3 Web Marketing Channels to Keep an Eye on in 2011

We've already talked about what we think the emerging trends for web design in 2011 are, so today's post isn't as much about emerging  trends, as the web marketing channels that marketers should have on their radar for 2011. Most of these channels have been around for a while, but they are still ones which are important for web marketers (regardless of whether they market to B2B or B2C) should be conscious of.

1. Social media continues to mature. Social media is already popular, but in the coming year we believe that it will continue to mature into a solid and mainstream marketing tactic. Social media is about listening and communicating with your community, whether that's customers, fans, partners etc. Social media has a huge user population that businesses can engage to help grow their online presence and brand identity and while some companies are still dabbling, we think that 2011 will be the year that social media turns into a realistic part of companies' marketing strategies from budget to measurement. 
2. Compatibility and usability for mobile devices becomes a standard, not a trend. The continuing popularity of mobile internet access, means that if your company doesn't have a web presence that translates to mobile, you're falling behind. Don't forget. mobile isn't just phones either anymore, tablets are quickly becoming one of the more popular ways to access the internet, and your web presence can still require some tweaking to work effectively on tablet devices. Don't alienate your audience by having a website that doesn't render well on mobile devices, and if you're going to create mobile apps, make sure you do it properly. Opinion polls show that most consumers now expect companies to have mobile apps but they also think that if the apps are created poorly or thrown together, it's better not to have one at all.
3. SEO becomes a more integrated process. Most companies are already taking advantage of SEO practices to help improve their website rankings. However, we often find that companies are still making the mistake of using SEO as an afterthought to website design and marketing strategy. In 2011 we think that more companies will start to integrate their SEO strategy into their web marketing, from their websites design straight through to maintenance, usability and information architecture.

Posted by Amberlie Denny at December 14, 2010 8:00 AM

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