With so little time and so many tactics available, we must prioritize our marketing efforts to be successful. Depending on whether you are in a B2C or B2B environment, the tools you use should differ. It is vital that you choose your marketing strategies based on the type of industry you compete in.
With this in mind, I have compiled a brief list of web and digital marketing trends to be aware of in 2014.These trends assume that you already have effective SEO, email and social media strategies in place.
In order of importance, B2C web & digital marketing trends in 2014 will include:
- Mobile
- Customer experience
- Content marketing
In order of importance, B2B web & digital marketing trends in 2014 will include:
- Content marketing
- Customer experience
- Mobile
Mobile
Combined mobile and tablet traffic will be higher than desktop traffic for many consumer-focused companies this year. For B2B companies we have seen 20-35% of visitors come from mobile or tablet traffic. The shift towards flat and responsive web design will make this transition even easier. If your website is not optimized for mobile now is the time to take care of this.
Content Marketing
Instead of strictly selling products and services, we will see more companies delivering information that educates buyers during the sales cycle. The essence of this content strategy is the belief that if we, as businesses, deliver consistent, ongoing valuable information to buyers, they ultimately reward us with their business and loyalty.
This is what Google also believes and that is why this strategy is so important for your organic positioning within Google and other search engines.
Content typically found in this strategy includes:
- Blog Posts
- Newsletters
- Press releases
- Product announcements
- Video
- White papers
- Presentations- slide sharing
- Infographics
- Photos
- Industry news
Customer Experience
Marketers are increasingly looking at the customer experience from a holistic viewpoint. We will see further focus on the customer journey, customer personas, and touch-point mapping in 2014 so we can better understand how to improve and optimize the customer experience. Some of the many tactics are implementing the net promoter score (NPS) system, polls, focus groups and usability testing.
Social Media
Much has been written about social media tools and their marketing implementations. Social media has become an easily accessible platform that is available to anyone with internet access at a relatively low cost. Increased communication from organizations helps foster brand awareness and improve customer service. An area worth considering for the B2B marketer is LinkedIn as a prospecting tool.
Reputation Management
Although not listed above, an additional trend worth making note of is reputation management. We should all be actively engaged in ensuring we focus on this volatile new medium. We have numerous clients’, including ourselves, who are targeted by competitors in this channel, with little recourse. Now is the time to encourage your customers to post meaningful reviews in this important channel.
Good luck in your digital marketing and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me.