Prepare Your 2014 Marketing Strategy For The Front Lines

It’s almost a new year and many small businesses have looked at growth opportunities, advertising and marketing budgets, as well as marketing initiatives and campaigns, or at least a portion thereof. So what exactly are they looking at to inform their next moves? Likely a few major forecasts on the marketing front for 2014, based on 2013 trends. Read on to learn how to equip your small business’s marketing strategy for what’s to come.

A Focus on Mobile Marketing and Social Media is a Must for a Successful Business Strategy

A focus on mobile responsiveness is crucial, as 50% of local searches occur from mobile devices. And with those same devices that house social platforms on-the-go, most media has inevitably become more social. Social media has grown up and has transitioned to a strategic entity that requires a thoughtful approach and consistent company message across platforms.

Traditional Media is Making Way for Digital- and Lots of It

As in recent years, marketers are continuously transitioning from traditional forms of media to a much heavier digital focus. This will continue into 2014 for reasons of more targeted, real-time, personalized advertisements and marketing messages. Sponsored content also continues to rise in popularity, sometimes to the chagrin of the consumer.

Visual Content Keeps Rising in Popularity

Humans are visually-oriented creatures and this is evidenced by engagement being higher on images rather than keywords. As shown in a variety of ways, content that features images returns more readers, which means more exposure, which means more leads and customers! Additionally, there is higher SEO and engagement on content that has visuals.

Social has Changed Search Habits in a Big Way

As of October 2013, Twitter had almost 218 million active users, which means there are a lot of socially engaged consumers who were already searching online, but to make it easier, they now just search by hashtag. Searching this way allows users to follow trending topics in a simpler way than traditional search methods. Also, social platforms are catching on and integrating hashtag strategies into their marketing to stay relevant.

There is Still a Strong Desire for Quality Content

There is a lot of content online, but to stand out, small businesses need to be sure they’re regularly producing high quality pieces that engage their audience; ensure timely, interesting, relevant pieces that can easily be shared or placed on other websites through a guest blogging program. Also, it goes without saying that a strong SEO strategy needs to accompany the production of this in-demand content, as content production boosts SEO results.

Image via Shutterstock

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