2015 Digital Marketing Trends and Predictions

As 2014 draws to a close, the predictions and trends for Digital Marketing in 2015 have already begun.

So we thought we would jump on the bandwagon with our very own (along with a few from well-known experts).

Here goes:

1. Mobile-Optimised Content Will Be a Must-Have, Not a Should-Have
Our Head of Digital Services, George Gavalas, predicts that mobile optimisation will play a big role in Digital Marketing in 2015.

“According to Forbes, 87% of connected devices sales by 2017 will be tablets and smartphones. While a responsive design is paramount, Google has hinted that mobile usability is now ‘relevant for optimal search results.’ So, 2015 will bring about website content specifically for mobile users.”

2. Digital Analytics Will Get More Sophisticated
Google’s Analytics Advocate, Adam Singer, anticipates that marketers will demand more from analytics in 2015.

“We know from research, talking to users and being an active part of the industry that marketers are increasing emphasis on measurement. Our team even launched a MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) to provide a free and robust resource to educate marketers and help them succeed. An ever-expanding mix of devices and channels is creating even greater pressures for digital teams to quantify their efforts, but the technology is here and the market demand for talented analysts & data-savvy marketers has been in place long enough that 2015 is the year digital measurement finally comes of age. Smart brands have already formalized their efforts across organizations and efforts. If you’re not there it’s time to catch up.”

3. Marketers Will Demand More From Remarketing
Ad Remarketing (or Retargeting) was the new kid on the block in 2014. However, due to its proven success, our Digital Services Manager (and PPC King), Sam Zhao, predicts that marketers will demand more from Remarketing in 2015.

“I expect the technology that ad platforms use will become more innovative especially in regards to advanced targeting criteria. We’re already seeing hints of this from Facebook with Atlas and Google AdWords, so I expect we will see other ad platforms like AdRoll and Chango follow suit pretty quickly”

4. Shopping Comes to Social Media
Twitter and Facebook are already testing it, but Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes, expects e-commerce and social media integration to deepen in 2015.

“This approach eliminates one key dilemma all merchants face – how to get customers in the door (or to your website). On Facebook and Twitter, you’ve already got a receptive audience, happily chatting with friends, browsing the latest trends, sharing photos and videos, etc. Once their payment details are on file, purchases are a tap or two away. There are major benefits to advertisers. Connecting individual tweets and Facebook posts with actual purchases has thus far proved a huge analytics challenge. But with the advent of buy buttons, concrete revenue figures can be attached to specific social media messages in a way that hasn’t been possible until now.”

5. Don’t Count Out Google+ Just Yet
There are plenty of Digital Marketers who criticise Google+ and some are even predicting it will be gone all together in 2015. But, our Digital Services Manager (and resident SEO expert), Matthew Elshaw, suggests otherwise.

“Even though Google has closed their Google+ Authorship program, Google+ business pages are still an important part of the ranking algorithm. In 2015, I expect Google to further reward businesses that maintain an active profile with regular posts, complete business information and positive reviews.”

6. Will Marketing Strategies (Finally) Become Integrated?
Good question…. The experts have mixed predictions for this one.

Altimeter Group’s Brian Solis, says no:

“I’d love to say that by 2015 we will truly see digital strategies that are integrated across social, mobile, advertising, marketing, comms, et al. But, we won’t. What we will see though is a more conscious effort to bring disparate groups to the table to learn how to collaborate across screens, channels, and moments of truth to deliver ONE experience to customers wherever they are in the lifecycle.”

However, Lee Odden from TopRank disagrees:

“Content creation, search optimization and social media will be less siloed as specific departments and treated more like skills that exist across the organization. Optimization will move beyond individual tactics and focus more on overall customer experience across channels. Marketing is everybody’s job and more companies will leverage internal resources through social business and collaboration platforms as well as participation marketing with their community to integrate scaled content creation and social media engagement.”

And there you have it…. Just a handful of the big predictions for Digital Marketing in 2015. Now it’s over to you… What do you think the most significant changes and important trends will be in 2015?