Top Trends for Digital Marketing in 2015

There's a lot to consider when trying to get a handle on what's important in terms of Digital Marketing Trends for 2015 .

From technology trends, Google algorithm changes, to changing business models and new social media platforms that offer even more ways to share, it's almost impossible to know what's coming next for Digital Marketing.

However, there have definitely been some key digital marketing experiences and trends that all businesses should be adhering to in their 2015 Digital Marketing Strategy .

Responsive Web Design is no longer optional or only for news or retail focused sites. Google themselves have stated that responsive web design is the industry best practice. This means that if you have a regular website – or even a second mobile version - Google may rank a responsive design higher than yours!

More and more busy professionals across all industries are spending more time on their smartphones than desktops, and more than half of all email is read on a phone. How does your website and content look on a smaller phone screen?

One of the most important things that you can do in any business is to create a database of email subscribers so you can easily communicate with your clients or potential customers on a frequent and consistent basis with industry news and tips and advice.

One of the huge advantages of email is that most businesses achieve about a 20% open rate on email and only a .3% opt-out rate.

According to Forrester , email marketing is still one of the most effective tools for B2B marketing.

"Your emails get delivered more than 90% of the time, while your Facebook posts get delivered 2% of the time,” says Nate Elliott, vice president and principal analyst at Forrester. "Plus, customers who want to stay in touch with your brand are almost twice as likely to sign up for your emails as they are to interact with you on Facebook or on other social media."

By the start of December 2014, Google has already released 13 updates to the Google algorithm , and these are just the big public ones we know about.

SEO is constantly changing – updates can drop your high ranking website to nowhere to be found in search. And it's not just Google we are talking about. Microsoft's Bing is gaining some ground and according to Jonathan Long in Entrepreneur magazine , "Firefox kicked Google to the curb and Yahoo will now be the default search engine for the browser. Google's deal is also up with Safari in 2015, and reports have both Bing and Yahoo! trying to secure that spot.

With options other than Google becoming more popular and accepted it will make it important to have visibility across these search engines in addition to just Google."

SEO isn't about tricking the algorithm. SEO is about ensuring your business' website gives your potential customers the best user experience possible, and ensuring that the users that come to your website are genuinely interested in your product or service. The best way to do this is for your website to work with search engine algorithms rather than seeking ways to fool them!

Content Marketing is more and more an important part of your digital strategy. Content Marketing is effective in building your online profile and demonstrating your knowledge of your industry while growing your credibility in your field. It's a powerful tool to share your specialised information.

Recently, Digital Marketing Evangelist DJ Waldow predicted that "2015 will be the year of HUMAN for digital marketers. Gone are the days of corporate-speak messaging and dull, boring campaigns. Instead, we’ll begin to see more marketers incorporate human-speak into their messaging – videos, pictures, humor, and human!"

There are a range of digital marketing options available and these will only continue to grow. The key is to use the right digital marketing channels that will deliver for your business.

Local Marketing has always been important for businesses, but it's more important than ever that your business is on the map and in your control. As search engines get smarter, more and more searches are being influenced by geographic factors. If you’re not in control of your business listing in search engines, you could miss out on a valuable customer stream!

Local Marketing isn’t just about your Name, Address, and Phone (NAP). Local marketing is about earning links, building citations, acquiring reviews, and owning your online business profile on those important websites such as Google My Business , Yelp, Bing Places, and Apple Maps Connect.

It's especially important to ensure that your business is on those mapping platforms so that you don’t miss that valuable mobile traffic !

Search engine features are increasing, and it's no longer about who can rank in the top ten. In 2013, Dr. Pete Meyers from Moz showed the 85 different ways that you could appear in Google’s search engine results, and as we enter 2015, we can expect that number to grow as the search giants add more features to their search.

It’s imperative that your business be at the forefront as these features launch. Being the first to take advantage of new platforms such as Google My Business or structured data markup can boost your business’ visibility and give you a head start on the competition.

At Icon Visual Marketing, our digital marketing strategies involve activities to ensure that your online profile is held in high regard by search engines which makes it more likely that your next customer can find you. For a digital marketing plan that is tailored to suit your business, contact Icon Visual Marketing today!