In this socially connected world, brands need to be more in touch with and know their customers better than ever before. Consumers are incredibly influential. They can leave reviews about your business online, complain about you on their Facebook page, Tweet about great customer service, leave a bad Amazon review, leave a bad Yelp or trash you on their blog. This kind of stuff happens all the time, and you have little control over it.

What this has to do with Motivation

As a result of this major shift in influence, marketers are realizing important insights into motivation—some that have been around for a while. One key insight is that people respond more favorably to intrinsic rewards than extrinsic rewards. Management leaders have known this for years, though they don’t always practice it. Now marketers are beginning to get it.

First, here’s a quick look at a classic theory of human motivation that many business schools teach. Nearly 40 years ago, Douglas McGregor’s The Human Side of Enterprise introduced two different theories on worker motivation. The first theory, or Theory X, assumes that people inherently dislike work and try to avoid it. The other theory, Theory Y, claims people can indeed enjoy work as much as they enjoy play, as long as their work meets the right (or their “intrinsic”) needs. The main difference between these theories comes down to the satisfaction of personal needs. Think Maslow’s hierarchy. Theory X says that we work to satisfy lower needs (food, shelter, etc.), and we use our “play” time to fulfill our higher needs (esteem and self-actualization). However, Theory X suggests that work can also address higher needs by allowing us to express our creativity, talents and inner rock star, so to speak.

In his book Drive, author Daniel Pink expands on McGregor’s ideas by introducing Theory I. Similar to Theory Y, it emphasizes the power of intrinsic motivation. Pink argues that the best motivators for today’s workforce are mastery and purpose, not benefits and penalties (think the old carrot and stick philosophy).

What this has to do with Marketing

So how do McGregor’s and Pink’s theories connect to marketing? Well, whether you’re talking about employees on the job or shoppers in the marketplace, there is the issue of motivation. Where people see value, they’re motivated.

So as a marketer, you have to ask yourself—how do you see your customers? As consumers who inherently value extrinsic rewards, like discounts, deals and promotions? According to this view, you believe that’s it all about the money and the desire to save a buck. Or do you view them as creative, social beings who respond best to intrinsic rewards, such as participative experiences, a sense of community and social responsibility? The rise of gamification proves this to be working!

TOMS Shoes is one example of a company that has fully embraced Theory I and markets their product by appealing to their customers’ intrinsic values. For every pair of shoes that TOMS sells, the company gives a pair to a child in need. Buy one, give one. You will rarely, if ever, see TOMS shoes discounted or on promotion. Only a select handful of retailers sell them in brick and mortars—you’ll find the most expansive selection online. And they sell crazy amounts of shoes. The “one for one” concept has been copied by a number of other companies, trying to appeal to the consumers’ need to make a difference and be socially responsible. And this concept has been hugely successful.

Price promotion certainly plays a role in modern marketing, especially in attracting new shoppers to your brand. I’m not discounting Theory X, but extrinsic rewards may provide just a temporary boost and a way to get the customer in the door, not sustain a lifetime customer relationship. Intrinsic rewards—that come about when you connect with your customers in a real and authentic way, appeal to their higher needs (sense of belonging, responsibility and accomplishment) and give them value that goes beyond dollar signs—are generally much stronger and more sustainable.

Combine the two theories, and you may find yourself motivating your customers in ways you never have before.

Key Takeaway: People respond more powerfully to intrinsic rewards, and this rule applies in marketing. Extrinsic rewards stimulate a temporary motivation, but people find more lasting value in a sense of belonging, community, responsibility and accomplishment. With social media, you can create this. Know thy customers and motivate accordingly.

What motivational marketing tactics have you used that were either successful or unsuccessful?

Related Article:
Social Cocooning: A Digital Reality

This leads me to wonder, what does the future hold for our “social” lives? So many of us connect with each other digitally on a consistent basis—and in fact, studies are showing that our penchant for social networks is becoming more of an addiction. For better or for worse, we like it, and most desire the connection.

