5 Main Areas That Will Dominate the Online Marketing Arena in 2014
Predictions are coming in from various top online marketers. Tactics for online marketing are drastically changing due to the evolution of content marketing, social media platforms, images plus brief content, marketing more mobile friendly apps, browser cookies and relevant SEO (Search engine optimization) keywords. Some key methods that are predicted to dominate during the next year are as follows, in no particular order of rank.
Online Marketing Tactics
1) Content marketing is still a huge success story in the marketing and media industry. Content marketing means creating quality branded editorial media that can be published across multiple platforms to deliver involved relationships, brand recognition and customer buy-in. Content marketing involves sharing, creating and publishing content to gain and keep customers. Communicate with your customers and prospects and inspire business and loyalty. Ensure content is always relevant, timely and contains valuable information.
2) There are new social networking platforms being developed almost weekly. It takes research to know where to spend your time and marketing resources. Investment in social media is a necessity to improve social signals, to gain company branding and awareness, for word-of-mouth advertising and for increased loyalty from customers. You can improve your audience influence and reach by using social media. More companies who are up-front and contemporary are developing social media departments. Not happy with leaving social media postings with random employees, the trend is toward entire marketing departments geared to social media.
3) The future of online marketing is in images. Pinterest, Instagram and Tumblr have proven visual e-commerce is the wave of the 2014. Good content is necessary, but consumers are more inclined to interact with a site and with one other consumer via images. Go ahead and use video plus articles, but don’t neglect to use brand imagery as part of your online marketing strategies.
4) Everywhere you look people are on their mobile phones consuming online content. Take the challenge and design mobile friendly websites that are imperative for marketing. Check out email service providers who can give you responsive email design templates that are compatible across mobile phone, tablets and computers. Most consumers today love new technologies and will attentively embrace new apps that come from their favorite companies. Over 82% of consumers use their smartphones for emailing. The trend for 2014 is to tap into this email market. Take advantage of several companies who offer emailing services. Design your ad, send it out and gain customers.
5) Search engine optimization for marketing is not keyword repetition. Think about where you want your content to go and form a strategy to identify exactly what your customers want, need and worry about. Most of the time the language that customers use does not mirror your marketing words. Conduct keyword research to see what is trending. Be more specific than a keyword phrase; say for example “clear skin.” Consumers are looking for “clearing up skin problems” or maybe “clearing up acne.” The trend in SEO marketing is critical thinking. Turn away from what customers want and turn in to who your customers are.
Keep your marketing campaigns simple. Today’s consumer is in a hurry and wants information and content quick and to the point. Think about what the consumer wants and where they get their information. Promote your goods and services for a consumer’s purpose. They will read, buy and come back, if you market what they need.
