Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Flipboard 0 The one thing constant and predictable about Digital Marketing is that change is inevitable. We have learned that we just can’t bottle it, replicate it or formulate it! However, we can look at trends and make informed predictions – not educated guesses. Your 2014 marketing template will need some serious overhaul as you plan for a robust 2015. When developing your marketing strategy and plan your budget spend, it’s wise to consider the following key predictions about the direction of digital marketing. Prediction #1: Content Will Continue to Be Key Educating consumers will be a primary concern for brands as their target audiences get more sophisticated and rely on Google for their research. Google in fact is getting better at connecting the dots and long, in-depth content will become more effective in search. The combination of helpful content and paid visibility will continue to grow. Site owners will have to pay more for visibility beyond websites and social properties, i.e. review sites. Prediction #2: Increased Interconnectivity Between Marketing Channels Content creation, SEO and social media will overlap and will focus on overall customer experience across all channels. Tracking will become more sophisticated in how brands earn each customer from the top of the sales funnel to the purchase experience. For example, brands will be able to follow a customer from the ad they saw, website experience, followed on Twitter, downloaded a Whitepaper, signed up for a free trial, spoke to a salesperson and the purchase through the shopping cart or live help. Prediction #3: Mobile Will Increase Four-Fold Like with the explosion of fast food. Consumers are on the “go” and mobile-centric. Smart phones, tablets, we are now in deep into the generation of mobile activity. Websites are adapting to mobile if they want to be seen and go where the eyeballs are. With the advent of wearable technology (Apple Watch, Athos, etc.) companies to be more mobile focused. Some industry analysts predict B2B marketers will see a cross over to mobile first where 50% of brand content will be initially seen on mobile. Prediction #4: Campaigns Will Be Data-Driven and More Direct Targeting As data collection improves, 2015 will see more location based messaging increase. Targeted messages will be based on who, what and where I am. 2015 will be the year of data-driven marketing and websites will focus on conversion rates more so than random website traffic. Prediction #5: All Aboard the Digital Marketing Train If companies want to be relevant, maintain market share or simply stay in business, they must finally read the handwriting on the wall. Some may go kicking and screaming, but they will convert to the “new” reality that social media and mobile marketing are must have strategies to be integrated into their marketing campaigns or inbound initiatives. The future of digital is the successful integration of social and mobile. Having cross-platform campaigns with content-rich video and instruction will appear. On the chopping block will be QR codes, texting campaigns and spam. Your 2015 Predictions? What paths do you think digital marketing will follow in 2015? Twitter Tweet Facebook Share Email This article was written for Business 2 Community by Janette Speyer.Learn how to publish your content on B2C Author: Janette Speyer Follow @JanetteSpeyer Janette Speyer is a partner at Hot Ice Media. Born in England, raised in Venezuela and living in California, Janette is a marketer that has worked for Top Ten international agencies. Her career pursuits led her to the digital media where she spearheads marketing campaigns for brands in the natural… View full profile ›More by this author:Putting Out the Fire: Why You Need a Reputation Policy in PlaceFlipboard’s Update Is a Real Game ChangerFlipboard Magazine Tips to Build Brand Awareness & Drive Sales!