How Will Digital Marketing Change in 2015?

How are you going to advertise in 2015? If you are planning on using the same exact budgets and methods as 2014, you might want to reconsider. With each passing year comes a new set of trends and potential customers for you to attract. Our clients often ask how marketing tactics will change into 2015 and beyond. While no one has a real crystal ball, current trends and statistics give us a fairly clear picture where digital marketing is headed.

No matter how your marketing plan turned out this year, 2015 offers a whole new world of opportunities. Here we detail 6 expected changes for digital marketing in 2015.

1. Focus On Mobile Ads Will Increase

As of right now, the mobile transition is underway with more people using their cell phone and tablet to surf the web than their desktop computer or laptop. As a result, ad campaigns must shift to mobile devices, a trend that is already happening but not with the vested interest it deserves.

If 2015 sees an increase in wearable tech popularity this will have an added effect on mobile marketing trends. With or without Smartwatches and Google Glasses, mobile users and ads are still poised for growth.

According to the CEO of Single Grain, Eric Siu, “Mobile analytics is going to become a much bigger factor in 2015. No one is doing a great job of tackling this right since the world is still transitioning to a more mobile world.” Siu’s comments are right in line with what the study of sociology tells us: rules, programs, policies, and even advertisements are slightly behind the modern day world.

You don’t have to be left behind like so many others; instead you can start perfecting your mobile campaign for 2015. It’s sure to pay off considering industry experts estimate more than 50% of all content will be accessed on mobile devices for the first time in 2015.

2. In-Depth Online Content Will Prosper

The last few years have seen a giant rise in the popularity of content, after all, without content what does your business have to share that is truly unique and capable of ranking for FREE on search engines? As a result, Google keeps getting better at finding the perfect posts to address every last search query.

In 2015, Google is only going to sharpen its skills even more. This means detailed, in-depth content is going to be more popular than ever, with both organic search results and successful marketers. It is suggested that content including both broadhead terms and short tail terms will rank the best on search engines. On the other hand, hyper-targeted pages that are not so useful will be less likely to rank on top search result pages.

3. Social Media Will Gain More Likes + Followers

As businesses continue to see great success from their social media marketing tactics, more brands want in on the secret. It is becoming an undisputed fact that social media and online presence is key to any marketing campaign, and in 2015 this realization is expected to balloon. The first thing people do these days is look up businesses on the Internet, without web presence your business becomes invisible.

With so many options for social media, how do you pick which is best for your brand? We suggest going for the most popular platform with your target audience, be it Instagram, Facebook, Twitter—or even better, all 3 and maybe even more. Certain platforms, such as Google Plus might not be worth as much of your time. Invest in building up a profile and following on social media platforms that are continually gaining new users at fast rates. This ensures your time is not wasted creating a profile on a less than popular site.

4. Marketing Will Become Friendlier, Less Blatant

In 2015 it will be more important than ever to connect with your target audience in a friendly, fresh, innovative manner.  The world is sharp to traditional marketing techniques. Once upon a time it was about doing something for the consumer, now it’s about doing something with them.

What do we mean by this? With the rise of social media it’s easier than ever to connect with your target audience in a very personalized manner. This grants businesses the opportunity to befriend their customers and institute goals, contests, and other fun games that relate directly to social media followers. Thus involving them in the actual marketing campaign so that it doesn’t feel such much like marketing at all.

5. Payments Will Go Mobile

The institution of platforms such as Apple Pay and Google Wallet will promote more and more people to pay using their phone. It is actually predicated that cell phones will become the safer form of payment compared with traditional credit cards or cash. In order to be prepared for the payment changes expected ahead, now is the time to mobilize your own payment options.

6. Online Reviews Could Make Or Break You

Erik Qualman, the founder of Socialnomics, found 78% of consumers trust what their peers have to say online.  This means nearly 80% of your target audience is looking at your online reviews and trusting what they say. Controlling your online image is adamant, but this control starts by providing your customers with the best service and product time after time. Otherwise, when people get angry they take to the Internet to leave a long-winded complaint and a low star rating.

How To Secure The Best Marketing Campaigns Year After Year 

As new trends arise each year your allocation of marketing funds is bound to change. Keeping up with the latest marketing techniques can help your business beat out the competition again and again. While great marketing campaigns shift with the times, they are always relatable, reliable, reachable and engaging.

Relatable—Make sure your campaign speaks directly to your target audience, so that they feel connected to your brand on multiple levels.

Reliable—Provide information, services, and security the public knows they can trust.

Reachable—Make it easy for your current and future customers to find you by having an accessible online presence.

Engaging—Entertain your target audience in unique ways to peak interest levels and spark conversation, which will ultimately attract more attention to your brand.