DMi Partners Predicts the 5 Trends That Will Affect Your Digital Marketing in 2012

Jan. 3, 2012 - PRLog -- As marketers continue to shift their attention from traditional media to digital advertising and performance marketing, an emphasis has been placed on simplicity and interactivity. Companies continue to look for the most efficient and measurable campaigns to engage their customers, while consumers are increasingly attracted to instant gratification – brands that deliver what they want, when they want it. With this in mind, Philadelphia-based performance marketing agency DMi Partners has outlined five trends that will shape digital marketing in 2012. Before you solidify your marketing goals and investments, consider these developments:

Requests for information through cable television.
Television has typically been a passive medium, marketing to audiences without clearly being able to track and measure feedback and engagement. This year, television marketing will provide a new way to engage with consumers and elicit a measurable and actionable direct response. Customers will have the ability to use their cable remote to opt in to be contacted by an advertiser for more information, a free sample, coupon, or other offer. This translates into a more positive experience for both consumers and companies desiring instant and measurable results.

More businesses will turn to crowdsourcing for task completion.
While marketers have found ways to automate and simplify many remedial digital tasks, machines simply can’t complete some jobs as efficiently as a human can. In the past, these tasks required budget-draining temporary workforces, but crowdsourcing provides companies the opportunity to assign these jobs at a desirable price to individuals in a willing and available work pool. In 2012, more businesses will warm up to adopting crowdsourcing, using services such as Amazon’s Mechanical Turk to manage paid searches, help in quality assurance, and audit social media.

Daily deals will become hourly deals.
As online shopping has become a more common channel for consumer purchases, Internet-only promotions that operate under time constraints have driven a strong direct response with customers. 2011 saw the rise of the daily deal, but 2012 will push the trend even further into hourly deals, while expanding into verticals other than the typical dining, vacation, and spa services. The smaller a time frame in which a promotion operates, the more flexibility a company has to target specific items, ensuring each gets appropriate attention. It also allows marketers to offer a steeper discount, generating increased consumer excitement. The next step after hourly deals… by-the-minute promotions?

2012 will be the beginning of the end for the “posting document.”
A “posting document” is a set of human-readable instructions that describe how to build a web form for an offer. In 2012, a new, machine-readable specification will standardize how we communicate these details, simplifying the process of building web forms for publishers and advertisers alike.

“Fan” acquisition will be seen as a more viable form of lead generation.
Facebook and other social media outlets are an increasingly important component of marketing, but their true value has not yet been completely realized. Each Facebook fan and social media participant has a specific dollar value to a company. In 2012 this value will translate into a more powerful way to obtain leads, with the growing popularity of utilizing Facebook information as a way to auto-fill forms and opt in to programs.

“The pervasiveness of online performance marketing campaigns will be a catalyst as these trends reshape the immediacy and interactivity of marketing,” said Patrick McKenna, CEO, DMi Parters (http://www.dmipartners.com/). “Early research, investment, and adoption of these new tactics will benefit companies aiming for growth in 2012.”

About DMi Partners
Founded in 2003, DMi Partners is a Performance Marketing Agency (http://www.dmipartners.com/services/services.aspx) that delivers real, tangible results for clients through the development and implementation of digital marketing programs.  Whether you are an educational institution looking to maximize your recruitment strategy, a financial services firm seeking a stronger link with customers and prospects, or any other business that thrives on qualified leads, DMi Partners can help you increase the productivity of your digital marketing program, drive growth and build your bottom line.

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DMi Partners is a performance marketing agency focused on driving real online business growth for our clients. And we’re not afraid to bet our own profitability on achieving success for you.