Two big trends for 2014: content marketing and retargeting

Well, I do not know about you but I can hardly believe that it’s December again and the countdown to Christmas and the New Year is well and truly underway. And that always raises one key question in discussions with clients – what is going to be big in 2014?

I believe that there will be two areas that will dominate digital marketing strategies for 2014. The first is content marketing, which has come on leaps and bounds over 2013 thanks to the continued growth in social media and search marketing.

Consumers and business customers want to be engaged and nothing engages better than pictures and video. When you consider that a website which has a video on the homepage has a 53% more chance to be listed top in Google, and that video can attract three times as many monthly visitors and double the time they spend on the site… we are sure more brands will be wanting to push video.

The second big area of growth will be retargeting. It has been bubbling under the surface for a number of years but with developments and growth in big data it is an area we believe will accelerate in growth over 2014.

I would love to see a move towards real-time, location-based retargeting taking full advantage of mobile devices and data integration. How about a gentle reminder of that great product or deal from your favourite brand, as you check in, or update your status in the coffee shop nearby?

Now that would be smart.

By DMA guest blogger Shaun Bailey, Chief Executive, Jacob Bailey and DMA Agencies Council Chair