2014 has been a year full of multi-channel, real-time and user experience. As it draws to a close, and before we head off to celebrate the arrival of 2015, here at Rawnet, we have put our heads together to come up with five ways we think the B2B digital space will evolve in 2015.
1. Digital Advertising
The last few years we have been told to use ‘big data’ to make informed marketing and advertising decisions. This has taken some of the human element away from our marketing, and ripped serendipity from our user’s experience. In 2015, businesses need to not only offer what is relevant to their users, but also add the human element of surprise into the mix.
We predict brands will start to realise that targeted advertising can become too tightly focused – just because someone has searched for something previously, it doesn’t always mean they want to see the same results over again and again.
These shifts could change how digital advertising works, grabbing the users attention, rather than being ignored out of habit
2. Content Marketing
Content marketing for the sake of SEO is over – you can spot it a mile off and although it helps search, business credibility can be seriously affected.
We hope next year will see companies creating a better balance between SEO and content marketing. Content needs to be user-driven, and created for a purpose. It also needs to be combined with other engagement platforms in order for a cohesive engagement strategy to be established. We need to see quality, relevant content and more natural SEO strategies.
3. Data
‘Big data’ has been a buzzword for a while now, but businesses have been making their decisions based on data for years. The only difference is now there is a lot more of it, and we can utilise it more effectively – but the core art of data manipulation for positive benefit remains the same.
That being said, 2015 might be the year of ‘micro data’. Small snippets of how an end-user is interacting with your digital platforms are becoming driving factors for online marketing. Understanding individual users is becoming a necessity, rather than a nice-to-have.
4. Email Marketing
Father of modern advertising, David Ogilvy, used to say that ‘direct mail was his secret weapon’. This is also true for digital marketers in the form of email. Email still delivers the best ROI over any other digital channel, but it has been somewhat neglected in 2014. With improved, automated user segmentation, utilisation of retargeting and an investment in content strategy, 2015 will see brands refocus their efforts on email and use it to tie multi-channel digital campaigns together.
5. Mobile Marketing
Native mobile apps will start to lose momentum in the marketing space, compared to the mobile web due to the rise in 4G connection speeds and sophisticated mobile browsers. Contextual relevancy based on location and immediacy will be on the rise, as will the innovation, and popularity of wearable tech, and knowledge of how marketers can use it to promote their brands. I’m expecting some exciting things to happen in 2015 in this space.
