A couple of weeks ago iStrategy rolled into Toronto and Inbox Marketer had the pleasure of not only attending, but also presenting at a breakout session on Unified Messaging. If you were in the audience for the session you would have heard the message loud and clear that in the next few years, marketers are going to face an increase in Marketing Complexity. In fact, one figure cited in our presentation stated that as many as 79% of CMOs expect high levels of marketing complexity over the next five years.

Luckily iStrategy Toronto came at a great time of the year, as most marketers are wrapping up their 2012 campaigns and have already begun to look ahead to 2013 and beyond. After taking some time to let the lessons from iStrategy sink in, I have put together a list of six ways marketers can prepare their marketing programs to deal with the increasing complexity they will no doubt face in the New Year:

1. Content is king – An old mantra that has never been so true, but content is only king if it’s relevant. Content publishing can qualify you as an expert, or quickly disqualify you so ensure your content is well-informed, researched and relevant to your audience.
2. Grab Attention!!! – We’re competing with more channels, more messages and more devices than ever before; focus on creating content that “awes” and informs to promote sharing.
3. Unify your Messaging – You must unify your channels, messages and data to enable you to provide personalized, relevant and timely messages through customers’ preferred channels and at their preferred times.
4. Mobile, Mobile, Mobile – Mobile readership is rising (in case you hadn’t heard) and doesn’t look to be stopping. Just about half of all email is read on a mobile device; build your messages, CTA’s and content for mobile-first, then worry about the desktop.
5. Keep the message simple - You’re competing with thousands of messages, brands and products – more now than ever. Keep your message clear and simple. Make them want to learn more, and then have that content ready; any gaps in between can create a loss of interest. Integrated marketing plans are as important as ever – a customer could see a banner ad today, look for a message on Twitter tomorrow and hit your website three days from now. Make sure your message is consistent and unified.
6. Don’t be afraid to try new things – Just make sure you measure the results so you can tweak it, avoid it or change it altogether. As Jeffrey Hayzlett says “This is marketing. No one is going to die.”

Let us know in the comments section below what your organization is doing, if anything, to prepare for this increase in marketing complexity in 2013.