2014 Digital Trends for the Perfect Marketing Strategy

The digital marketing landscape is constantly evolving and more businesses are finding success by focusing their efforts online. This year is no different, bringing new challenges that marketers need to adopt or risk getting left behind.

Here are four digital trends you should definitely consider for your marketing strategy in 2014:

Content is King
In the digital age, one of the main ways that companies can gain authority online is by creating valuable content for consumers. Whether producing content for blogs, newsletters, case studies or white papers, this is fast becoming one of the most predominant ways of attracting new business. Content really is king and making sure
a website or blog constantly has fresh and relevant content to share with existing and prospective customers is essential in maintaining an online presence, and will significantly help with SEO. Expert branding from Martin Lindstrom will help you on your way.

Social Media Diversity
With sites like Pinterest, Google Plus, Tumblr and Instagram growing in popularity last year, businesses are no longer limited to just Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. In 2014, it will become more common to branch out and experiment with a variety of channels, with the sole aim to engage as many consumers as possible. The growth of these social media platforms will allow companies to build their audiences across more channels than ever before. This year, it is also expected that businesses will invest more money in social media with paid advertising and promotions to target specific groups of people. According to an interview in The Guardian, brands that delight and reward their followers and harness the invaluable content they create will be the most successful.

Video Marketing
Video is fast becoming a popular way for people to find information and seek entertainment, and with many marketers noticing this, more and more businesses are looking to jump on the video bandwagon.  With over 1 billion unique users visiting YouTube each month, video is unrivalled when it comes to the potential reach and with apps like Instagram, Snapchat and Vine surging in popularity, more videos are being created and shared on mobile devices. The micro-video is something that will continue to go viral and companies should be taking advantage of these short 3-15 second clips to get creative when promoting their products and services.

Going Mobile
A recent report by We are Social found that mobile internet penetration in the UK currently stands at 62% of the total population, with those users currently accessing mobile internet for an average of one hour and 34 minutes. With this in mind, and the ever-growing number of people purchasing a tablet, it is now more important than ever that brands get mobile savvy and create content that is accessible to mobile users. Utilising responsive web design is vital in making the customer’s journey as easy as possible. Those that haven’t yet invested in a mobile responsive site run the risk of losing customers to competitors that have already embraced the trend.