At the beginning of the year, we made predictions for the future trends of marketing in 2014. In case you missed it, you can check them out our January 2014 newsletter here. Now that we are near the mid-way point of 2014, we thought it would be useful to evaluate our 2014 marketing predictions. How does your marketing check out?
Content marketing still holds court
We’re seeing an uptick in budgets being shifted to focus more on content marketing this year. With increases in not only text-based content, we’ve seen an increase in visual-based content like video.
Tablet and mobile device use increases
While most businesses acknowledge mobile is important, they are slow to do something about it. Many of our clients, however, have adopted a mobile device management system that allows them to manage and configure setting for the tablets and other devices used by their sales teams.
News feeds actually deliver news
Brands are becoming publishers and finding more and more ways to be the thought leader in their specific industry. Rather than just promote themselves, brands now consider what information is relevant and helpful to their clients.
Collaborative economy meets social
A lot of companies have taken on a collaborative economy mindset, but in B2B it still remains to be seen as to whether businesses will make moves here. Many B2B software giants are trying to replicate the successes of Airbnb and Uber, but it will take some more time for this to catch on.
Google authorship takes over SERPs
Google announced in June it was removing a major element of its search engine results pages (SERPs): author icons. While authorship bylines are still in place, the main graphical element that increased CTR is now gone. This just goes to show how important it is to keep tabs on Google and the changes to its algorithm and visual design.
App standards increase
Image-centric content in app design is catching on, and the release of Metal, a 3D graphic solution, makes it clear Apple is setting the bar high for visually pleasing apps. Apple is ensuring its platform continues to offer stunning visuals. New APIs available to developers allow iOS 8 to share more information and enhance the way users interact with apps.
Paid search gets visual
While Google was experimenting with adding images to its organic search results, it appears it was just that – an experiment. We have, however, been experiencing a big shift to visual and image-based content. It’s the perfect opportunity for brands to communicate with visuals and images.
Video ads takeover
The video ad takeover is on the right track. Google announced in March that as of April 15th, they would be overhauling their video AdWords structure and features. Google claims this was to organize viewing and determine how users interact with video and ads. A recent article in Business Insider even reports video advertising is growing much more rapidly than TV, search and other ad markets. Video is becoming a central part of most marketing plans, and its use in ads is another great way to promote the content. What were your 2014 marketing predictions? Is 2014 turning out how you predicted? For more tips and insight from the globalHMA team, subscribe to our newsletter using the form at the top of the page!
