If you are a marketer, be prepared to step up your game for 2015. Why?

Because 2015 is going to separate the wolves from the sheep.

Learn How To Stand Out

With the abundance of information out there, marketers must know how to work every angle so that they can stay relevant to their customers and the industry.

In today’s post we will outline how to capture attention and turn it into results so you can plan to be one of the successful marketers in the upcoming year

But first…

You need to understand Psychology, not just Marketing.

Knowing your target audience is great, but getting down to the nitty-gritty psycho-graphics is what matters most. You must know how their brain works:

  • What is most likely to influence your audience, and WHY?
  • What behaviors or tendencies do they have online and what has changed in technology, society or social norms to cause these behaviors?
  • Where do they shop? Why do they shop there?
  • Where do they spend their free time, and WHY?

By knowing the answers to these questions Marketers can re-prioritize their efforts to become more relevant to their audience.

Now that we got that out of the way, it’s time to tell you about the big four things to watch…

1. Start paying more attention to graphics and the web

Isn’t it about time you became best friends with your web-developer and graphic designer?

Let’s face it, websites cannot look like they are stuck in 1999 anymore. You can no longer get away with updating your website every 2 years…the process has become ongoing.

The proliferation of new devices and technologies means that as your web-content changes, your layout has to as well. Use your sites like a user, and ask yourself whether or not you’re impressed (?).

2. Advertising & Paid Amplification

Social Media is not free anymore

Perhaps the biggest trend to come in 2015 is the rise of paid social media advertising. You better get ready to convince your boss to give you a bigger marketing budget.

With so much content flooding the inter-webs, marketers are starting to understand that no matter how good your content is, sometimes paid amplification is what is going to get that content into your audience’s newsfeed. There’s more competition for content, so you better learn the new tricks of the trade.

3. Value above ALL else

There’s so much content out there, and companies with bigger budgets will always have more money to amplify their content, so make yourself stand out with useful content.

  • Provide more value than the next person in your industry.
  • Create content that answers questions.
  • Address concerns and solve problems.

Jay Baer said it best, “Marketing isn’t about HYPE, it’s about HELP.”

4. You’re nothing if you cannot understand your data

The best way to stay ahead of the curve is to understand your data.
How long are they spending looking at certain content? What happened in that last email that made them buy so quick?

Being able to collect, interpret, and act on certain data is what will differentiate the old marketers from the new ones. It has become a crucial point in any marketing endeavor and having important consumer data will make customer-acquisition faster and easier.

Know your goals and dive into the details so that your reports allow you to focus on seeing the bigger picture.

A Metaphorical Example: The Blind Date

Pretend you’re going on a blind-date and you want to make a first impression. How are you going to make him/her “fall in love at first sight?”

  • Was it your bright shirt?
  • Was it your easy-going personality?
  • Was it your use of language and the way you speak?

Now pretend that “date” is a prospect visiting your website, or one of your social networks. You need to make a great first impression when someone new comes onto your site. But until you’ve tested things out and uncovered what works, it’s all guess work.

Do the work needed to ensure more prospects like what they see, and give you a call after visiting your site.

The bottom line is this:

Technology is changing.

Business Models are changing.

Customers behaviors are evolving.

One must adapt to stay in the game.

The best marketers in 2015 will be the marketing technologists, the people with a strong digital DNA. These points will play an important role in how marketing strategies are developed and applied in the upcoming years.

Are you prepared?

Originally written on True Voice Media's Blog