Online marketing is growing both in scope and numbers, and the trend is likely to continue through 2011. No longer can large or even small companies afford to not have online presence or use internet marketing for their business. Here are some of the key upcoming trends in this growing field of marketing.
Social media has come up as one of the most important mediums of internet marketing, and is likely to grow in importance in the coming year too. The statistics on social media usage are encouraging: according to a study by Harris Interactive, 9 out of 10 online adults use social media today.
Direct marketing will also gain importance. With social media, companies will get more and more avenues to directly market their products to their customers using sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. These mediums will become important tools to know your customers better. Using social media, businesses would be able to find out their consumers’ habits, demographics and other behavioral traits.
Developing a social media marketing strategy is going to become necessary for all online and offline businesses. They will have to develop the social marketing strategies keeping the big picture in mind rather than only focusing on immediate returns.
The increasing importance of video marketing will be another major trend of the coming decade. A recent study revealed that Americans watch more videos on YouTube than search on Google. A video on a page increases the chances of getting a first page Google ranking by 50 times.
Ultimately, the success in the field of internet marketing will depend on a company’s ability to find ways to provide the best customer experience and build a real and meaningful relationship with their customers online.