As we near the end of 2014, lets review some of the marketing trends we’ve seen this year, as well as what we might expect in the coming year.

7 Marketing Trends for 2015

1. Mobile-optimization will become priority. 

Optimizing for mobile has been a priority for businesses this year, but next year will be the year that mobile strategies move past just having a responsive website or mobile app, and focus on mobile-optimized content and social media marketing as well. We know that Google has been placing emphasis on how mobile-friendly sites read. They’ve stated that mobile usability is now “relevant for optimal search results.” This emphasis is apparent in the recent launch of a new feature in Google Webmaster Tools called "Mobile Usability".

2. Social media ad spending will increase as companies realize the importance of social marketing.

In the first part of 2014, Facebook reported increased ad revenue over the previous fiscal period. As organic post reach continues to fall, and as Facebook restricts what types of posts can be shown in users’ feeds, paid advertising is only going to increase as businesses struggle to maintain traffic and sales from social media channels.

3. Content marketing will be bigger than ever.

As we continue to see the benefits of content marketing strategies, money previously marked for search engine PPC, SEO and social media will be re-allocated to content marketing efforts. A major struggle, however, will be finding ways to stand out amidst other content competing for attention. Case studies, video content, research-intensive content, and overall quality content will be what gives businesses an advantage over their competitors.

4. Email marketing will receive a renewed focus.

With social networks reducing the amount of visibility brands and businesses get on their platforms, and with search engines intimidating business owners and marketers with ever-increasing complexity of their ranking algorithms, businesses will return to the one marketing asset that they can control entirely -- their email list. This renewed focus on email marketing will connect with content marketing to blur the lines between email and content marketing...

5. The lines between SEO, content marketing & social media will become more blurred.

Content marketing has been described by some as the “new SEO”, which is somewhat accurate. SEO and content marketing will continue to co-exist as two separate but intertwined disciplines that rely on each other for success. That said, content marketing is now the primary influencer of search visibility. Businesses that don’t invest in a solid content strategy will discover that their SEO campaigns are ineffective, at best, and damaging to their search visibility, at worst.

6. Brands will scramble to humanize.

With the rise of social media, brands will realize that their customers are on social media channels to interact with other people, not with brands and corporate-sounding lingo. Brands that are able to connect with their audience on a human-level will enjoy higher conversion rates, better brand loyalty, faster audience growth, and happier customers.

7. Marketers will find new ways of making advertising less promotional and more relevant.

With decreasing click-through rates over the past few years, companies have begun to fully realize the ineffectiveness of banner advertising for driving sales. While increased visibility is still a benefit of banner ads, medium-sized business looking for results will be less inclined to invest in channels that don’t offer measurable ROI.