winning online: digital marketing 2014 trends

Winning Online: Top 10 Marketing Trends for 2014

Bernard MayPresident

Adam de JongMarketing Director

AgendaDigital Marketing Trends 2013 vs. 2014 Top 10 Trends of 2014Where to spend your budgetAction planQ&A

Digital Marketing Trends

DigitalMarketing 2013 vs. 2014

Smart Insights Study

Trend 10: Predictive Search and the age of context

Predictive Search

Hummingbird Algorithm to understand search context Google is going to be better at spotting duplicate content and spamExact match keyword optimization will further decreaseIt will be more important than ever to segment your content based on what your audience needsMarket research will become more important

PredictionsWe need to understand our customers betterTo do this, we need to research what our customers really needCustomer PersonasA content strategy to make our content helpful and engaging

Trend 9: Analytics and the drive for new information sources

Analytics and the drive for new information sources

PredictionsMarketers will be more creative in how they use Google AnalyticsNot just about tracking clicks, about user engagement

Trend 8: Age of Authenticity

Age of AuthenticitySearch engines are trying to authenticate the webRich Snippets associate content with people or organizationsRich snippets and the semantic web becomes a more important ranking and conversion factors

AuthorOrganizationReviewsProduct

PredictionTrust factors will ultimately result in better rankingsGoogle + profiles will be more important than everAuthor tags will be added to most contentWriters will be hired based on their quality profileMore companies will care about their online reputation

Trend 7: Paid Search in 2014

A Necessary EvilInsurance against organic fluctuationsContinue to take up more screen real estateMargins will be further depressedConversion will become more importantMore sophisticated targetingPLA’s continue to growAmazon, Yelp and more vertical search gain popularityRetargeting tools will become more popularAttribution across multiple channels will continue to be a challenge

PredictionsAdvertisers will look at other paid options besides Social Media ads

Angies ListAmazon, YelpApps

Look for PLA’s to become more sophisticated

local PLA’s, Google Shopping Express, Google Wallet

Vertical Search will grow

Trend 6: Linking becomes about Value Exchange

Linking becomes about Value Exchange

Value exchange and paid exchange to be the normFewer higher quality linksExact match anchor text if overdone can be dangerousLinking continues to be important as a ranking factorContent Marketing and linking are closely relatedLinks need to be diversified

PredictionsEarned links are going to be the cornerstone of a successful SEO campaignYou earn links with content, social engagement and outreach

Trend 5: Social’s Impact on Business Continues to Grow

Social Impact on Business Continues to Grow

Google+ will gain even more tractionFacebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest will all grow exponentiallySocial signals and social engagement will become a more important ranking factorSocial will integrate with everythingSocial will continue to be one of your most important content marketing channelsPaid social search starts to gain more traction

Channel Decisions Become more Complex

PredictionsTo get organic visibility, it’s essential to have a social media strategy that fits your brandBrands that build their authenticity and authority on social channels will be rewarded with rankings

Trend 4: Local Opportunity Shines

Local Search in 2014Local Search continues to grow and become more dynamic across all platforms and devices

Local Continues to Grow

Increased Local Paid Search Sophistication

Online customer reviews affect your local business?

PredictionsLocal search is a great opportunity to drive organic traffic for local SMBsReviews continue to grow in importanceCarousel will expand across more categoriesMultimedia to grow in Local (images, virtual walk- throughs and videos)Local paid search becomes more sophisticatedInnovation will continue at a rapid pace

Trend 3: Mobile Gets Smarter

Then…

And Now

Mobile Gets SmarterHummingbird means more contextual search resultsUser experience is more important than everResponsive or adaptive debate will continueMobile shoppers continue to spend moreLocation services become more important

Geo FencingDigital CouponsLoyalty programs will grow

Multiple Screen AdoptionBehavioral targeting and big data (Big brother is watching you)

Mobile in Retail

Mobile Users Are More Serious About Buying

PredictionsBrands will revamp sites to be more mobile friendlyPoor mobile user experience will hurt visibilityEphemeral services like Snapchat to growAndroid will gain more market share and the market for tablets will growThe next big thing will be responsive content to go with responsive designmCommerce will offer a better user experience and become more sophisticated

Trend 2: SEO will not die but will evolve and grow

The State of SEO

The State of SEOSEO is not DeadHummingbird will change Search Search queries more sophisticated and intelligentGoogle continues to favor brandsRankings become mostly irrelevantThe long tail is more important than everOpportunities in SEO exist beyond text resultsMore paid ads on Google changes landscape

SEO Becomes More TechnicalA technically sound website is critical to rankings

Images, Reviews and Knowledge Graphs

Images, Reviews and Knowledge Graphs

PredictionsSearch remains a profitable channel to drive clicks SEO will remain key to a successful digital strategyGood SEO will involve process of technology, user engagement and marketing

Trend 1Content Remains King

Content Remains KingPanda updates influence content qualityPenguin influences marketers to create great content to generate links and sharing that result in rankingsQuality determined by engagement

Sharing, social signals, commentsGive people a reason to share your content

Developing a content strategy is keyEditorial CalendarOptimize the journey (the buying cycle and funnel)PersonasChoose your channels

The Future of Content Marketing

PredictionsMarketing personas and touch point marketing will become common conceptsContent becomes the primary link generation strategySite blogs become the core content hubLead nurturing and email marketing will continue to grow and become more sophisticatedContent becomes more tightly integrated across channelsContent personalization and reuse on the riseLong form content will grow in importance

Allocating your budget in 2014

Investing your budget in 2014

Smart Insights Study

Your Action Plan for 2014

Action PlanDefine your customer personaCreate a content marketing strategyMake your site mobile friendly/responsiveSetup your blog as a content hubSetup authorship tagLong form content – 1 blog post/month that’s 1,500+ wordsDetermine your most profitable social channel and get started!

Q&A