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Well, I have been reading so many blogs and articles that have been making 2007 predictions, that I thought I would add my own twist to the mix. So here are a couple to chew on relating to custom publishing and content marketing.

1. A major consumer brand will launch a custom magazine in 2007 that wins numerous "magazine of the year" awards from the trade press.

2. CEM or Custom Experience Management takes the spotlight in 2007, as more marketers try a new tactic at measuring the value of the customer.

3. 2007 is the year that email dies. Marketers finally realize that buyers and specifiers are no longer looking to email to get company information...frankly, they either don't pass through the spam filter or are not being opened due to the flooding of crap email. Instead, marketers look to content portals that are search engine optimized that integrate with their own sites, as well as being picked up by the major search portals. RSS feeds are a must on any site.

4. Wal-Mart goes back to their original agency and begs forgiveness - realizing that the original Sam Walton vision is the best bet for their future.

5. More and more agencies begin to produce content marketing/custom publishing pieces for their clients. As more marketers are going targeted, and relying less on big media buys, agencies see an opportunity to create content strategies for their clients. This offers opportunities for many custom publishers for partnerships, but also leaves many others in the dust, taking business from the traditional content marketing houses.

If you were considering the above as a financial portfolio, I would be happy with 3 so-so predictions, 1 dead-on, and one in the flusher. We'll have to wait a year and see. Best wishes for the New Year!

Labels: custom magazines, custom publishing, ROI, top predictions