- inmotioncommunicat
Marketing Predictions List – Revisiting the Top Five in 2015
We love lists. To-do lists, grocery lists, Christmas lists and wine lists. But we’re especially fond of those inevitable end-of-year ‘what trends to look for next year’ lists. In fact, as marketers, we hoard those lists aplenty, placing bets on which ones we think will stand the test of time. Well, here we are, halfway through 2015 and are re-visiting some of our faves (no, sadly not the wine list). Take a look at our Top Five Marketing Predictions that rang true.
Prediction: Historically, the focus of marketing has been on reaching ever larger and more diverse audiences. Reaching larger audiences will still be important in 2015, but marketers will need to focus on bringing a more personal touch to the messages they send to consumers.
Reality: This is an absolute must. And if companies aren’t doing this, they are wasting a lot of effort (not to mention cash). There are some relatively simple ways to accomplish this. Simply adding personalization fields to email marketing messages improves click through rates by 14 percent and conversion rates by 10 percent. Personalizing the web experience makes a huge difference as well. Leveraging the information you know about your users and website visitors will let you offer up personalized landing pages that present the most relevant information possible.
2. Use LinkedIn and Other Social Networks More to Distribute Content
Prediction: One trend from this year that will continue into 2015 is the use of LinkedIn to distribute content. Social media networks are good places for content distribution, but LinkedIn has several features that make the platform more versatile than Facebook, Twitter, and others for this purpose.
Reality: We LOVE LinkedIn. It’s a great resource though there’s still a perception that it’s just for job hunting or gathering intell on a client. But honestly, where else can you get such a targeted audience? Its accurate targeting is the foundation of the LinkedIn platform. It’s ideal for distributing full articles or links to other articles to the people that matter to your business. Fortunately, according to the Content Marketing Institute's 2015 B2B benchmark report, "94% of B2B marketers use LinkedIn to distribute content; making it the social media platform used most often (they also say it's the most effective social media platform)".
Prediction: The importance of mobile search, mobile optimization, mobile conversions, and mobile ubiquity cannot be overstated. Mobile devices and our collective addiction to them are fixtures of the modern marketing era.
Reality: YES! And just so you know we agree, re-read this.
Prediction: Marketers will need to find a medium that will help their message to stand out from the crowd and that could be visual storytelling. Perfect for engaging and nurturing engaged consumer communities, visual storytelling will be employed to communicate the brand’s philosophy and aesthetics.
Reality: Visual bullets, storyboards, illustrated words, diagrams, memes (simple pictures with amusing captions) and infographics are a favorite among the social media crowd. They can be invaluable to help spark a movement and inspire emotions.
Prediction: With website visitors becoming increasingly wary of handing over their email addresses, businesses need to become extremely smart about what types of email content they provide and how they promote it.
Reality: Yeah, we’re seeing that businesses realize that sending MORE emails isn't the key...it's sending BETTER emails and creating more valuable lead magnets.
