2011 Marketing Trend Predictions for SMEs

This post was last edited by Alex Cohen, on the November 17, 2010 @ 3:04 pm

Whilst 2010 has been better than 2009 it’s still been a tough year for many businesses. The number of startups appears to be increasing so maybe the recession has brought out the entrepreneurial spirit in a number of people.

Marketing has moved on, online still takes market share, listing high on search engines is more important than ever and social media has gone mainstream. So with 2010 nearly behind us what marketing trends are we predicting for 2011?

1. Social Media isn’t new anymore

No longer are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn the new kids on the block. Social media is mainstream now and in 2011 will no longer be considered as new. A social media strategy will form a part of many businesses 2011 Marketing Strategies. Whilst new tools will come to prominence (we predict Foursquare will be big in 2011) established tools like Twitter and Facebook will be de rigour.

2. Mobile marketing will take off

We said in our 2010 predictions that mobile marketing will take off this year. It has increased to an extent…the number of applications developed has increased dramatically not just through Apple, but also Android and Blackberry (to name but a few) and there have been several billions of downloads of these Apps during 2010. Monetising these apps through advertising is on the up. Whilst SMS marketing may not (and shouldn’t) catch on, the App market, location based offers and more people consuming the internet through their mobile phones will offer new opportunities.

3. Personalisation is even more relevant

We wrote about personalisation last year as well. In 2011 as more marketing is ignored personalisation is imperative to stand out. Whether that’s retargeting – seeing the products you were looking at on a site following you round the web, or PURLS where direct mail is tailored to your end customer; the more personalised a message the more attention it will receive.

4. Relevant engagement

Stop interrupting people…give your knowledge, start relevant dialogues and engage where people are. People want relevant information; they want to talk to people with similar interests. White papers, guides and eBooks work B2B; games, offers and engagement in social media work in B2C. Social media lets you talk to people, use that to your advantage; don’t just hide behind corporate spill on your website.

5. Google will remain king

Google still dominates search engines and win continue to in 2011. The rise of Bing was cited last year however whilst Bing has taken some market share Google still dominates. Instant search is likely to be a big hit although could make search engine optimisation harder. Its new services and rising popularity of other services like Gmail, Apps and Chrome keeps people loyal to Google.

6. Your competition will spend more

Whilst the economic outlook is uncertain it is believed the worst is behind us. As marketing budgets increase and startups enter the arena, business will become more competitive. This will mean more marketing is needed across more touchpoints. Differentiating your business through knowledge, creativity or innovative products will be essential.

So there you have it…let’s see this time next year if we’re correct. What do you think?

Tags: marketing predictions