As we wrap up 2014 and look ahead to the new year, digital marketing will have a huge impact on the way direct response marketers conduct business moving forward. Addressable spending on mobile, search, social, display, and email advertising will hit the $50.6 billion mark in 2014—a 14 percent jump from 2013, according to the Direct Marketing Association’s 2014 Statistical Fact Book. The report also says that spending on traditional media—television, magazines, outdoor advertising, radio, and cinema—will grow to $124.6 billion.

I’m excited to step into the role of ERA chairman for the 2014–2015 term, and especially honored to be the first chair from the payment processing industry. One of the reasons I joined the Board of Directors and then ran for chair was that I believe in the importance of payment processing as it applies to the direct response infrastructure. Payment processing is a vital function for marketers and their companies—if you can’t accept credit cards as a form of payment, your business is likely to fail.