Top 5 digital marketing trends for 2014

2014 is fast approaching, bringing with it new opportunities to drive revenue growth within your business. Stay ahead of the game and get to grips with the upcoming trends now, with our top 5 digital marketing trends for 2014!

1. Multi-Channel Marketing 

2014 will see this trend accelerate, with retailers that effectively offer a true multi-channel experience being those that are the most successful. Customers no longer use just one channel to complete a purchase, and it’s vital that retailers adapt to this change. Make sure that your marketing campaign covers all bases including online, in store, mobile, email and social to give your customers the shopping experience they expect – and to generate the best possible ROI.

Did you know? Facebook has 751 million monthly active mobile users!

2. Richer Content

Image and video based content such as infographics and micro-videos, enable you to quickly engage with your customers and have the potential to create high-impact viral marketing campaigns. With the increasing popularity of photo and video sharing on social media sites and the news that photo sharing sites instagram and Pinterest are to start allowing advertising, imagery and video will play a key part in content marketing in 2014. 

Did you know? There are 100 million monthly active users on instagram!

3. Personalisation

After years of alienating customers through mass marketing, brands have started to realise that successful marketing is achieved by developing a one to one relationship with their customers. Personalisation will play an increasingly important role in digital marketing in 2014, and you should aim to track your customer’s online behaviour and provide a relevant proposition through targeted marketing techniques, for example remarketing or email.  

Did you know? A recent Econsultancy study showed only 19% of marketers are using personalisation!

4. Mobile Optimisation

The number of smartphone and tablet users is set to increase even further in 2014, making it essential that you take a mobile first approach to your digital marketing. If you haven’t already invested in a mobile optimised website, 2014 is the time to do it! Responsive emails are another important area to focus on, with industry experts estimating that around 50% of all emails are now opened on a mobile device.

Did you know? A recent TNS study revealed that 56% of smartphone users use their device for shopping!

5. Social Media Diversification

It’s no longer enough for brands to be satisfied with just having a Facebook or Twitter account, and in 2014 to be successful you will recognise the need to diversify and establish a presence on different social media sites. Google+ will increase in importance, as it increases its relevancy with the introduction of ‘recommendations’, which appear in search to give users their friend’s opinions about reviewed products and destinations. 

Did you know? Google+ is the second largest social network with 350 million daily active users!

If you’d like to discuss your 2014 digital marketing campaign with us, or for further advice on any of the topics mentioned above, just drop us a line.