Guest contributor Delta Media Group says:

Have you compiled your 2013 budget yet?

If you're wise, you'll account for flexibility. But there are some things you'll certainly want to consider investing in.

Those probably aren't rocket science, because they're many of the same things you've been at least considering investing in for the past few years. But they're back on the top of your marketing list because they work.

If you're planning on budgeting more of your marketing budget toward email, mobile and social, you're like most marketers, according to a StrongMail survey. One thing you're definitely not considering is cutting back your budget. The same survey found 89 percent of those surveyed said they plan "to increase or maintain the same level of marketing spend in 2013."

Interesting news, when the past half-decade has largely boasted reduced annual marketing and advertising spends due to the downtrodden economy.

Real estate might not be what it was in 2005 through 2007, but it has improved over the past few months, and companies are adjusting accordingly. This is a new economy where marketing is necessary, but it absolutely demands return on investment. This absolutely demands you have a way of measuring your results and comparing those with your investments. Doing so means you can be more aggressive while also being more cost-conscious in your real estate business.

While print advertising has largely shown higher costs and decreased returns in recent years, the mediums featured in the survey—email, mobile and social—are all showing positive marketing and branding results for those companies correctly using them.

And with good reason. All are good paths for your brokerage's future, and all paths we've been talking about for a long, long time. That's why we've dedicated many of our recent developments to—you guessed it—Email, Mobile and Social.

Email

Email is the driving communication force behind the DeltaNet. It's the primary communication tool in the DeltaNet Customer Relationship Management system. Our email system allows customers to sign up for Market Watch reports, which sends them home pricing and for-sale trends, neighborhood stats and a lot more.

Mobile

Mobile isn't the future, but the present, because mobile is what consumers are searching from. More than half of Americans have a smartphone, and the number of shoppers who used their mobile device to make a purchase doubled in the US and UK from 2011 to 2012.

It only makes sense--your consumers are driving around neighborhoods, spotting homes they have interest in and using their mobile devices to conduct more research on them. They're even requesting more information and contacting a real estate agent on the Web directly from their mobile device.

Social

Social is one of the most influential mediums because it allows people to easily interact with friends and businesses. Social is the new word-of-mouth because those who have good service turn to Social to mention it, while those with bad service turn to Social to scream about it. Social is less invasive than many marketing mediums, and allows you to share news and stories and keep your brand in front of consumers without seeming like you're pushing them toward a sale they might not want to be sold on.

All three mediums are necessary for your 2013 marketing plan, which means so is a platform that allows you to control you digital business seamlessly with advanced uses of these mediums.

To view the original article, visit the Delta Media Group blog.