5 Marketing Initiatives for 2014

As marketing budgets continue to grow and confidence continues to rise, brands have started peering over the parapet again, perhaps seeing a very different landscape to the last time they took stock. Marketing has changed, customers have changed and technology has changed – we all know that. There are more opportunities and dangers than ever before, so let’s look at a few marketing initiatives to keep in mind this year.

Data Harmony

Last year was arguably the year of ‘Big Data‘. Hardly a day went by without a new article landing in my inbox to tell me that I wasn’t using it correctly or enough. As with any buzzword, it was widely misused and misunderstood, leading many companies to conclude that the value of Big Data lay in the quantity of data it promised.

As the concept of Big Data matures a greater understanding will follow, and it will begin to be appreciated for its quality rather than quantity. Various sources state that under-35’s are already more comfortable with sharing personal data if they feel they get something in return, and as brands learn how to give their customers what they want ‘in return’ these stats will only increase. So data, and lots of it, will continue to be available.

But 2014 needs to be about sensible and efficient use of data, not just ‘getting more’. Not many businesses can afford a ‘data scientist’ or ‘data visualisation professional’, so it’s important to consider how you can analyse what you have and then use it effectively.

Don’t underestimate the value of getting this right – understanding customer data is the key to successfully generating customer loyalty…

Understanding Loyalty

The quest for promoting customer loyalty has reached a whole new level in the last few years. It is widely (and correctly) accepted that the customer has much more control over their relationship with brands than ever before, so attracting and retaining those customers has become a different game.

In 2014 businesses need to understand their customers more than ever before, and engage them in ways and with content that is both relevant to them and in a format that they are comfortable with. Discounts and traditional loyalty schemes are rarely enough any more – the customer wants to feel involved, rewarded and in control.

Although not a new idea, ‘Gamification’ in marketing is becoming more popular as brands cut through a below-par term for an important concept and look for new ways to keep their customers engaged. It is a much bigger idea than it first seems, and can be used by businesses of any size and in more or less any sector. All it takes is some innovative thinking around new campaigns and existing systems.

Breeding loyalty is vital for creating brand advocates, encouraging user generated content, and promoting positive community conversation around your brand – all integral to success in today’s marketplace.

Mobile First

Optimising websites and campaigns for mobile and tablet users is not a new idea, and for many it has been a necessity for a good few years. However we are reaching a tipping point that requires us to change our perspective on mobile. For the first time ever, tablets outsold desktops/laptops in the final quarter of 2013, and this trend is set to continue.

This means that more and more online activity will be conducted using mobile devices, and that we need to start thinking about the mobile user experience as the primary user experience. Worryingly, a lot of companies still don’t have mobile strategies, and many of those that do have outdated solutions that aren’t going to cut it for much longer (if they even still do…)

Responsive design is part of the solution, but design is only part of the challenge. We need to consider how and why different audiences are interacting with their mobile devices, as well as their changing expectations of your brand online. And because many users are interacting with these types of devices for the first time, it is inevitable that new behaviours will continue to emerge.

After the first true ‘Tablet Christmas’, 2014 will see the start of a redefinition of Internet use. Tablet use may currently only make up a small percentage of online browsing, but now is certainly the time to put the tools and processes in place for the future.

‘Resurrecting’ Print

For a number of years, many marketers have been ringing the death knell to pronounce the demise of printed media. As digital channels and technology continue to develop and grow, you could be forgiven for thinking that print has had it’s day.

But print is not dead – we just need to perform a kind of creative CPR on it. Recently, more agencies and brands have started doing just this by injecting some innovative thinking into how print can be used in conjunction with digital campaigns. As technologies like near field communication, augmented reality and 3D printing begin to become more accessible and mainstream, print has been given a new lease of life.

Traditional print advertising is understandably decreasing (less circulation, difficult to track ROI, better results elsewhere etc) but there are still ways to take advantage of physical media. So don’t discount print from your marketing activity this year, just start thinking about it in a new role.

Real Content Strategies

For a number of valid reasons, a lot of businesses have started taking content creation very seriously. Good content helps improve website search rankings and wider online discover-ability, encourages customer engagement, and can have a much longer lifespan and effect than more traditional advertising – all good reasons. But committing to ‘content marketing’ isn’t without potential pitfalls.

What content do you produce? Who creates it? What format is it in? Where and how does it get delivered? How do you know what works and what doesn’t?

These are all compelling questions, and ones that can be answered by developing a content strategy that fits with your business model. Like ‘Big Data’, content marketing has been a popular buzzword for the last couple of years, and a lot of time and effort is wasted on production of content due to a lack of strategy.

Above all, your content strategy needs to be three things:

1) Formed to deliver content that your audience wants to digest in formats that they want to digest

2) Realistically deliverable within your business model

3) Supporting of your brand and other marketing activity

If you don’t have a content strategy yet, create one in 2014 and stick with it!