With marketing there is a constant push to find the next new thing, whether it is a way to reach clients, drive traffic to websites or convert interest into sales. Digital media has become more and more integral in these regards as it offers value for money and access to a much wider potential audience. 2014 saw countless success stories with companies making the best use of new channels, including advertising on social media and investing in videos. At the start of 2015 it is a good idea to look ahead for what trends we can expect for 2015.
A big issue for businesses is retaining customers and transforming them into repeat buyers. One of the easiest ways to do this is to keep in contact with existing customers by sending regular emails. Doing this gives you the chance to personalise messages and ensure they know about all of the special offers that might grab their interest. Email marketing is really important but you need to be careful not to be caught in spam filters or inconvenience customers buy sending too many emails. Bombarding them with mail is off-putting and will give them a bad impression of your business.
Content creation remains one of the most important aspects of digital marketing, particularly when businesses can write informative and interesting pieces about their industry. A large number of resources can be required to keep blogs active and ensure they are updated regularly with top quality content. It is essential that you remember that content creation is an ongoing thing and you can’t just do it when time permits.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) has changed a great deal over the past few years and has been the focus of a great deal of debate. Google has taken several steps to discourage any form of SEO but businesses are still looking for ways to improve their rankings on search engines as these offer advantages when looking to drive traffic to sites. Basic steps to take include ensuring your website is optimised in technical terms. You can then ensure your content creation keeps the site active and regularly updated with fresh things. Building offsite links could offer some benefits but it is important to take care when doing this.
Social media could prove to be the biggest growth area for businesses to market directly to customers. The amount of customers the various platforms give you access to is astonishing but you need to take care when planning which of these to use. It is very tricky to budget for social media, particularly when you keep in mind how easily your efforts can be swallowed up. The best option is to choose the platform that gives you the best access to the target market and invest your budget there.
2015 is set to be a lot like 2014 only with more focus on the technical side. It is important to get started with your digital marketing efforts as soon as possible so you can see what results they yield towards the middle of the year.