I read a book by Faith Popcorn called the “Popcorn Report” in 1991 who said we would become a society of “cocooning.” A goal we would all strive to obtain. A place where everything we need is within reach and we would have no reason to leave our homes in order to conduct our business or our lives. We aren’t quite there yet, but in the right cities that have built everything to order, we’re close. And with the likes of Amazon making everything we need available for delivery. With the rise of telecommuting and the dawn of truly unified communication systems, even our workplace interactions have moved online as our connection with coworkers becoming more digital. This can make for very efficient collaboration and streamline processes, and it makes me wonder what’s in store for the future, as long as it doesn’t dehumanize our engagement.

Communication is both our greatest gift and biggest challenge as marketers— really in any position in life. And now we’re developing social networks that allow us to get even more into each others’ minds. Innovation is happening faster because sharing is so prominent. The question is, is there ever enough sharing—and when is enough? Here is how I have started to classify Why, Where, Who, How, What and When toward building a more connected digital workplace in our personal or professional marketing efforts

Why: Influential Mapping. Analytics are only getting started with mobile shoppers, location-based networks, proximity systems, QR codes, etc. Analytics engines are looking to tie it all in together, and they will. Remembering that you will always need the “why” before the “how” is key. “The aim of marketing is to know and understand the customer so well the product or service fits him and sells itself.” -Peter Drucker

Where: Contextual Hyper-curation. The ability to search or share within a greater network privately or publicly (work or home). Think Siri meets Pinterest meets.

Who: SIMI. Sales, IT and marketing integration. Let’s be honest, this is the trio that works most in silos. The more they work together, the more companies are able to innovate faster. Sales are being captured online, IT (CIO) is building the foundation, marketing is delivering the message. What’s missing? People becoming cross-functional In each of those disciplines there have always been contributions or growth that triggers fear about people losing their jobs because the technology would be so automated we wouldn’t need them any longer. Wrong. If anything, we need them more. We just need them in a different (and in my opinion) more exciting capacity. We will need more strategic thinkers who can collaborate cross-functionally.

How: Collaborative visualization. Everything in our world eventually becomes visual, tying all our content into a visual representation (well designed, of course). Infographics are a great representation of why we all need information delivered to us visually. We’re in the age of content. With constraints on both broadband, which is getting better, and loads of content, we haven’t seen a lot of visual networks until the likes of Pinterest or Google+ for their simple yet elegant visual representations. I think it will only get better.

What: It’s a creative economy, and this means that clutter is back. It’s been a long time since we just had radio and TV to contend with. With the dawn of the social era, we know that the global economy is growing. Delivering on a proper plan, objective and set of proper tactics is more important now than ever.  There will always be software or ways to do things faster. But remember, we’re growing more and more into a creative economy and with so much going on; creative vision through strategy and implementation can’t be fully automated. The only thing that will win the clutter war we’ve always faced is and always will be a unified vision and message percolating throughout an organization (from the inside out) that differentiates you from the rest.

When: Take everything above and put it into a scoring system and what do you have? Done right, a higher score. Well, it still comes back to—creating the right experience for the consumer. I still want to know that the experience I’m having is about being treated as “Bryan,” the guest or customer. Not as just a number or another guest at a conference or hotel. Even as technology takes us to a new place in a social and relational sense, the basics of marketing will never change.

Our world continues to become more social and digitally connected, and we are finding nearly everything we need online. That can be a gift, and a challenge. Yet, we still need to create a personalized experience for our customer, even in the age of social networking and our working relationships, online and offline.

Key Takeaway:  Even cocoons turn out the most beautiful butterflies; it can be a freeing experience for marketers that can harness the digital ride.

Related Articles:
How to Find Content That Doesn’t Suck

]]> http://www.purematter.com/blog/social-cocooning-a-digital-reality/feed/ 3 http://www.purematter.com/uncategorized/groundhog-day-office-survival-kit/ http://www.purematter.com/uncategorized/groundhog-day-office-survival-kit/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 18:20:46 +0000 Bryan Kramer http://www.purematter.com/?p=3882

Nothing says “Bring it, Spring” better than a paper hat.

