Future Marketing Trends for 2015
Future marketing trends are changing rapidly. In fact having been in the marketing industry now for over 20 years we know only too well that the sector is moving more online than ever before. Stand alone marketing tactics that were used 3 years ago are now becoming obsolete as software technologies advance on a daily basis. So what marketing activities do we think will dominate the landscape in the next 12 months?
New Software Technologies
With the rapid rise of software technologies Marketers are spoiled for choice. According to Scott Brinker who tracks the mar-tech landscape there are currently 1876 companies and open source projects, represented in 43 categories of marketing technology. What’s more we can expect even more products to hit the market, especially in the areas of marketing middleware and marketing apps.
Access to Consumer Data
Brands are becoming more customer-centric as opposed to brand-centric due to more access to consumer data. Brands who capture and use this data are gaining useful insights into understanding their customers on a much deeper level, subsequently targeting their marketing activities to meet the specific not generic needs of customers.
In Person or Face to Face
Despite the rapid rise in digital technology & social media buzz the most effect form of marketing or getting new business is definitely still face to face. Meeting people at exhibitions, events, networking or meetings etc is still a very effective sales tool.
Content Marketing
With constant changes happening within the SEO landscape, it’s not surprising that there is no one magic marketing pill which will catapult sales. In today’s technological environment brands who use a number of cross platforms in an integrated approach to all their marketing activities will succeed the most. According to the B2B Content Marketing 2015 Benchmarks, Budgets and Trends—North America report, the following marketing activites are used the most:-
Social Media (outside of blogs) (92%)
eNewsletters (83%)
Articles on Your Website (81%)
Blogs (80%)
In-Person Events (77%)
Video Marketing
The age of original video marketing has arrived! Video is definitely taking over the web, with online viewing now routine for business buyers and consumers. For brands this presents opportunities for marketers to gain a competitive edge. According to the Content Marketing Institute’s (CMI) benchmark report (2012), approximately 52 percent of B2B brands reported using video marketing as a content strategy, however in 2013 this has risen to 70 percent. CMI also reported that 58 percent of B2B marketers believe video is an effective marketing and sales tactic.Whilst 61% of Marketers indicated that they prefer to use video-sharing site YouTube to win premium sales leads.
Standalone PR & SEO is Dead
A few years ago it was OK to push lots of PR or perform SEO activities on your website in order to attract customers. However, it’s now critical that brands focus on generating maximum visibility to their marketing campaigns by leveraging them across multiple marketing platforms such as Video, Social Media, PR, TV & SEO.