Worldwide digital ad spending increased in 2012, so where can marketers take their campaigns in 2013?

Believe it or not, digital marketing skeptics still roam the Earth, despite digital ad spend reaching the $100-billion mark for the first time in 2012. According to eMarketer estimates, spending on online practices like content marketing, video marketing and social media content creation will increase by 15.1 percent in 2013 to total $118.4 billion.

The projected increase will put worldwide digital ad spend levels at 21.7 percent of all media promotion budgets, and on pace to make up more than a quarter of all advertising spend by 2016. North America accounts for the greatest share of digital ad spend, which leveled off at 39 percent by the end of 2012.

Brands will continue to invest in the same practices moving forward, such as content creation and audience targeting through social media, but these ventures must evolve to increase interactivity in a changing world. For example, it’s impossible to ignore mobile’s influence any longer, and the major social media hubs understand this firsthand. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and even Pinterest have created aesthetically pleasing mobile applications for both smartphones and tablet devices, all of which experience upticks in user-ship.

Social Media Phone emarketerIn a recent eMarketer report, “Social Media Marketing on Mobile Devices: Turning Challenges into Opportunities,” researchers indicate the key opportunity for brands is that mobile users log into their accounts more frequently and spend more time on the sites. Create a consistent social media marketing strategy, and take advantage of users’ need for social connections on their mobile devices. Google noted that 60 percent of U.S. consumers visit mobile social networks in March 2012 – up from 54 percent in July 2011. Publish original content to those networks, and begin engaging with readers where they spend most of their time.

“What we’re realizing – along with our clients – is that the most engaged folks on social networks are people who are accessing via mobile,” Senior Vice President and Mobile Practice Lead at Digitas Chia Chen said. “So the question is, how do we think about it from a mobile perspective in the beginning? How do we make the social experience for them mobile at the core?”

In terms of social media marketing, the best way to make the overall experience “mobile at the core” is by updating accounts regularly with hyper-focused content. If people log into their networks every time they have a moment, brands must make sure they upload new content to keep readers engaged long term.

Ted Karczewski is an Executive Communications Associate at Brafton. He works to develop his own voice and apply his passions to the evolving world of SEO and content marketing, but he doesn't shy away from writing for fun. After graduating from Suffolk University, Ted used his Communications degree to test out Sports Journalism before Marketing at Brafton.