5 Marketing Trends for the New Year

The start of a new year gives businesses a chance to reevaluate past marketingtechniques and plan for newones. Exciting opportunities are ahead in 2014 as social media, content, and connected devices merge to drive results for both businesses and customers. Below are a few trends expected for the New Year.

1. Companies must be mobile
Users want to be able to easily access important information about a business using their mobile device. Whether it’s developing a mobile version of a website, implementing responsive web design or developing a mobile app, it is necessary to provide a positive experience to users that are browsing using a mobile phone.

2. Don’t only be mobile, be multi-screen
Marketers need to be where their target audience spends time. Tablets have become a popular medium to browse the web, and people will become frustrated if a site is not readable on their tablet. Be sure that your site is responsive to all types of devices, not just smart phones.

 3. Not every social site is perfect for every brand
Before choosing what social networking sites you want your business to be a part of, do a little research on which social media site your target audience is using most. LinkedIn is usually beneficial for B2B content, Pinterest tends to work well for retailers, and Facebook is generally great for B2C content. Test different platforms to determine what works best for your company.

4. Email continues to drive conversation
Email campaigns will continue to be an important part of the marketing toolbox. People tend to forward different information through email than social sharing, so it is valuable to utilize both. Just like any marketing technique, you need to implement an effective campaign that positively represents your brand. Be sure to keep an editorial calendar in order to stay on track!

5. Create stories people want to read
Millions of pieces of content are shared everyday, and each year there is more information and more ways to share it. So the quality of your content is even more important than it was in the past. The best content marketers are ones that understand how to blend writing, PR, social media, networking and multimedia content into one effective online presence.

Here at Tate Design, we plan to incorporate these predictions into our marketing strategy for the New Year. Share your predictions for 2014 with us! How will these predictions affect your marketing plan?