In the 1985 movie “Back to the Future,” Doc Brown famously brushes off Marty McFly’s dire warning about Doc’s impending doom by telling him, “No man should know too much about his own future, Marty.” Well, 30 years later, that statement doesn’t apply to marketing trends. When it comes to promoting your business, knowing what to expect is key to survival.
How Will Marketing Trends Shape Your Business in 2015?
Now is a great time to take a look into the not-so-distant future. If nothing else, taking time to ponder these marketing trends will help you plan your next marketing moves. In some cases, the writing is already on the wall. But a few of these marketing trends are just emerging, which means that you’re in a good spot to take advantage of them.
Mobile Marketing Among marketing trends, file this one in the “obvious” category. Growth in the use of mobile devices in the United States has exploded, and shows no signs of slowing down. As more mobile device manufacturers enter the market and refine their products, the cost of mobile devices for the consumer goes down. Sharp-eyed consumers can now find Windows smartphones for as little as $35.
Just as the price of the device has dropped, carriers are now also engaged in data plan price wars that are opening the market to more budget-conscious consumers. Some carriers are even offering smart phones with no data plans, and pay-as-you-go options. Combined with integration options in cars and the proliferation of free Wi-Fi from retailers, restaurateurs and other consumer-friendly venues, it makes huge sense to heat up your mobile marketing strategy. If this is one of the marketing trends you leave untouched in 2015, rest assured that you’ll be giving your competitors a warmly welcomed leg-up on you.
Content Marketing Content marketing is another one of the major marketing trends, and if you haven’t heard of it, you haven’t been paying attention. Content marketing has been moving to the very top of the marketer’s toolbox for the last few years, and it will arrive quite firmly in 2015. Consumers don’t want fluff, and they don’t want obvious advertising, either. Good, solid content as part of your marketing plan will help you move ahead of your competition and build a solid, lasting relationship with your customers. Providing customers with useful content that isn’t obviously spammy will get you farther with your target audience than just about anything else. So what is good content marketing?
Consider videos, how-to information pieces, white papers and other meaningful content that gives users the real information they need to make good decisions. Supporting the user, rather than simply selling the product, becomes the focus of content marketing. When you support the user, you have a buyer for life. When you just sell products, you risk the consumer relationship entirely on the product’s quality and fitness. If the product breaks, or isn’t the right fit for the consumer, you settled for the short-term win, but you lost the buyer in the process.
In my next post, I’ll continue the discussion of marketing trends you’re likely to see more of in 2015. In the mean time, if you’d like to know more about mobile marketing, content marketing or other emerging marketing trends, please contact our Creative Director, Dave Ramsell or give Dave a call at (330) 243-0651 to set up a consultation.
Photo Credit: mzacha, via FreeImages.com
