5 trends we see in 2011.

Once again, with a little help from some of our well-informed friends, we’ve identified topics worth tracking in the coming year. Have a look, and let’s talk about ways to capitalize on these trends or others that may be on your mind.

1. For CMOs, measurement and efficiency still rule.

In marketing management, accountability will continue as a major theme, with measurement and analytics taking center stage to justify budgets. B2B companies will hone customer loyalty and segmentation efforts to drive efficiency. The spending focus will continue to be on cost-effective online media, which in turn will drive demand for content, thought leadership and virtual word-of-mouth strategies.

The increased pressure for marketing efficiency will also affect marketing organizations. Leaders will strive for more flexible and intelligent organizational structures to leverage local knowledge, employee expertise and innovation. Many corporations are using social media – Facebook, Twitter and others – to create flexible worker communities and to match expertise to what’s needed, in real time. Some even have “matchmaking” programs to pair employees around the world.

Contributor: Ann Marshman, Executive Director, The Leader’s Council

2. Size is giving way to nimble.

There are certainly advantages to being big – economies of scale and getting down the production learning curve, to name only two. But accelerating technology and instantly accessible information are empowering small companies as well. And they’re the ones much more likely to be nimble. So if scale also means being slow to adapt, maybe size won’t matter after all, or may even be a negative.

This inversion is just one more indication that sticking to the “tried and true” may sow the seeds of long-term decline. Profitable growth will come from dramatic reevaluations, broad-based innovation and staying nimble. One thing’s clear: Companies will not ride out of this economic trough on the same road, or in the same manner, that they came in on.

Contributor: Jon Wheeler, Partner, The Clarion Group

3. The more virtual the setting, the more you need old-fashioned selling.

Technology is allowing, and requiring, salespeople to become increasingly disembodied and virtual. Great for productivity, right? Well…

As it becomes ubiquitous and cheaper, technology will continue to make sales touches more efficient, but how effective? Our view is that the farther people are removed from face-to-face, the more important become the basics – like establishing and maintaining your value proposition, and surprising and delighting your customers through exceptional customer experiences. Whether it’s one-to-one or one-to-many, the imperative is still the same: connecting on a personalized, authentic level. Virtual techniques are a great way to reach them, but good old conversations will continue to win the day.

Contributor: Jeff Rutchik, Executive Vice President, George P. Johnson

4. Make sure your software doesn’t get lost in “the cloud.”

Way back in 2010 your software was probably sitting on the computers in the IT department right down the hall. If your software provider went belly up, no worries, bankruptcy law gave you the right to continue to use the software. But if your business software is in the cloud, and the cloud provider goes away, look out. Because current bankruptcy law doesn’t address your ongoing rights to software in the cloud, you may not be able to get at it. No silver lining there.

Contributor: Jim Quinn, Partner, Larkin Hoffman Daly & Lindgren Ltd.

5. SEO may yield to a more pleasing user experience.

Optimizing your website content for search-engine recognition (SEO) is an absolute prerequisite to being discovered, perused, shared and talked about. No one can argue its importance. But our mantra has always been that any web endeavor has to start with the user in mind.

The problem is that UX (form) is often at odds with SEO (function). It’s a battle of “crawler experience” versus “user experience.” Obsessively optimizing content for the crawler can leave the user flat and disinterested.

We think the obsession with SEO has gone too far in some quarters. But 2011 could see the pendulum swinging back. As local search results gain more prominence, users expect to be touched by a neighbor who knows them, not an automaton from afar. Likewise, as search continues going mobile, content needs to be quick, simple and very user-friendly. So the crawler will be less inclined to dictate the terms. And you will be able to have it both ways.

Contributor: Jack Feuer, President, Digital Marketing Works

We want to hear from you about what you’re seeing and what to expect in 2011.

Meanwhile, check out this recent Pappas MacDonnell effort on behalf of The Hartford, where we breathed life into a low-interest topic: WorkersCompStartHere.com