Marketing Predictions 2013 – How You Can Apply To Your Business

Predicting the future is a great way to look back on this article in 12 months time and say, ‘oh yes’ or ‘miles off.’ What do the marketing predictions 2013 have in store for marketing your business?

The technological revolution is shaping how we live our lives. Society is bombarded across a host of mediums for our attention. What does 2013 have in store? Are we going deep into digital?

The coming year has more to do with brands building a dialogue with their audience by putting promotion to one side, in preference to providing information and becoming more human.

Small and medium businesses account for 99.9% of all private sector businesses in the UK, according to the Business Population Estimates (BPE). This means that there are many of us trying to find our own space, whilst in reality the majority look the same.

There are 4.8 million private sector businesses in the UK, the highest since estimates began in 2000. How do we stand out when there is so much competition?

The answer is to stop being a salesman and more of a resource for your industry. The shift is going to be from selling to helping. Customers are more curious, more suspicious and more inquisitive than ever before. If you educate your customers, you build trust.

By providing information to your customers, you can deliver content and experiences that have more of an emotional connection and can add value to their lives. Look at the world around us, information isn’t in the local libraries anymore, it’s at our fingertips. The resources are available, it isn’t a new concept, just a different way to access technology.

Say goodbye to self-flattery, jargon and being ‘pitch slapped’ on Twitter,  Facebook and LinkedIn, lets champion individuality in a digital world, be ourselves and recognition by changing mindsets from selling to helping.

Image courtesy of Flickr (rights reserved by 123newyear)