You probably know about Mary Meeker’s legendary annual Internet Marketing Trends report. It’s essential reading if you take part in any kind of internet marketing (and we certainly do, with all our SEO, PPC and other inbound marketing strategies).

Mary Meeker’s Annual Internet Marketing Trends Report

We’ve got a summary of her original 164-slide report, which you can see below. Here’s some of the less-obvious takeaways which you probably won’t see on other internet marketing blogs (hey, we’ve got to earn our keep).

  • People want the internet with them. Mobile growth might be exploding, but that’s not the point. Mobile is just a means to be connected.
  • In turn, mobile internet is no longer a second-class citizen to the ‘normal’ internet. Responsive design is everywhere, and for many it’s the primary means to connect.
  • Smartphone video is probably going to be a big deal. Next time you’re at a TV, hold up your smartphone at a normal distance. Which screen size is effectively bigger from your view point? TV is losing viewer attention to social and apps, and it is starting to lose to regular video footage too.
  • Meeker says every new computing cycle grows by about 10x. So whatever comes after mobile (at a 10bn install base, according to Meeker) could have a 100bn install base. This fits the ‘internet of things’ narrative which claims everyday devices like washing machines, fridges and lightbulbs will be connected. Think in terms of how many devices your family and you as an individual have had connected to the internet over the past 20 years – that trajectory is sure flying up fast.

In summary, 2014 is all about riding up a steep slope to all-encompassing connectivity. That means more opportunities to find customers in a suitable context, which is great for anyone involved in internet marketing. Now for the next question: what infrastructure is actually going to hold up all these new connections? Land-based ISPs or mobile providers? I’d guess the latter. Maybe we’ll find out in 2015.

For now, here’s Meeker’s 2014 internet marketing report in full. Let us know your impressions in the comments, and hit share to pass our takeaways on to colleagues.