Mobile marketing is one of the most prominent trends to watch in this new century. With over 250 million mobile phones in the US, more people have a cell phone than have Internet access. Hip marketers realize that the mobile phone is a consumer's most personal communications device, and that they are more accessible via their phone than TV, radio, print, and Web. NBC, Pizza Hut, Barack Obama and American Idol are all examples of companies and organizations utilizing mobile text message marketing. The marketplace is starting to be populated with several types of products can be utilized to send text messages to mobile phones to announce sales events, special promotions, alerts, discounts and much more. Run an Internet search for mobile text broadcasting services to find the product right for you.

Permission Telemarketing

Start work on a 'call me list' where consumers can sign up to receive free gifts every time a telemarketer calls to pitch them something. Customers get free gifts when they sign up and additional gifts for every call they get. Look to sponsors for airmiles, discounts, gift certificates, premiums, and the like. Explore other permission-based marketing, as it will continue to flourish until it becomes ubiquitous. Many companies already have access to your email address. The cumulative effect of legislation, profiling, and the willingness of marketers to pay for the right to market to consumers will make permission-based marketing huge.

Personalized Marketing

Consumers know that technology is cold, so they want more things personalized. For the ultimate in the personal touch, send handwritten notes. Try creating a sense of community among customers with promotional campaigns. Personalize discounts (birthdays, special events) and reward customer loyalty.

Ethnic Marketing

Marketing is not just a black and white issue anymore. The racial segmentation of your market is more diverse, now and into the future. Population growth is fastest among minorities. The US Census Bureau's estimation for 2005, states 45% of American children under the age of 5 are minorities. Market to ethnic groups by focusing on media that target these market segments. Consider translating your brochures, ads, and other marketing materials into the language of your target audience.

Multi-Generational Marketing

As Americans age, you may best benefit by marketing your product to three generations simultaneously, with a particular eye on the baby boomer generation. Consider these points:

* 13 percent of the US population will be over the age of 65 by the year 2010.

* Over 75 million people in the baby boomer generation are eligible to retire in the next 10 years

* By 2020, it is estimated that over 13 million seniors will require assistance with the daily activities of living.

* Design your packaging so that your product can appeal to different age groups simultaneously.

* When offering your product to different age groups, keep in mind that price affordability will be a significant factor with each age group.

Optimizied Online Marketing

Today more than ever, you need to optimize your online presence just to remain competitive. Use a creative combination of both online and offline tools to get noticed and sell more. Internet marketing ties together creative and technical aspects of the Internet, including design, development, advertising, and sales. Additionally, they encompass a wide range of services including affiliate marketing, email marketing, search engine marketing and more. There are two important factors to consider when it comes to online marketing, including the size factor. Marketing online has become more challenging as the size of the market continues to grow. The Internet is getting bigger in numbers of users, time spent online, and total purchases made on the Internet. Consider also the speed factor. The Internet is growing faster in terms of higher bandwidth. People can multi-task, do more, buy more, buy faster. The challenge for online marketers is keeping up with the speed of the customer.