In the past few posts we’ve been talking a lot about preparing for 2015, which is quickly approaching. It’s time to start strategizing, creating content calendars and preparing to dominate your goals. When working on these plans, it is imperative to look at marketing trends for 2015 and think about how they should impact your goals. Gathering information on the industry and what other brands are doing will help you compete in the space and gain traction starting January 1st.
Curious about what we see as the top trends for the year ahead? Here’s our list of five mission-driven marketing trends to pay attention to in 2015.
- Good writing becomes a priority (again). From long-form copy to snappy, quick captions, good writing is essential to marketing. And when you’re pushing consumers to get on board with a mission, you want choose your words wisely Now that (almost) everyone is a content creator, standing out with good is more important than ever. You want to give your stakeholders a story and a reason to invest in your content.
- Visual storytelling comes to the forefront. In the world of 24/7 content, standing out can be tough. Using strong visuals will continue to become more and more vital in 2015. Your targets want a good story to support, and you can amplify your stories illustrating them with powerful imagery. When choosing visuals, really put yourself in your stakeholder’ heads head and think about what would spark their interest. This trend goes hand in hand with making writing a priority. Strong words and strong images support one another.
- Marketing gets more human. In 2015, the impersonal messaging that many traditional brands have favored in the past will give way to a more human approach. Organizations are striving to create genuine connections, both online and off. A great space for mission-driven organizations to get human is on social media. For some organizations, that will mean incorporating more humor and vulnerability into their communications as well.
- Marketing gets more targeted. A great emphasis on one-on-one marketing, rather than mass marketing is a trend that has already taken off, but it will only continue to grow in the year ahead. This ties in with the above point regarding a more human approach. If you want to really resonate with your target stakeholders, it’s important to connect with individuals in personal, meaningful ways rather than marketing to the masses. This means dedicating resources to answering customer questions questions and providing more value to your website, blog or online presence. For example, if your metrics are showing that a handful of people have downloaded an asset off your website, send them a personal email thanking them and asking some helpful follow-up questions.
- Marketing gets more mission-driven. If you’ve been reading our blog for any length of time, you know that we’re paying close attention to growing consumer preferences for brands that do good and give back. This trend, like number four, will continue to gain strength in 2015. Brands need not only to think about how they can make a bigger impact, but also how they can make sure their stakeholders are aware of that impact.
What other trends are you paying attention to in 2015?
Photo Credit: Randi Hausken via Flickr
