20 Statistics That Will Drive 2014 Marketing Strategies (Infographic)

Next year’s trends highlight the importance of social media marketing.

As 2013 draws to a close, marketers are looking ahead to next year when social media marketing will begin to take center stage. No longer a luxury, it will become a must-have in 2014 marketing strategies. Digital asset management firm WebDAM found that marketing on the social Web will move toward critical mass over the next few years as more budget is allocated by brands, and custom content will become increasingly import as companies fight to develop awareness and win customer mind share in the marketplace.

In 2014, marketers will use dynamic content to deliver targeted, highly-personalized experiences to the right audience at the right time.

What to expect

• 78% of CMOs think that custom content is the future of marketing.
• Marketing teams will spend $135 billion on digital marketing collateral.
• Internet advertising will account for 25% of the entire ad market by 2015.

Trends in the marketing mix

• Social media: Social marketing marketing budgets will double over the next 5 years.
• Content: Nearly 50% of companies now have content marketing strategies.
• Email: Email with social sharing buttons increase click-through rates by 158%.
• Events: 67% of B2B content marketers consider event marketing the most effective strategy.
• PR: 73% of reporters think press releases should include images.
• PPC: 72% of PPC marketers (those who use pay-per-click advertising) plan to increase their PPC budget in 2014.
• SEO: SEO (search engine optimization) is vital — 33% of traffic from Google organic search results go the first item listed.

What to consider for your digital audience

• Inbound marketing delivers 54% more leads than traditional outbound marketing.
• 52% of marketers have found a customer via Facebook in this year.
• 43% of marketers have found a customer via LinkedIn in 2013.
• B2B companies that blog generate 67% more leads than those that don’t.
• 55% of marketers increased their digital marketing budget this year.
• Visual content is processed by the brain 60,000 times faster than text.
• Videos on landing pages increase conversion by 86%.
• 65% of people are visual learners, so there will be an industry-wide shift toward to employing visual content in marketing initiatives.

Top 10 HOT Job Profiles in 2013

1) Analytics
Reason
Recent developments in hardware and networking technologies have made it cheap to not only gather large volumes of data, but also to store it and retrieve it with ease.
“The ability to analyse the data and make business sense out of it is a skill that is fast gaining prominence,” says Ajit Isaac, MD and CEO at Ikya Human Capital Solutions, who projects 12,000-15,000 openings next year.
Sectors
Banks, consumer goods, retail, IT & IT consulting, business consulting, & e-commerce/online.
Skills
Training/experience in statistics or financial analysis; familiarity with statistical techniques, and software such as SAS and SPSS.
Pay
Rs 4.5-8 lakh (p.a) Entry level (Graduate/PG)
Rs 8-12 lakh (Five years of experience)
Rs 15 lakh for IITs & Premier Schools

2) Sales
Reason
India is being seen as a large consumer market for various industries. And, many organizations, globally, are directing resources to grow it.
Muninder Anand, director, information solutions, Mercer, says there has been an increase in sales jobs at junior levels (sales executive, sales officer and area manager) and this, in turn, is creating opportunities at senior management levels (general manager sales and national sales manager) to manage the junior workforce.
Sectors
Consumer, pharmaceuticals, hi-tech, manufacturing & engineering, auto.
Skills
Communication & sales skills; exposure to industry.
Pay
Rs 4-10 lakh (p.a) Entry- to mid-level
Rs 24-50 lakh Senior management

3) Chief Operating Officers
Reason
2013 will be a year of greater competition, says E Balaji, MD & CEO, Randstad India. “So, as CEOs and business heads focus on increasing their market share, COOs would be focussing on cost control, cash flows and inventory management.” The demand for COOs is expected to grow 30% in the next few years.
Sectors
IT and IT-enabled services, engineering, procurement and construction.
Skills
Ability to multitask, make decisions under stress, motivate pros.
Pay
Rs 1-2crore (p.a) in large organisations
Rs 60-90 lakh SMEs and start-ups

4) IT & Mobile product development
Reason
With the Internet becoming an ubiquitous part of more and more lives, a lot of economic activity has moved online as well.
“A smooth, seamless user experience and a robust technical platform are key elements of a successful web presence,” says Ikya’s Isaac. “Firms recognise this, and, hence, people who can build such platforms are in great demand.”
Sectors
IT product, e-commerce, IT consulting and mobile application.
Skills
Knowledge of the latest tech and an eye for consumer insights.
Pay
Rs 12-18 lakh per annum (Entry level)
Rs 35-40 lakh (5 years of experience)

5) R&D Professionals
Reason
According to Mercer, India is being seen as an R&D hub; several organisations are investing in R&D centres across industries. The current requirement is for niche skills at the junior management level.
Sectors
Auto, chemical, consumer, pharma, healthcare and IT.
Skills
Ability to conduct research to create new products.
Pay
Rs 5-6 lakh (p.a) Entry level
Rs 12-15 lakh Mid level

6) Supply Chain, Procurement & Contract Management Executives
Reason
New projects are coming up in renewable energy segments. In engineering, there is demand for hardcore vendor development and people who know manufacturing/production processes enough to reduce cost.
Sectors
Oil & gas, power, petrochemicals, chemicals, auto, manufacturing and retail.
Skills
Experience in procuring capital equipment for petrochemical, oil & gas or power industries.
Pay
Rs 8-25 lakh (p.a) Mid level
Rs 35-70 lakh Senior level (GM and above)

7) Non-exec Board Members
Reason
India Inc is facing a paucity of independent directors. “Individuals with knowledge of corporate governance issues (among others) are in demand,” says Anindita Banerjee, client partner of Stanton Chase India.
Sectors
Mining, agrochemicals, healthcare and life sciences.
Skills
Leadership skills to drive better governance and increase efficiencies in areas of environment, health, safety & clean tech.
Pay
Rs 15-30 lakh per annum (Retainer, for meetings on a quarterly basis)

8) Social Media Buffs
Reason
Brands are going social, and customers and stakeholders are taking their conversations online. “Consumers are taking peer reviews seriously and basing their purchase decisions on them,” says Balaji of Randstad India.
Sectors
Technology, media, e-commerce, auto, FMCG and lifestyle product companies.
Skills
Tech-savvy; certifications from Google, Yahoo and MS ad platforms will help.
Pay
Rs 4-6 lakh per annum (Mid-level as it is still a nascent segment)

9) Junior Engineers
Reason
Mercer’s Anand says most organisations that employ engineers are planning to expand. Maximum openings are at the junior level, including IT engineers & process engineers, product and design engineers.
Sectors
IT, telecom, auto, manufacturing, engineering & chemical.
Skills
Engineering and project management.
Pay
Rs 3.75-16 lakh per annum (Entry to mid-level)

10) Training Staff
Reason
According to Amit Jain, business head, TimesJobs.com, as more educational institutes open up, more trainers would be hired.
Sectors
Education, training.
Skills
B.Ed, relevant bachelors /Masters degreel
Pay
Rs 4-5 lakh per annum Entry level
Rs 9-10 lakh Mid-level