It’s that time of the year again! As the New Year begins, many industry groups and publications are peering into their crystal balls to predict what will be hot – and what will not – in the coming year. This is especially true when it comes to marketing and communications.

At Boomm, we’re dedicated to keeping up with the latest trends to help you build your business. And we understand that you don’t have time to read what every industry expert is predicting for 2014. That’s why we’ve rounded up some of the top 2014 marketing trends and predictions from top industry thought leaders – including the Content Marketing Institute (CMI) and Mashable – to help you understand what developments in the coming year could impact your marketing strategy.

We definitely agree with many of the predictions, including the increased emphasis on content marketing and continuing importance of traditional SEO tactics. And we’re happy to see that 2014 may be the year that more marketers begin creating personalized experiences for their visitors. But, we’re not really buying the prediction that MySpace might make a comeback – and are a bit concerned about the effect that Google’s ever-changing algorithms may have on search engine results this year. If you’d like to learn more about any of these trends, contact us.

• 7 Key Marketing Trends for 2014: Tactics for Thriving in the New Year. SilverPop predicts that personalized websites will become more prevalent in 2014. While companies like Amazon have set the standard for providing personalized online experiences, every company can integrate its marketing and content management systems to deliver dynamic web content. In particular, B2B marketers can make an immediate impact by offering persona-based content that matches the prospect’s position in the sales funnel. Read more.

• 2014 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America. In its annual research report on the state of content marketing in North America, CMI found that most B2B marketers (93%) are using content marketing (up from 91% in 2013) and that the average B2B marketer allocates 30 percent of their budget to content marketing. The report also notes that infographics are surging in popularity as a content marketing tactic, with 51% of B2B marketers using them this year (up from 38% last year). Read more.

• What Should CMOs do in 2014? Forbes recently shared the top 10 predictions for CMOs in 2014 from International Data Corporation (IDC). One of the most sweeping predictions is that the marketing function in leading companies will be radically reshaped into three key components by 2020 – content, channels and consumption (data). IDC also predicts that digital marketing will continue to grow, with investment in digital marketing exceeding 50 percent of total program budget by 2016, which is up from 39 percent in 2013. Read more.

• 3 Social Media Trends You Should Know About. Mashable’s top social media trends for 2014 include the importance of newer social networks and micro-video. Google+ is becoming increasingly important for SEO, which makes 2014 the year that you should resolve to give Google+ a try. The emergence of micro video apps for Twitter (Vine) and Instragram will also make the creation of short, compelling videos a key trend in 2014. In addition, MySpace might also make a comeback in 2014, so marketers may want to keep tabs on the new MySpace to see if – and how – brands use it this year. Read more.

• 20 SEO Tips, Trends and Predictions for 2014. Last year, marketers struggled to keep up with Google changes, from the retirement of the beloved Keyword Tool to the Hummingbird update. That’s why CIO asked the SEO community for predictions, and got some great responses. While many respondents predict that keyword research and basic on-page SEO will continue to be important, others foresee that it will be a challenge to figure out which types of content move the needle for Google rankings now – and which don’t. Read more.