Top 5 Internet Marketing Trends to Dominate 2014

Top 5 Internet Marketing Trends to Dominate 2014

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It’s true enough that the Internet has radically changed the way marketing is done — but it’s just as true that the Internet itself is changing every day. Remember when the search engines to beat were Yahoo and Alta Vista? When “article marketing” was all the rage among online advertisers? When banner ads and pop-ups seemed to dominate a pre-Facebook world? 

The online marketing landscape is changing all the time, and the smartest small business owners are the ones who can anticipate some of these changes. To stay ahead of the game, check out what the big Internet marketing trends will be in 2014. 

Content is still king

“Content is king,” marketers have long said — and that’s certainly proven to be the case in 2013. More and more marketers have been focusing heavily on content marketing, as brands seek to establish their credibility and cultivate consumer trust by creating valuable and informative content. This content is distributed through blogs, social media sites, even email blasts — and it’s designed not to promote, but simply to educate. The benefits for businesses include better reputations within their industries and more trust from consumers. 

In 2014, content marketing is still going to be huge — even huger than it is now. This is a trend companies just cannot afford to sleep on. 

Social media diversity

Think social marketing and Facebook marketing are synonymous terms? Think again. The days of confining a company’s social media presence to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn are long over. 

More and more social avenues — from Pinterest to Instagram to Vine — are popping up, and social media users are increasingly diversifying their own social consumption. Companies have to follow suit, with content strategies that address the unique characteristics of these different social platforms. 

Image-based content

The reality of online attention spans is simply this: Most consumers don’t have the patience to read long chunks of text. You only have a split second to make an impression, and as such, you need to shift toward image-driven content. 

It is no secret that images — whether cartoons or funny cat memes — tend to draw far more social media likes and shares than plain text. In 2014, Internet marketing is going to be inundated with images. 

Mobile matters

Over the last several years, the trajectory of Internet use has been toward mobile and tablet devices. In fact, many studies have suggested that mobile and tablet Internet access may have overtaken PC use. 

Certainly, in 2014, marketers won’t get anywhere without focusing on mobile users — and businesses may as well be non-existent if they do not have mobile websites. 

Answering questions

A final trend — and an important one: In 2014, marketing will come to favor content that provides substantive answers to consumer questions. This is reflected somewhat in the rise of content marketing — what is good content, if not content that addresses consumer questions? But it can also be seen in recent changes to search engine algorithms. 

More than ever before, Google is able to analyze the words used in search queries to detect the question being asked and to offer information that answers it fully. If your company is not positioning itself as an authoritative answer to consumer inquiries, you’re going to have to play a lot of catch-up in 2014. 

About the Author

Amanda E. Clark is the president and editor-in-chief of Grammar Chic Inc., a full-service professional writing company. She is a published ghostwriter and editor, and currently under contract with literary agencies in Malibu, Calif., and Dublin, Ireland.

Since founding Grammar Chic in 2008, Clark, along with her team of skilled professional writers, has offered expertise to clients in the creative, business and academic fields. The company accepts a wide range of projects and often engages in content and social media marketing, drafts resumes, press releases, Web content, marketing materials and ghostwritten creative pieces. Contact Clark at www.grammarchic.net.



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