When it comes to marketing strategies, content marketing has been crowned king. According to a survey done last summer by HiveFire, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based Internet marketing software solutions company, many marketers have made content marketing the most-used tactic in their toolbox. According to HiveFire’s B2B Marketing Trends Survey Report, twice as many B2B marketers now employ content marketing as they do print, TV and radio advertising.

Which brings me back to this—everyone has something to say and there is so much content out there, it’s mind-blowing. So the question is, how do you determine what’s worth paying attention to? Or perhaps, how do you decide what’s worth posting? When there are “ten steps” to this, “five solutions” for that and “three statistics” for the other thing, it can be a little overwhelming and time-consuming.

There’s not really a right answer for how to determine what content is valuable and what’s not. But I can give you a quick rundown on how I decide what’s worth sharing, keeping and researching. This may give you some insight into choosing which content to either read or post yourself.

It has a shelf life. A lot of marketers want to put content out there Right Now. A potential trend, a fleeting thought, something they just saw on the evening news—a quick fix, if you will. We think we need quick, but it never sticks. Good content must have a backbone, some substance and value for the reader. It has to have shelf life in order to last, and you won’t know that by spending two minutes with any particular topic.

It’s a new thought. Original thinking beats mainstream, in my mind. There’s so much content out there that swims in the same sea of thought, that when I see something different and original, it piques my interest. Original doesn’t necessarily mean better, but it’s certainly worth checking out and considering—especially if it doesn’t appear to be just a “quick fix.”

It’s authentic. Every major blogger has become successful in part because of his or her willingness to be real. Content that smacks of pretense leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I want to read content from people who have something to say about both their successes and their failures—who don’t act like every major issue can be fixed with a “1-2-3” formula.

It’s controversial or debatable. Critics may critique, but that’s okay—it means they are listening. I enjoy a good debate and I like to read both sides of the issue. Content that sparks conversation and gets people thinking is worth paying attention to. If all content was created equal—or at least, the same—think how boring that would be. I enjoy content that makes me think, question, consider and explore. That’s good stuff.

One of the biggest trends right now regarding content is curation, or gathering and presenting selective content that geared toward a specific group. This content comes from everywhere—blogs, social media, online newsrooms, YouTube. It’s a very effective way to post content that’s relevant to your audience. The goal is basically to find the best content on a certain topic and inform others about it. Ever heard of Pinterest? This social network is on fire, attracting thousands of new users every month, and the whole premise behind it is content curation (I just set mine up here: http://pinterest.com/bryankramer). Curated content has also gone beyond sites like Pinterest and is offered in tools to social experts. Curation can do all kinds of great things for you, including building your brand, boosting site traffic and building your social media networks.

But that’s another blog post.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Content is everywhere. Good content that provides value for the reader is harder to find, but it’s there—you just need to be discerning, smart and thoughtful, both about what you read and share and what you post yourself.

Join me as I host this live free webinar on February 9th with “Innovation Guru” and former HP CTO, Phil McKinney. Get a sneak peek pre-release for his new book: “Beyond the Obvious.”  Seats limited.  Register Here

I was . . . (wait for it) . . . stuck. (Sorry, couldn’t resist.)

What does this have to do with marketing? Well, think about the beginning of advertising. It was all pretty basic back in the day. In the Mad Men era, a marketer’s glue was TV and radio—that’s what they used to get the message to stick.

In my personal opinion, most glue eventually fails because the wrong type is used in the wrong situation. Now, relate that to the business world. It’s a challenge for any business to find the one glue that won’t fail—that won’t “unstick.”

This begs the question, what is the right business glue for the right situation? Bear with me here, but let’s think about the four main categories of glue.

Credit: Transitions, Tansitology.com

Non-reacting. White glue and rubber cement are part of this family. They don’t respond to anything other than air. In other words, they need time to dry and form a bond. In marketing, same deal. You may be sick to death of waiting for the glue to dry, but getting your message to stick with your audience is sometimes simply a matter of time. In fact, when you’re convinced that your message has been overplayed and beat to death, that’s when your audience is just starting to hear it. Sometimes the best marketing glue is simply having the patience to wait for your audience to finally get what you’re saying. Eventually, the glue dries and the message sticks.

