There’s no doubt about it – having a jump on the market is one of the best ways to get ahead of the competition and brand your company as an innovator in your industry. This is especially true when it comes to inbound marketing.
The term “inbound marketing” was coined in 2005 and, in the 10 years since then, inbound marketing has undergone massive change. With this in mind, it’s not hard to imagine that in the next 10 years of inbound marketing’s lifespan, marketers will continue to see rapid change in all facets of the practice. If you’re interested in getting a jump on the competition and predicting what inbound marketing will look like in 2025, here are 4 predictions to get you started:
1) Content Marketing Will Be Even More Popular
In 2013, 36% of B2B marketers believed that their content marketing strategies were effective. In 2014, that number jumped to 42%, with over 92% of marketers using inbound marketing to attract new leads. That’s a huge increase in one year and it goes without saying that inbound marketing is only going to continue exploding in popularity.
Today, 78% of CMOs surveyed believe that content is the future of marketing and 67% of B2B companies claim that content creation is one of their top three priorities for this year’s marketing strategy. With statistics like this in mind, it’s easy to see that, not only has inbound marketing refused to slow down, but it’s showing no signs of stopping, either.
2) SEO and Social Media Will Play Even Larger Roles
Even though SEO and inbound marketing are technically two different practices, they rely heavily upon one another. In order for a company to build and maintain a web presence in today’s market, it’s imperative to develop a good SEO strategy and them combine it with high-quality inbound and content marketing approaches and a formidable social media presence.
These 3 things together are needed to maintain a healthy level of web visibility and, in the future, this will only be more true. As web users get more and more connected and communications become more seamless, it’s only going to be easier for a company’s content to be discovered and shared across thousands of web-based platforms. While some of those platforms don’t actually exist just yet, companies can begin prepping for them now by upping their SEO knowledge and strengthening their social media presence.
3) Mobile Optimization Will Be Key
When you take into account that technology has gotten progressively more mobile-centric lately, it seems unlikely that web users are going to revert, en masse, to desktop browsing any time in the near future. Mobile overtook fixed internet access in 2014 and, currently, upwards of 60% of internet access is initiated from a mobile platform. It’s clear that this number will only continue to grow and, as such, smart marketers should be prepared.
In order to succeed in the next 10 years of inbound marketing, it’s imperative that your site is capable of adapting to the shifting technology. That said, it’s absolutely necessary to ensure that your site is optimized for mobile and that it continues to accommodate mobile access and Google’s copious algorithm changes.
4) Humanized Brands Will Win at Marketing
In a world that is saturated with fast-moving, exciting, and often intimidating tech, it’s imperative for companies to have a firm grasp on humanization in the coming years of inbound marketing. What does this mean, you ask? It means that human-to-human marketing is and will continue to be more attractive to customers than the pattern of big businesses marketing to consumers. If you need an example, of what a humanized brand looks like, check out these 3 companies:
1) GoToMeeting:
GoToMeeting takes what could be an intimidating tech concept (online meeting platforms) and makes it thoroughly approachable and friendly with its relatable and warm tone. The company’s Twitter page offers plenty of friendly tips and the company’s approach is completely customer-centric.
2) Allstate:
Insurance giant Allstate has humanized its brand with the help of an advertising character known as Mayhem. Mayhem, played by Dean Winters, appears in the company’s commercials, within which he runs into the road like a deer, hides a costumer’s phone, resulting in a fender bender, and plays a jogger running down the street and distracting drivers. These commercials serve two purposes: first, they are relatable and they appeal to a wide variety of customers who have, for example, bumped the car in front of them while looking for their phone; secondly, the commercials are funny, which is a fantastic way to make a company approachable and reinforce brand identification in customers.
3) General Electric:
General Electric is not a brand that stands out as being hip, approachable or unique…until you take a look at the company’s Pinterest page. This is a fantastic example of a company that is using social media to relate to customers and provide real and tangible value. General Electric’s Pinterest boards cover everything from the company’s projects to around the world to DIY science projects and an entire board dedicated to electricity-specific “Hey, Girl” memes. This approach is successful because it’s valuable, relatable and tailored to today’s sharing-focused social media world.
While the importance of humanizing your brand can’t be undervalued in today’s marketing environment, it’s clear that it will only continue to become more pivotal in the next 10 years of inbound marketing.
Inbound Marketing 2025: How Your Company Can Prepare
Inbound marketing is a constantly shifting environment and, with the help of these 4 predictions, companies can prepare as well as possible for the future climate of inbound marketing. In addition to taking these predictions to heart, companies will be well-served to keep an eye on changes in the field of inbound marketing and to stay abreast of changing technology, customer demand and preference. These things combined allow companies to stand a real chance of standing out as inbound marketing superstars for the next 10 years.
For more information on how you can enhance your inbound marketing tactics, visit Bigfoot Media today.
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