This new year will continue the pattern we are seeing of businesses wanting to reach consumers on a more personal scale. More than ever, marketers are striving to understand their target audiences and focus on them on a more individualized level. The biggest challenge is perfecting our strategies to reach them and maintain these relationships. Millennials continue to be the biggest priority for gaining and holding the attention of, but also, they are some of the most selective consumers. Companies are striving to find the best strategies for holding on to their dynamic presence in 2015.
Invest in their interests.
2015 will focus on getting the right content to get the right people at the right time. We’ll see tailored posts based on specific demographics like interests, geographic locations, and age group of your audience. You’re going to have to be more conscious of the desires and trends of your key groups to get the most out of your online marketing initiatives this year.
Go to new events.
One of the best ways to show off your brand and make the top connections in the biz is by networking at an array of events, trade shows, conferences, etc. 2015 is the year to attend one you have never gone to and build tons of new clients and relationships while showcasing what your brand has to offer. You’ll hear new perspectives and get to see what relevant competitors are doing. It’s a great way to learn how to grow your marketing efforts this year. (Plus, hey, it’s always an excuse to pick up that free convention swag like key chains, pens, and water bottles.)
Spend money on the right paid placements (for the right audience.)
Social media platforms have been changing their algorithms causing posts with fewer likes to not appear on feeds. More people are going to be using paid social to reach even more people, tailored to interests. Since Facebook changed in 2013, non-sponsored posts have seen a 44% decline in news-feed visibility. But now there are tons of new ad placement opportunities for Pinterest, Tumblr, LinkedIn, and Instagram. It’s much trickier to schedule budgets and perfect the nature of paid advertisements on all the various sites. There’s a lot of research and trial-and-error needed to find what works for certain platforms, and what doesn’t.
Master mobile.
In 2015, you’re going to have to think carefully about how your content appears on mobile. For example, that cute infographic may look fine on a computer but doesn’t translate the same way on a phone. Long images don’t work well on mobile. Instead, you may have to cut it into a powered-up microcontent for social media. Cut images like this: crop images for Instagram/Pinterest and make thumbnails for Facebook/LinkedIn. Developing omnichannel capable content is crucial and will only become more necessary as users move away from desktop and laptop use for clicks. Take a page out of Coca-cola‘s book, and develop campaigns for all possible channels.
Concentrate on quality.
In the past, a lot of focus was put on cranking out as many new pages of content out as possible. But, 2015 brings in a new age where we want to be more considerate of the skill-level of our writers. It’s important to publish top-notch stuff that is well-written as opposed to tons of cheap material that doesn’t resonate with readers. If you don’t have an editorial team on hand, consider sending your posts to freelance writers using services like Elance. There you can choose your cost-level and hand-pick the skills, talents, and style of writers to publish blog posts and articles on topics of your choice. Additionally, implanting the right visuals to continues to be of utmost importance.
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