Reacting. Adhesives in this category usually react to another component (radiation or heat). In other words, they need an agent to help them get their job done and be effective. Two words: Social media. Think you’re going to create a Facebook page and get your message to stick? Not likely. But what if you establish a presence on Facebook and Google+, connect with like-minded people and groups on LinkedIn, share your industry expertise through your blog and tweet about it on Twitter? Now you’ve got some components working together—and this synergistic effort is what’s going to drive your message home.

Natural. This type of glue is made from organic sources, like vegetable matter, starch or natural resins. It’s the old “water and flour” kind of paste. With all the methods of digital communication we have at our fingertips, sometimes going back to the basics of organic marketing can make the most sense. Simply put, organic marketing is about seamlessly fitting product promotion into someone’s daily life. It’s word of mouth. It’s creating brand evangelists who sell your products for you. It’s about attracting organic traffic to your website—users who come because they have a solid interest in what you offer. And like anything organic, organic traffic doesn’t happen instantly. It takes time to grow into something healthy and with longevity.

Synthetic. This kind of glue is a combination of two or more parts, whether by design or by natural process. It’s epoxy and acrylic. It’s about taking several components and bringing them together to form something more complex—a super glue of sorts. It’s like taking tools such as behavioral targeting, personalization, social and mobile and combining them with the perfect campaign for the right company with the right message and creating an adhesive that is fail-proof. This kind of glue is a marketer’s dream—and it takes clever strategy and remarkable creativity from a branding agency that understands what it means to make the message stick.

Key Takeaway: Today, the marketing world is much more complex and there are more glues available. It’s like me staring at that green army man, wondering which adhesive would make things “stick” the best. It’s about applying the right glue in the right situation.

My inner geek was like a kid in a candy store, checking out all the cool gadgets, gizmos and innovations. However, the marketer in me felt a little deflated—more like a kid in a candy store with no money. With my press pass in hand, I was able to see the show from all sides, and this one thing was apparent very quickly—some of the foundational things that marketers should build into a conference were missing.

What I didn’t expect to see (from a marketer’s perspective) was a show that was so progressive in technology yet so lacking in one-to-one marketing. Maybe it’s because I’m from Silicon Valley, but I’m used to visiting some of the more progressive brands like Cisco and IBM and see them integrate the latest in social and digital connections at their shows. For CES, that just wasn’t the case. Point being, there is room at the top for the innovators to get more innovative in their own marketing delivery, especially for these mega conferences.

Four suggestions for next year:

Make it possible for us to engage digitally. Right now. When I’m at a show or a conference and I’m learning new stuff, I want to share it immediately. Aren’t you the same way? You see something cool or hear something thought provoking, and you want to tweet, post, email, blog—whatever your preferred method of communication. In this day and age, there’s no excuse for poor WiFi. Not in Vegas, anyway. But at this year’s CES, there were several times when I had to save my thoughts for later because the WiFi left little to be desired. The ability to connect in real time has to be there at a national conference like this.

Amp up the opportunities for engagement. I didn’t catch any social digital screens or social engagement areas that allowed me to see and connect with who or what I was interested in most. Especially at a show this size, connecting with your tastes is important. It’s too big to hit it all in a week. Most people I talked with wanted to jump around to the part that mattered most to them. How else do you build a microcosm or community at these large conferences?

Create an experience (not just a tradeshow). Conference goers could find an “experience” inside some of the big illustrious booths like Microsoft, Intel and Plantronics. However, the CES itself was basically just a glorified trade show, and I was a little let down by that. Perhaps partnering with the hotels and using social interactions and engagement could have turned conference registrants from a badge number into a person. More importantly, my social concierge could guide me in the direction that suits my tastes best for making the best out of my stay.

Make the show as interesting as the celebrities. In some way, Hollywood trumped the technology this year. Seth Green, Justin Bieber, Will I-Am, Ryan Seacrest—I caught a few of the stars there, but I can’t tell you what products they were representing because I was more interested in taking the pictures. The new innovative technology should be the stars of the CES, not the celebrities—but somehow the celebs captured the lion’s share of the attention. Shouldn’t the fanfare be about the cool new products and gadgets?

