Marketing will always be a way of life when it comes to doing business. The only thing that changes is the way marketing messages are communicated to their respective target audiences. This also includes how businesses communicate with each other and how information is shared. In today's competitive business world, it doesn't pay to ignore trends and fall behind. Here's a look at marketing and communications trends for 2012 heading into 2013.

Social Becomes a Way of Life

It's not just about Facebook and Twitter anymore. Social platforms still have a lot of growth potential, but the emerging trend is for company to eventually use their own internal social network. Microsoft, Cisco and SalesForce are already working on making this goal a practical reality. This is especially effective for businesses with multiple locations. Whether it's using existing social networks or customized social platforms, the trend is to form a more cohesive workplace. Location will no longer be a barrier to doing business. This is already true to some extent. As businesses further understand social platforms, the possibilities will be impossible to ignore.

More Content Shared Over Social Platforms

As more content becomes available for social networks, sharing information with a specific audience will continue to be much easier than it was in the past. The line between personal and professional lives will become less defined as target audiences embrace social technology across the board. Advances in Ruby and Java based apps will make it even more cost-effective to access multi-media platforms using these applications to share content and information. This involves sharing information and content on all levels, from internal communications to external marketing to a target audience.

Traditional Marketing Not as Important

If you have access to Facebook or similar social networks, do you really need to check your email all that much? Facebook and other social platforms are no longer things you do in private on your own time. The Facebook generation will further become engrained in the workforce. This means less reliance on traditional forms of communication such as email. In fact, email use is down among nearly every age group except for age groups over 55 years of age. Video communication will become standard, amounting for about 85 percent of all Internet traffic by 2013. On top of that, smart phones will soon account for about 90 percent of all cellphones sold. As mobile video technology is fine-tuned, the result will be a more collaborative workforce. This also includes the way your target audience is reached. Google is already embracing location-based marketing. This trend is expected to dominate the marketing world eventually. Even the way customers pay for goods will change as electronic commerce becomes easier and safer.
As with all forms of technology, we will eventually reach a saturation point with social platforms. The reality is that traditional marketing efforts such as trade shows, email marketing, and direct mail will always have a place. As social platforms become more cost-effective and easily accessible, however, many businesses will realize that its a marketing tool that can't be ignored. If it comes down to a choice between cutting back on email marketing and direct mail efforts or social marketing, the traditional methods are going to be eased to the back burner. Think about it like this: Can you afford to eliminate or reduce email marketing efforts? Can you afford to not be accessible via social platforms?
Kylie Cowles writes full-time for education blogs nationwide. Several schools offer degrees in communications including University of Southern California and Northwestern University.