Six Digital Marketing Trends for 2013

It’s time for the annual Spin Sucks predictions for next year! You thought I forgot, didn’t you?

I like writing this, mostly to see if I was right at the end of the year (and because it’s awesome for SEO).

In 2010, I wrote eight social media and communication trends for 2011. We did, indeed, see the rise (and fall) of group buying sites and mobile began to make a run for prominence in our lives.

Last year, I wrote eight social media trends for 2012. While most of the trends I predicted did come to life this year, I don’t think they’re at their full potential yet. For instance, we still don’t have adoption of using our phones for commerce. And the tablet hasn’t completely taken over print (yet).

But all-in-all, my crystal ball still works.

Let’s see how it does for 2013.

1. Native Advertising. You’re going to hear me talk more about this next year. Native advertising integrates high-quality content into the organic experience of a given platform. This means the content is so complementary to the user’s experience on the platform, it doesn’t interrupt the flow. People are willing to comment, like, and share because it feels like it belongs there. It definitely blurs the lines between advertising and communications even more, but (in this case) it’s a good thing!
2. Augmented Reality. As easy as some companies – such as Layar – make augmented reality, I’m surprised it’s not a hit yet. The majority of us are visual learners so providing videos or photos to augment your stories in the publication has nothing but success written all over it. Vanity Fair does a decent job with incorporating other mediums into their print publication. You can listen to interviews, see a photo gallery, or watch a video.
3. QR Codes. Is this the year of QR codes? When I was in Holland last month, they were everywhere. Want to know what time the next bus is coming? Download the QR code. Want to get into a club without waiting in line? Download the QR code. Will they finally hit the U.S. in mass?
4. Virtual Offices. Alright, this one might be a little selfish because we like to think we’re setting a trend by going virtual more than a year ago. But it seems the small business experts agree with me, calling for the remote workforce to go mainstream.
5. Mobile Payments. I called for this one last year and you can, indeed, pay for some of your purchases via your phone (Starbucks, cab rides). But there is a company cropping up called Isis, which is a PIN-protected mobile wallet. This will allow you to pay for more and more things via your phone. While it simply stores your credit cards right now, the next iteration will do away with those, as well.
6. Owned Media…and Mobile. This one isn’t new to those of us in the space and it complements the first trend – native advertising – really well. But this is the year owned media (or content) becomes more sophisticated. Your blog may have worked for you in the past because no one else kept with it, but in 2013, you’ll have to take it to the next level as more and more marketers understand how content delivers top-of-the-funnel leads and guides them all the way through to conversion. In fact, if you aren’t considering how your content is read on mobile devices, you won’t survive 2013.

Now it’s your turn. Which trends do you think I missed?

(Ignore this, I’m testing something with SEO. Connect with Gini on Google+.)