So, there’s my two cents as a marketer. As a tech geek, overall, I thought the technology was evolutionary, not revolutionary. It will be interesting to see what happens now that Microsoft is pulling out of the show too. Here are two new gadgets I thought fit into the “cool” caliber:

I’m Watch: An Italian company that produces a blue tooth touch screen watch that connects with your phone and has apps for users to engage socially, email, text and make phone calls. Dick Tracy is here! And I think we’ll see more on the connected digital watch, this wasn’t the only company.

emPower (electronic focusing eyewear): that correct both near and far-sightedness while you’re wearing them simply by running your finger over the arm of the glasses. Good-bye, bi-focals!

Key Takeaway: Whether you’re hosting a huge show or a small conference, market to the individual – not their number – in order to make it an experience worth talking about.

Click here to see my Storified list for the Best of CES

Back in the day, your parents probably freaked you out with stories about the perils of “stranger danger.” Don’t talk to strangers, don’t get into their cars, and for the love of all things cautionary, don’t you dare accept candy from them. (And let me add, I am now one of those parents—I will freak my kids out about stranger danger until they turn 18.)

But think about the broader issue of trust and strangers here for a moment. With the proliferation of social media and marketing in general, you and I trust strangers every day. We take their advice, ask for their opinions about companies and brands, follow, friend and connect with them. We take candy from strangers every day. I have retweeted something I really liked, but I don’t know the person. It was from somebody I connected with online because someone followed someone else, and so on.

Strangers sharing their candy—isn’t that what social media has become? We are learning to trust people we barely know. Social networks are creating this world where we have to ask ourselves, who do I trust? Or maybe even, how do I trust? If we’ve been taught all our lives that strangers are scary, we have to decide—are we going to say no to the candy or begin to believe in the kindness of strangers?

Tough question, but I do believe that the best place to start is to prove yourself to be a trustworthy stranger. You know you’re not scary. But not everyone else does. Here are five ways to build trust in social media, for both you and your brand.

Reciprocate. If someone leaves a comment on your Facebook wall or your blog, or they retweet a message, thank them. Get the conversation started by engaging with the people who are obviously interested in what you have to say. Even if it’s negative, you still have an opportunity to discuss your viewpoint and maybe even convert a challenger into a fan.

Get over yourself. It’s awesome to see posts on your wall—but guess what? There are 799,999,999 other walls on Facebook. Climb over your own wall and go connect with people. Comment, ask questions and be generally interested in what others are saying, not just what’s happening in your neck of the social woods.

Connect with a person, not a number. For every follower or friend you add, there is a living, breathing person behind that number. Someone who may prove to be an invaluable connection, may become a personal friend or may be one of your biggest fans. No company or individual can have too many brand evangelists. Be as kind to the “strangers” you connect with as you would want them to be to you. You know, the whole Golden Rule concept.

Follow the rules. Both written and unwritten. For example, here’s a general rule to be mindful of on Twitter—called the rule of thirds. One third of your tweets should be serious, one third fun, and the last third, retweets. It’s not a hard and fast rule, but it creates a good mix and people will appreciate that you’re not all about you and your brand.

Listen. This may be the most challenging (in life), but when it comes to creating trust, it may be the most important. Don’t be so self-absorbed that you miss what people are saying. Hear them. Your followers, your friends, your fans—all of your connections. Engage in the conversation and really listen. Are you tracking with them? People will tell you what they want and how you can meet their needs. You just have to stop and listen to them. Let them know you like what you heard by telling them that, rather than telling your own story back.

KEY TAKEAWAY: Building trust in social media is about showing yourself to be absolutely trustworthy and real. As the world becomes more connected and open, it’s the most trusted brands that will draw the greatest crowds and garner the most support– which is the sweetest return of all.

