As your B2B company starts planning for the year ahead, consider the foundation of your 2015 marketing strategy to stay ahead of your competitors. Reach your target audience in the right place and at the right time with carefully crafted messages, by implementing these five emerging marketing trends.
1. Micro-Targeting
This year is the time to really get to know your customers with customization and personalization strategies. To get started, revaluate your buyer personas to understand their needs and motivations – these characteristics often change from year to year. This will allow you to create more relevant content for your audience for each stage of the sales cycle.
2. Paid Placements
As social networks move away from earned media to paid media, B2B companies will need to evaluate which digital channels, including LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter, provide optimal exposure and lead generation. Once you’ve identified the best paid channels for your company, make sure the content you post is educational and that your calls-to-action are strong to gain maximum ROI.
3. Mobile Marketing
Forrester predicts that by 2020, 1 in 5 sales will result from data collected on wearable devices. As a result, it is important that your website and content be mobile friendly. This includes your website being responsive to mobile devices, and also that your content be thoughtfully crafted. For example, don’t assume the 800px-long infographic that did well with your blog audience (via desktop and laptops) will have the same impact when viewed on mobile devices with smaller specs.
4.Marketing Automation
Marketing automation can increase conversion rates by over 50 percent, according to research from the Aberdeen Group. Marketing automation tools aim to deliver relevant and timely messages to prospects by tightly integrating your CRM with email marketing, content management, and search engine optimization. To recommend, setup and optimize automation tools to drive results, consider working with a full-service integrated marketing agency.
5. Quality Content
As brands turn into publishers, the need for well-crafted copy and visuals is critical. Two-thirds of respondents from a 2013 UK-based survey, reported that product managers and marketing departments do the majority of digital writing for their businesses. As content marketing becomes more and more critical to the sales cycle, the need for compelling and adaptable copy is key. Consider employing a stand up editorial team to oversee content quality.
For a full-service integrated marketing agency, please contact Sagefrog Marketing Group at 215-230-9024 or visit sagefrog.com.
