Is direct mail dead? Should you make a bigger investment in content marketing this year? Will 2013 be the year that Google+ finally goes mainstream?

At Boomm, we’re dedicated to helping you keep up with the latest B2B marketing trends to help you build your business. That’s why we’ve rounded up predictions for 2013 from a wide-ranging group of top industry thought leaders to help you understand developments that could significantly affect your marketing strategy this year.

We definitely agree with many of the predictions, including the increased emphasis on content and digital marketing this year. And we’re happy to see that 2013 may be the year Google+ breaks through. But, we’re undeniably dismayed by predictions that we all may have to pay to have our social media updates seen – and lose access to free Google Analytics data (though these seem likely with Facebook’s recent EdgeRank changes – and the increasing presence of “not provided” data in Google Analytics).

• 2013 B2B Content Marketing Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends – North America. In its annual research report on the state of content marketing in North America, CMI predicts that marketing departments will evolve into B2B publishing departments to meet the need for fresh content. The report also notes that most B2B marketers (54%) plan to spend more on content marketing in 2013, but most (64%) struggle to produce enough content to “feed the beast.” Read more.

• Prepare for 2013: 10 B2B Marketing Trends and Developments. MarketingProfs offers 10 trends that they expect to become even more popular in 2013. Topping the list is the prediction that digital marketing will expand as businesses of all sizes begin to implement digital marketing tactics. They also believe that direct mail will make a comeback as savvy marketers combine this tactic with digital marketing techniques. In addition, MarketingProfs predicts that more sales-related tasks will move to marketing as lead generation responsibilities expand for B2B marketers. Read more.

• Follow the Money: Digital Marketing Trends For 2013. Forbes invited Rob Eleveld, CEO of Optify, to provide his predictions for digital marketing in 2013. Elveld predicts that increased business use of social media and content marketing will lead to a surge in email marketing. Eleveld also says that Google will dominate search in the B2B sector, with a 95% market share – and may begin charging users to access its data and analytics. Read more.

• Six Email Marketing Predictions For 2013. Email Insider provides six email marketing predictions for 2013. At the top of the list is the trend of optimizing marketing emails for mobile devices (e.g., smartphones and tablets). Marketers will also begin using video in email messages due to the availability of HTML5. Read more.

• 21 Social Media Predictions for 2013 From the Pros: Social Media Examiner asked 21 social media experts for predictions, and got some great responses. Ekaterina Walter says that visual marketing will be key in 2013 – and that brands need to know how to do it well. Anita Campbell predicts that Google+ will become a must to manage your online presence for Google. And Kristi Hines predicts that social media advertising will be required to reach your audience in 2013. Read more.

If you’d like to learn more about any of these trends, please contact us.