Other related articles:
Taste Graph Trumps Social Graph

Now, I’m not saying I didn’t work hard or don’t really enjoy connecting with people online. Actually, I had a really good time doing this and feel like I have connected with some really great people!

That said, for the last 90 days I wanted to show myself that the art of connection is possible–I connected with 6,000 new people on Twitter. My total reach is now 16,000 per tweet (per Socialbro.com) and my Klout score went up from 25 to 50. I’m not sure that I’m a true Klout believer just yet, but take it for what it’s worth. Obama has a lower score than blogger Chris Brogan. Really?

Great, I can connect and maybe influence. Now what? “Connection” doesn’t necessarily drive revenue. The point of connecting, at least in business, is to ultimately build inbound marketing, which equals sales. And whether I have 100 connections or 100,000, it takes just one strong influencer to make a sale.

Here’s where the “taste graph” comes in. Hunch is an internet recommendation engine recently acquired by eBay, and has been collecting a massive amount of data to build a taste graph of the web that links our affinity for any one thing (books, gadgets, fashion, food) to a prediction of what else we might like. Taste graphs connect people based on the things that they’re actually interested in, not just on their social connections alone. For over a year now, Hunch has been working with other companies to help them leverage Hunch’s taste graph to provide personalization on their own sites as well as data-driven insights about their customers.

In 2012, I believe taste graphs like Hunch will make it easier for consumers to engage with people who share similar affinities and find the products they’re most interested in. The graphs will allow businesses to connect with more accuracy based on taste. Social influence is bigger than anyone can grasp at this point and unless we can parse off areas of the socialsphere that truly agregrates the areas of taste we are interested in, it will continue to follow the same path as direct mail once followed. Remember when you used to get a lot of mail and cutting through the clutter was the name of the game? It’s back. Different medium, same challenge.

Whatever industry we’re in, we want to talk to the influencers and make an impact. And let’s be honest–even more, we want to make a sale to the end user. Here are three thoughts on how taste graphs will allow us to build the right mix of influencers.

1. Own the taste. Just as Google owns automated and accurate search results, taste graphs will own the DNA of our social makeup, giving us the ability to connect with the right people. It’s not just about how many friends, fans or followers we have–it’s about who they are, as well.

2. Our social interactions don’t define us. We are still who we are. Social networks introduce us to new people and create new interactions, but what we’re looking for is new opportunities to connect with the people most interested in what we’re offering. Taste graphs will begin to define who the “right” connections are.

3. Content is king, yes. But content that matters, is KING(er). The web is a big place, and we still have to wade through a lot of stuff to get to the content that we care about. LinkedIn has done a great job recently at providing their users with content that’s geared specifically for them based on individual interests and preferences. But wouldn’t it be cool if our entire online experience did the same? If we no longer needed to build our RSS feeds to give us what we want, but taste graphs targeted the right information to the right people?

Content aggregators are already having a tough time staying in business. Until someone builds the graph based on taste, it will simply remain a cluttered direct mail campaign.

The bottom line is–a company’s taste graph can and should produce connections that are uber-tailored to my interests. Is it possible? We’re already doing this in advertising with companies like IBM Coremetrics. Why not apply it to content and connections in the social space? The more refined and accurate my specific taste graph becomes, the more targeted our connections, messaging and interactions with the right people. Remember, all it takes is one.

Key Take-Away: Connection is important, but it’s not just about numbers. Connecting with the right people and key influencers will become even more important in 2012 and beyond.

@BryanKramer

So here’s what I propose: Forget about it. Get your eyes off that last 10 pounds and on to something more important. Many of the resolutions we make end up on the cutting room floor by February, anyway. This year, why not focus on something besides your waist size?

You’re a marketer–and a good one. Become a better one. Here are seven resolutions for 2012 that could take your marketing skills up a notch and make you Chief of Awesome.

Write these down. (Seriously. Get a pen.)

1)  Be social, but be interesting about it. You Facebook, tweet and blog–super. Now tell me the last time someone commented on or re-tweeted something you said. What separates you from the masses on social media is content. Be interesting, provocative and memorable in 2012, or just be.

