2015 Small Business Marketing and Branding Trends

As we look to close out another year and gaze towards a new one, it’s important to understand what trends will be coming in 2015 for small business marketing and branding.

As we move away from mass online marketing, we’ll be looking in 2015 to make communications to suspects, prospects and clients more personal, relevant and engaging.  Customers are looking for an experience with a brand rather than being talked at, they want to be included in the conversation.  Companies that understand this difference will grow from cultivating their brand advocates and those who don’t, will be left behind.

An integrated marketing strategy will be the source of success for small businesses.  Gone will be the days that silo marketing (only using one marketing tactic such as, advertising, social media or direct sales) will provide business growth.  Looking at the overall marketing strategy and creating a plan that addresses the many stages a prospect and customer goes through before and after they become a buyer will be developed.

Use of analysis will be more prevalent as businesses look to make their marketing more effective.  Following the shiny object of the week marketing will be dropped for credible marketing that proves the investment was and will be a success through measurable results.

More emphasis will be put on deeply understanding who a business’s target market is through narrowing their ideal client through demographics, sociographics and overall persona.  Acutely understanding a prospective client will help businesses clearly differentiate themselves from their competition, attract savvy customers and bring higher profits.

Internal marketing will be as important as external.  Working within companies to build their brand advocates through employees will provide an overall, authentic view of the company and will strengthen their place in the market.  Internal communications will be as important as the social media posts, advertisements and press releases businesses share to the marketplace.

Client retention and engagement will be a focus to corporations as they continue to cultivate their current clients to develop repeat business and more referral agents.  Marketing departments will need to add experience directors and VPs to champion the effort of retention and build business growth through the customers they already acquired.

Focus on local SEO will prove to be more effective and cost efficient for businesses.  Businesses will wisen up and realize that they don’t need to dominate their industry key word for the entire country when they only do business within a specific geographic location.  Concentrating their current outrageous keyword budgets towards local profile sites and other cohesive marketing projects will prove more prosperous.

Content marketing will still be a big piece of the marketing mix for success.  Moving past generic content to more relevant and personal stories will be key for small businesses.  Incorporating good story telling through copy writers and displaced print reporters will help create human interest pieces that will keep prospects connected to the brand.  In addition, telling good stories through video will continue to grow and resonate with B2C consumers.

As the trend of using mobile devices, such as tablets and phones, continue to be the main source of most consumers’ daily lives, making sure the online marketing experience is one of delight rather than disappointment and frustration will be an important goal within the upcoming year.  Companies that have mobile optimized websites will fare better than those that continue to choose to ignore this fast growing user experience.