How to Implement a Better Marketing Plan in 2015

We are nearly 2 months into the new year, and now it’s time for action. Every business is looking to dramatically improve their marketing ventures. Businesses have begun to plan and allocate their budgets, and are starting to put these plans into effect. In 2015, there are certain digital marketing channels that you should definitely invest time and resources into. This post will cover the trends for 2015, and what avenues you should pursue.

Start understanding who your customers are

Targeted marketing is all about knowing your prospects and understanding what they need and want. You can only gain that understanding by directly reaching out to your customers and asking what drew them to your product, what they would like to see in it, what they like about it. Start accumulating data about your customers, like age, data and financial status, if you can. The more you know, the easier it is to deliver marketing that will affect your prospects and compel them to buy. It’ll be the guideline to creating more relevant marketing strategies.

Start using, and trusting, technology

Marketing automation has come a long way, and will continue to improve in 2015. Whether it’s content management, email marketing, conversion optimization, or analytics tools, marketing software can help to facilitate your processes. Many of the tasks in digital marketing can be difficult to manage, so it helps to use technology that will delivers your content and messages, and minutely track your results.

Start integrating social media into your search engine strategy

Social media and search engine optimization are often thought of as two separate entities. As we enter into 2015, the lines are becoming blurred. If the goal is visibility, then your social media channels need to heavily promote the content that is on your site, and should do so by also weaving in any relevant keywords. Social media, in combination with strong content and SEO, will help to yank your brand out of obscurity. If you start to think holistically, not disparately, then your strategies will harmonize and will help you reach your goals for 2015.

Start engineering your strategies with mobile in mind

It’s projected that in 2015, mobile marketing will generate $400 billion in the U.S, compared to only $139 billion in 2012. That’s quite a leap, and it would be foolish the neglect the writing on the wall. Mobile marketing is the future—no denying it—and if you are not actively planning for it, you’re planning to fail. Your website needs to be designed for mobile devices; your content needs to be mobile-ready. Some of your keywords need to be selected for the local prospect searching for a company like yours on their mobile device. The point is that you should be easily accessible to someone who is using a smartphone or their tablet. Don’t make it difficult to find and know more about your business. The world is becoming dominated by mobile devices, which means that you need to adapt as quickly and smoothly as possible

Start diversifying your content strategy

Don’t just focus on one type of content. For example, if you have a blog, don’t merely focus on blog content. Start creating and marketing different types of content. Here’s a list:

• Videos
• Reports/ White Papers/ Ebooks
• Email Newsletters
• Audio Podcasting
• Infographics
• Slide Show Presentations
• Articles

The reason that you want to do this: You’ll have different ways to catch and maintain the attention of your prospects. Some don’t like to read and prefer to watch videos; some people will read every word you write and will be appreciative of long-form content like White Papers and Ebooks. Diversifying your content strategy will also make your brand more authoritative.

Start getting serious about analytics

You won’t know if your strategies are successful without precise and transparent analytics. Marketing without the application of analytics is like looking for your car keys while you’re stumbling in the dark. Real marketing firms understand the importance of data, and how it can help to inform and ignite your marketing moves. Without relevant data, you’re blind.

Take your marketing to the next level in 2015 by following these tips.