Marketing Trends for 2014

The world of Marketing in 2013 was characterised by changes in technology especially in digital marketing and mobile marketing. Now that 2014 has started, it is important to anticipate marketing trends and try to incorporate these trends into your marketing plans.

One of the main trends that we should expect this year is Location Marketing. Apple has announced the iBeacon technology. The iBeacon in the customer’s phone sends notifications and exchange data such as offers and special products for sale as soon as someone enters in a shop. In simple words, in 2014 there are endless possibilities for marketers to develop customised ways to attract customers in real time and about real time offers via mobile technology. More potential customers will have smart phones and tablets in 2014, giving businesses that are available on mobile devices a comparative advantage in the market.

There were rumours that SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) is on the decline. The answer to this is very straightforward – it’s not. With the changes in the algorithms that Google has made in 2013, quality content became a very important factor for SEO. Make sure that your website is able to answer customers’ questions, and most of all make sure that your website has the right balance between user experience and search engine friendliness.

Social Media is about to face some drastic changes as well. In 2013 we talked about the importance of having a social media presence, such as on Facebook, and to utilise information that is already available for your marketing needs. In 2014 the name of the game would be Social Media Diversity. Your business needs to start using other networks such as Pinterest, Slideshare and Instagram. These networks proved how powerful an image can be in promoting a product or a service. So make sure that your business is ready for Social Media Diversity as it is going to be one of the main trends in Marketing.

Video Marketing is also about to see a boost in popularity. Videos convey powerful messages that are much more effective than just text. For example the worldwide company Volkswagen worked with a Canadian YouTube Band; the ‘Walk Off The Earth’, to promote Beetles as being playful, soulful and powerful. Such videos can go viral in just few hours with the result of increasing brand awareness and customer engagement.

Remarketing – this concept is gaining more popularity. When for example you visit a clothing website, after you close it you usually see an advert of that same clothing website on other sites. This is called remarketing, a very smart type of marketing. You can show ads to visitors that already showed interest in your products previously by showing these ads on other websites such as on YouTube. Many first time visitors do not convey on their first visit, which is why re-marketing can be effective.

One size fits all fits nobody. This isn’t going to change in 2014, and developing marketing strategies for different target markets has to be a top priority for all those businesses that want to be successful. It is important to experiment in different ways as every business has its unique characteristics with unique marketing needs. 2014 looks like it’s going to be an exciting year full of opportunities for marketers; make sure you utilise the technology that your competitors are already exploring!

Daniel Coleiro Kingswell is a Search Engine Marketing Specialist at Alert eBusiness (Internet Marketing Division) – www.alertemarketing.com