6 Online Marketing Trends That Will Change the Face of Inbound Marketing

This article was updated on August 6th, 2020 at 05:57 am

The Internet has dramatically altered the ways information is shared, having had a substantial impact on online marketing. There has been more of a shift towards inbound marketing over the past few years, which has made outbound marketing become rather antiqued. Many companies nowadays are implementing inbound marketing strategies that include using social media to reach more of their targeted audience and also to increase brand awareness. But online marketing trends are changing in 2015, and marketers have to adjust their current strategy to make the most out of their marketing efforts.

Let’s take a look at 6 trends that will completely change the face of online marketing in 2015.

1. Mobile Optimisation Will Become More Important Than Ever

Mobile optimisation has been a major priority for businesses in 2014, yet only 11 percent of all websites have been optimised for mobile devices (check if yours is mobile friendly here). But let’s not forget that, according to statistics, a whopping 78 percent of mobile searches for local business information result in a purchase. That said, even Google has states that mobile optimisation has become an extremely important factor that largely influences the ranking system.

The latter half of 2015 will certainly see many companies finally incorporating mobile optimisation into all areas of their online marketing strategy. We can expect to see fully mobile-responsive websites, mobile ads, and even separate content specifically for mobile users. Furthermore, companies will also begin to realise the paramount importance and necessity of implementing a mobile social media strategy that focuses on how mobile users consume and interact with social media posts.

2. Content Marketing Will Be Even Bigger

Content marketing is recognised as an essential area of inbound marketing, specifically because it dictates the amount of traffic and qualified leads a website generates. There are various reports that suggest 92 percent of business-to-business marketers used content marketing in 2014, and 42 percent of them considered this strategy effective. Quality content attracts a much larger audience due to providing accurate information that responds to users’ needs, which will make online marketers re-allocate the money previously earmarked for social media, SEO and PPC to content marketing in 2015.

A major, however, will identifying ways to stand out amidst other content vying for attention. Video content, research-intensive content and case studies will give online marketers an advantage over their competitors. Furthermore, businesses will be more willing to invest in short-form mobile content that is easily readable on mobile devices. This will make content easier to consume for mobile users, therefore providing a much better overall experience.

3. Email Marketing Will Need to Be Smarter

Although email marketing is considered an active part of online marketing, it might not be quite the most effective way to build a solid list. In the past, sending out company newsletters was enough to entice users into joining your email list, but this has dramatically changed over the last year. Consumers have become wary of handing over their email addresses, which means that your email marketing strategy needs to become smarter about the types of content they send, and how they actually promote it.

Free eBooks and white papers that offer value to your audience are excellent lead magnets that can exponentially increase your sales. As you continue to send highly-relevant content to your list, consumers will quickly come to the conclusion that you are an industry expert, and will be more likely to purchase your products and services.

Sending more emails will no longer be the key to effective email marketing in 2015. Instead, businesses will have to focus on creating better emails that provide quality content to generate more leads.

4. Brands Will Scramble to Humanise

As more and more consumers join social media networks, businesses will realise that their goal is not interacting with corporate-sounding lingo, but with other people to share experiences, ask questions, and more. Humanising your brand on social media will become of utmost importance in 2015, as it allows you to connect with your target audience on a personal level, which will result in building solid personal relationships. Needless to mention, companies will enjoy faster audience growth, better brand loyalty, higher conversion rates, and also happier customers.

Engaging with consumers on social media networks means providing a more personal approach that makes them feel comfortable while also conveying experience, knowledge and skills that will help you establish a solid reputation. This will make social media marketing campaigns thrive, with more users clicking through ads and possibly purchasing your products or services.

5. Brands That Use Social Media to Push Out Products Will Die Out

When you hear the term “social selling,” you might be thinking about pushing out your products and services through social media platforms. Although many businesses assume this, social selling is not about pushy campaigns that blatantly suggest social media users to click through an ad, or even purchase a product. As such, brands that continue to utilise social media funnels to push rather than to attract potential customers into acting will eventually waste a ton of money and time on a strategy that only alienates their fans and followers.

In 2015, the focus will be on brands’ ability to catch their consumers’ eye and enticing them into following call-to-actions. Companies that fail to do so will eventually die out.

6. SEO and Social Signals Will Become More Intertwined

Social signals play an important role in organic search rankings these days, especially since they are one of the three pillars of SEO. Search engines’ goal is providing the most relevant and highest quality content possible, which makes the number of social shares an article or blog post receive an important ranking factor. The more social shares a piece of content receives, the higher its quality must be, which results in ranking much higher within SERPs.

But on top of this, social shares will also serve as a trust signal for visitors and potential customers landing on a page in 2015. If they see the huge number of social shares, they will become interested in the content in question, as it likely has something of value. Brands will have to encourage social sharing as much as possible to yield maximum results, so installing specific social share plugins will become critical to their success.

Final Thoughts

Online marketing is constantly changing in 2015, as new inbound marketing trends appear. Staying up-to-date with these changes weighs a lot in increasing brand awareness, specifically because it gives businesses more exposure and helps them build traffic. By implementing an effective mobile-friendly design, allocating more money and time to content marketing, humanising social interactions, improving email marketing, and encouraging social sharing, your website will certainly rank higher within search engine result pages.

The key to success is efficiently intertwining these Internet marketing trends to make the most out of your marketing efforts. You may consider looking for online marketing services if you want to ensure that your strategy will actually bring you the expected results.