08 Nov Marketing Trends Expected to Dominate 2014
2014 is just upon us, not to be a holiday pusher. But, the reality is that the New Year is really just moments away. And, that is an exciting thing! With each coming year, it’s always enticing to see the trends that disappear, remain, or metamorphose in the world of marketing.
There were many trends throughout 2013 that we are certainly expecting to see come 2014. However, here is a comprehensive projection of what we anticipate to be some of the more dominating marketing tools for businesses:
Visual Marketing continues to reign supreme
So long as people like pretty things and comprehend visually-centric images faster than language, visual marketing will dominate. As seen in the last few years, visual marketing has taken over most social media platforms and marketing campaigns. Facebook, which was certainly not a visually-centric platform from inception, has become a frenzy of photo uploads, memes, and viral videos. The fact of the matter is that our attention spans are diminishing because we digest photos faster. Or, is it the immediate processing of photos that makes our attentions spans shorter? It’s really a co-dependent happening, but in any event, visual marketing will continue an upward climb toward success and viral sharing. Sites like BuzzFeed, Instagram, and Pinterest know a thing or 20 about the satisfaction in visual campaigns. And, visual marketing is expected to only magnify in the coming year.
Social Media will demand variety
If your business implemented a social media campaign even just a few years ago, you would have been limited to a small amount of powerful big dogs: Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn. However, in recent years, the advent of numerous platforms (largely visual-centric) like Instagram, Pinterest, and Vine have created more outlets for unique marketing. The plethora of platforms to market on has already demanded that businesses start exercising their customer service on all of the above. We anticipate that 2014 will demand an increasing demand for businesses to utilize these platforms. There are, however, many benefits to employing multiple social media accounts. These networks allow businesses to be more humanistic, approach different audiences, and generate real-time connections.
Mobile-Friendly content will be essential
It’s no surprise that we’re all connected on so many levels and at all times of the day. That basic luxury (or detriment, to some) is the result of our iPhones and smart devices galore. The fact that we’re all accessible at every moment has enabled us to procure all digital dealings (both business and recreational) on the go. With 2014, and the ever-innovative trajectory of our mobile devices, we need to ensure sound and pristine content for mobile. In the last few years, it was “acceptable” for one’s business website to not be readily developed for mobile. But, now, it’s time to ‘keep up with the Joneses’ and ensure the most efficient mobile content we can. Hey, it’s your business and if you want to beat out competitors and, primarily, keep your customers satisfied, you need to be mobile-friendly.
SEO and Social Media will become more connected
Whether you know it or not, social media has a tremendous impact on organic search rankings, which is one of the most integral roles of SEO. Google does its very best to provide users with the most relevant and high-quality search results possible. So, it’s only natural that the pervasiveness of social ‘shares’ and ‘likes’ get included into the algorithm. Social shares are huge, bottom line. They allow users to personally weigh the relevance, popularity, and approval of the larger public.
Some of the above trends are extensions of ones that have already begun to show mainstream viral nature. It would be within your interest to take a closer look at your own online marketing campaign and access how yours weighs up to these ever-growing trends. Beat the crowd come 2014 and begin instating these now!
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