Digital marketing has undergone a substantial change over the years. What worked a couple of years ago might be a total flop now. With evolving customer behaviours and changing business models, a marketer has to constantly keep evolving and think of ways to reinvent his business tactics. If you thought you had used all the tricks up your sleeve in 2014, then you’ll be surprised by the major digital marketing trends and predictions of 2015. Any smart marketer would want to get ahead of things and anticipate the next big trends to get an upper hand in the market. So, here’s a compilation of some major trends in digital marketing that are expected to dominate in 2015.

1. Content Marketing

Content marketing had played a very important role in digital marketing over the past few years and will continue to be on the rise in the coming year too. This will be the year where content will finally get its due, and will become more about quality than about quantity. So, make sure you have a dedicated team of content writers, who will create successful content writing strategies and produce first-rate content. Reach out to your customers in writing. High-quality and relevant content will not only attract followers, but will also increase your search engine ranking as well.

2. “Mobile-First” Approach

In 2014, if you have tried to make your website responsive, then the year 2015 will be the year for the Mobile-First approach. With a majority of consumers relying on their mobile phone for everything,you’ll have to make a shift from a mobile-friendly website to a mobile-first website. Design keeping a small screen and a slow connection in mind. Long load times can drive viewers away. So, prioritize on speed and make accessing your content on mobile easy.

3. Video Marketing

Usage of videos for marketing purposes has worked in the past and will continue to do so in the year 2015. Given the response of consumers to original video content, it is not a surprise to expect this trend to continue in the coming year too. Brand video content will be a serious contender, so it is but wise to set aside a fund to invest in making some fabulous brand promotional videos.

4. Personalized Marketing

A personalized approach to marketing is expected to be the next big thing in the year 2015. Companies who adopted this method in 2014 were able to notice a steady increase in the sales. The fact being that such content encourages consumers to stay longer on the website and also fosters customer satisfaction. So, focus on creating personalized content in the year 2015.

5. Real-time Marketing

Real-time marketing is a marketers’ tool to close the gap between online and offline experience. According to a recent study, marketers not only noticed increased customer engagement, but also increased conversion rates and improved brand perception by using this technique. For this tactic to work, you have to have an “always on” social team in place that will understand your target audience and implement real-time marketing efforts.

6. Minimalistic Approach

Yes! Less will more in the year 2015. There will be a shift in how content will be presented visually on websites, and simple, user-friendly designs will top the list. Endless scrolls, countless emails, too much text, complicated designs will be a definite no-no. Keep the design minimalistic with clean open space, bright colours and crisp edges. This will capture the limited attention span of consumers. Keep the content short and simple.

7. Personalized Emails

Savvy marketers will swear by personalized emails. With most customers relying on permission-based e-mailers to get to know the latest promotions and offers, this is the right way to reach people effectively. It has been noticed that the click through rates and conversion rates are relatively high for personalized emails. So, if you have not personalized your emails still, then this is the right time to do.

8. Marketing Automation

Marketing Automation will be the buzzword of the year 2015. If you think it’s just about automating tasks, then you are wrong. There is more to it than that. It’s about optimization. It’s about connecting with your customers in an authentic way by bringing together your data, relationships or channels. This technique will be your tool to streamline resources and manage data effectively and efficiently.