In 2014 we saw websites and social networks crack the whip on customer behavior and user experience. The influence of new technology forced us marketers to manage customer expectations better than ever before by monitoring what works for them and not necessarily what works for the brand.
This year it’s time to raise the game in content marketing. We’ve learnt not to second guess what our customers want and ditch the selling messages so now it’s time to ensure content has a purpose for each type of customer; blogs, web articles, news releases, and social media updates just to name a few.
Here’s four updates to keep an eye on in 2015:
In 2014, Google made changes to its Panda algorithm, making user experience priority and ensuring content presented on websites was to be valuable for the visitor. Google’s Keyword planner tool can help you determine what keywords and phrases are being searched the most, this is a great tool to help you with your SEO tactics and boost your contents discoverability.
Like any other year it is important we keep an eye on Google algorithm updates and make sure our marketing efforts are being seen on the web.
Customers
Thanks to CRM and other technology, we can now gather data and offer our customers a tailored service better than ever before through personalization. Personalization is about listening to your customers and giving them what they want before they realize they want it. Making the process personal doesn’t only improve your user’s experience but opens great opportunity to improve your conversion rates. For many marketers it may be a case of tailoring emails, customizing mobile messages, and building responsive personalized websites.
Mobile marketing
Mobile marketing presents a huge opportunity for marketers to reach their target audience. Think we can honestly say that mobile devices have taken over our everyday lives. They’re the first thing we check in the morning and the last thing we check at night. Agree?
2014 wrapped up the need for mobile responsive websites and customer journey developments, now this year we will see marketers create a first time approach to mobile marketing strategies.
Digital Marketing Magazine say, ‘Retailers will push more high-volume, low-cost products through their mobile commerce platform, to gain enhanced data on consumer behavior, location, conversion, and ROI.’
Storytelling
More attention than ever is being directed by major brands to content marketing via social media channels. That’s nothing really new but the engine behind social media is: storytelling.
The best part about storytelling is that small businesses can do this better than big brands. You are much closer to your customers because you actually know them in real life. This makes for the best stories.
In 2014 Facebook made changes to the way its News Feed appears and how content needs to be presented. Social media marketers this maybe nothing new for you as you’re constantly watching Facebook’s algorithms, but discovering what your customers like and dislike is vital in social media marketing.
Taking the lead from Facebook, 2015 is an exciting year to grow as a small business leveraging your social media through story sharing.
This article was syndicated from Business 2 Community: User Experience Predictions In 2015
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