In light of the start of a new year and our recent post about the latest inbound marketing trends, we thought it would also be useful to write about the 2014 marketing predictions you shouldn’t listen to. As you read through your favorite blogs or search for posts about the New Year’s emerging trends, we here to help you sort out the good ones. Most of these are terrible predictions simply because they have already happened. Others may never happen, at least not this year.

Disclaimer: Almost every marketer is guilty of making these claims at one point or another, including the Skyrocket team. But as they say, admitting is the first step.

The bottom line: You don’t have to listen to our predictions, but whatever you do, you definitely shouldn’t listen to these!  

1.       2014 will be the “year of mobile.”

This is probably the most regurgitated, outdated marketing prediction. Marketers have  predicted an increase in mobile activity for several years in a row now. Look around you – mobile is already here. In fact, it’s everywhere. We use brand-related apps, we shop on our phones, we use mobile kiosks inside stores and we use mobile devices to complete work.

Businesses in every industry are using mobile technology in one way or another. Examples? In 2013 and the years prior, retailers have implemented mobile commerce, supply chain managers have implemented mobile devices for data collection and hardware providers have developed mobile point of sale solutions.

According to the Search Agency, Mobile-based searches make up one quarter of all searches. According to Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, global mobile traffic now accounts for 15 percent of all internet traffic.Needless to say, for all the time they spend on their devices, consumers expect mobile-optimized sites that load quickly and allow them to interact with brands.  

2.       2014 will be the year of social

CEOs and CMOs have already implemented social media it into their marketing strategies. Even small, local businesses have. So if you haven’t already, get with the program!

Not only have businesses been using it for years to connect with their customers, it is now customers’ preferred medium for communication. A 2013 Study from NM Insight found that one in three social media users prefer contacting businesses through social media than over the phone.

And businesses are already investing in – and benefiting from – social media. In a recent survey of 511 predominantly B2B sales reps and executives, A Sales Guy Consulting found that 72.6 percent of salespeople using social media outperformed their colleagues who were not using it. And 54 percent of salespeople can track at least one closed deal back to social media engagement.

Want to learn how to use it? Check out our latest infographic.  

3.       Visual content creation will become more important.  

This is another one that is already true, and has been true for some time. Visual content has been rapidly rising since 2010. Proof? Instagram and Pinterest were released three years ago and both have been growing in popularity ever since. According to Hubspot, mobile video viewing increased 35 percent between 2010 and 2011. Also, in 2012, Hubspot reported that mobile video subscription is expected to hit $16 billion in revenue by 2014, with over 500 million subscribers.

One could even argue that visual content has been important since the beginning of time, as 90 percent of information transmitted to the brain is visual and our brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Over 60 hours of videos are uploaded each minute on YouTube.com. 700 YouTube videos are shared on Twitter every minute.  

4.       More marketers will hire huge content teams.

While this may happen someday, 2014 isn’t the time. Why? Some are still skeptical of content marketing and some simply don’t have the budget. Either way, most businesses have very few content specialists or are splitting up the content tasks among their existing personnel. For example, the IT guy might write a blog with tips for taking good care of your device.

According to Hubspot’s State of Inbound Marketing report, only 10 percent have a dedicated content marketer and only 9 percent have a full-time SEO expert or blog lead. More than 80 percent have fewer than six people on their inbound marketing team. What’s more is that according to Content Marketing Institute research, only 44% of B2B marketers have a documented content strategy.

Which 2014 marketing predictions have you been ignoring and why?