2)  Focus your efforts. If everything is important, then nothing is important. In other words, you can’t have 15 top priorities in your marketing strategy and expect to be effective. Narrow priorities, focus your efforts and bring home the bacon.

3)  Make social media work for you (not the other way around.) Recently a survey by Demandbase and Focus that indicated that a company’s website was the top online source of new sales leads and seven times more effective than social media. Since then, the web people and social media people have been duking it out. Aren’t the two integrated? Social media drives people to your website where they can convert into a sale or a lead, right? Use social media as a means to an end, not the end itself.

4)  Write one thought-provoking idea. “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower.” Steve Jobs. You don’t have to be brilliant every day. But one day this year, whether in a blog, a Facebook post, a Tweet or even an email, write something innovative and original. The world needs more idea-makers and innovation.

5) Simply put, try something new. Just one.

6)  Breathe in, breathe out. Creative thoughts live in the middle. In other words, be mindful of the present. Focus on what’s in front of you, right now. Don’t worry about the future, don’t regret the past–concentrate on now. When your mind gets uncluttered, you open up all kinds of room for innovation and creativity.

7)  Simplify. Marketing is complex, yes. But it doesn’t have to be complicated. Simplify your marketing efforts.

It’s a modest increase, but it’s heading in the right direction, and you can bet that it’s going to be managed to the penny, with analytics tools and other kinds of technology working together to stretch marketing budgets everywhere.

With this in mind, digital marketing will be on the upswing big time in 2012. Here’s what to watch for.

Mobile goes mainstream. The title of a new eMarketer report pegs it: “Mobile Advertising and Marketing: Moving to the Mainstream.” Thanks to rising smart phone and tablet usage, next year mobile marketing will move from text messaging to a broader experience. The eMarketer report predicts that mobile advertising will soon become a valuable part of the media plan. The firm is projecting that U.S. mobile ad spending will grow 47 percent in 2012, to $1.8 billion.

Also, mobile payment opportunities are growing thanks to NFC (near field communication) technology that enables contactless transactions at the register. Already e-commerce giants like Amazon and eBay are reporting billions of dollars in sales via mobile. Jupiter Research estimates that mobile transaction volume will grow to $670 billion by 2015. Location-based services tied to mobile payments brings a whole new level of marketing (and analytics).

And finally, video on mobile and tablets will become even more accessible–content on demand, at your fingertips. In fact, the rise of mobile and tablets is having a profound impact on media consumption habits in general. For example, at Mashable.com, the average iPad app user spends six times as much time with the content as the site’s average web user.

It’s safe to say that if you haven’t invested in mobile yet, it’s time to get in the game.

Social goes mobile. As mobile moves into the mainstream, social media will continue it’s trend of becoming more mobile. Makes sense, right? Watch for much more social networking to be done on mobile devices where people can share content in real time. Location-based services will get more coverage. More and more people will be checking for recommendations about nearby restaurants, bars, hotels, etc. Social gaming via mobile devices will continue to grow. And online news will become more social, with more and more people getting their news from apps like iPad’s Flipboard or Washington Post Social Reader.

Mobile will be one of the hottest tickets in town in 2012. But watch for these trends, as well:

Inbound skyrockets. Blogging, thought leadership and viral assets will drive web traffic, which will increase lead generation. Aggregator services will play a key role in separating the good from the great content providers.

Multichannel increases. Consumers are rarely off the grid anymore. About 37 million adults have five or more internet-connected devices, according to Forrester Research. Customer behavior is happening on smart phones, kiosks, social media, search and call centers. Delivering a consistent experience for the customer wherever they are is going to be the challenge as this trend increases.

Gamification grows. Gamification refers to engaging people by applying game mechanics to non-game situations. One example is the Nike+ campaign, which gamified the process of personal training. People visit the site, enter details of their running times and the routes they take, and compete with other folk doing the same around the world. This trend will grow as brands find fun new ways to engage consumers who are becoming accustomed to more interactive forms of marketing.

Key Take-Away: Does your organization have a clearly defined digital marketing strategy? If not, you need to create one, or you may lose out on a significant revenue stream.