eMarketer:

Mobile advertising and marketing spending will jump from an estimated $2,695 in 2007 to $19,149 by 2012.

That’s almost a 600% increase! So what are some things you can do to start gearing up for the mobile push?

Social Networking:

Social networks I think are going to be huge in 2008.  With the battle between FaceBook and MySpace for domination still raging, now is the time for marketers to cash in on it.

According to eMarketer:

“Marketers are continuing to experiment with social network advertising, with $920 million being spent on social networking sites in the US this year and a projected $1.6 billion in 2008.

Worldwide, online social network ad spending is expected to grow by 81%, to $2.2 billion in 2008 from $1.2 billion this year.”

Now these two things aren’t the only things hot this coming year.  Email marketing was a hot topic of discussion at many conferences and expos already this year.  I continue to receive emails daily on new email marketing ideas, venues, and services.  So keep an eye on it too!

Stay on top of current trends and cutting-edge ideas and you will stay on top of your competition every step of the way.