Content will continue to reign supreme
Everyone knows that ‘content is king’, and the phrase itself has been vastly overused. However, it’s true to say that content will continue to be absolutely key in delivering impactful, results oriented marcom activity that stands out from the crowd, engages with your target audience and results in action. This means that marketing copywriters really need to hone their craft, learning how to create powerful headlines, calls to action, compelling stories, SEO friendly copy and optimised content structures for digital scanning. Training will continue to be a vital investment for those wishing to get ahead. Those companies that don’t have sufficient in-house resource will also look to engage with a marketing communications agency for results.
Ad blocking will become standard
Publishers saw more than 195 million users actively block ads across the globe last year, leading to an anticipated ad revenue loss of around $20 billion. Ads will increasingly be blocked – either entirely, or selectively, depending on content. People block ads because they aren’t targeted to them. So, those companies that still want to market successfully via digital advertising will need to have a careful strategy up their sleeve and will have to work hard to ensure relevancy and pinpoint accurate targeting.
Customer experience modelling
Marketing provides an increasingly vital link between sales and customer services, especially where attraction and retention are involved. Increasingly sophisticated modelling tools will be able to track client movements and engagements with the company, their level of brand loyalty and inclination to buy. This explosion of information will need to be carefully managed and structured in order to support meaningful decision making. Customer reviews will be increasingly important as part of this, and brand ambassadors will become prolific, as brands seek to use their own customers to grow conversion through referral marketing. A marketing communications agency can assist with this type of strategic work, providing specialist consultancy and expertise to boost existing in-house marketing teams.
Social media will be everywhere
Far from losing steam, social media is growing at a rapid pace, allowing smart brands to communicate with customers in a rapid, powerful way – if they get it right. Cadbury managed to contact more than 2.5 million brand supporters via Google+, as an example. Companies will need to work hard on their social media strategy to attract and retain customers, whilst growing awareness and sustainability of their product line.
Connecting on an emotional level
Customers increasingly buy products that they connect with, and brands that resonate with their lives. Emotions have always driven purchases, but today’s advertising has greater impact on purchasing intent, particularly the emotional response that the ad creates, rather than the content it shares. Today’s products need to have personality and narrative, sharing stories and feeling personal. As part of this, many successful brands are also asking their customers to take part in marketing. Coca-cola recently asked its customers to come up with advertising ideas and had over 3,600 replies! This kind of crowd sourcing also looks set to become more prominent.