As recession pains ease, marketers have seen an uptick in budgets. Now that companies are coming out of the bunker, they are looking for revenue growth, not cost cutting, to improve the bottom line. The logical place to turn to in this circumstance is marketing. We have had discussions with a number of companies that are trying to figure out how best to spend their budgets, and it’s no surprise that many are looking to capitalize on the growth of digital and social media. The challenge is spending the money in a way that maximizes impact. Companies need marketing that delivers results, measurably and effectively, regardless of channel. What does that mean for trends in marketing in 2010? We offer six suggestions to help marketers start the year off right.

1. Develop more methodical approaches to experimenting with emerging channels.
2. Incorporate your social strategy into your overal marketing and communication strategies.
3. Think cross-channel.
4. Become smarter and more nimble in testing and measurement.
5. Leverage external partners and weave them together more effectively.

Source: DMNews, December 21, 2009