Five Things Missing From Your 2015 Marketing Strategy

What’s missing from your marketing strategy?

1. A Focus on Mobile

I know, I know – you’re tired of hearing about how important mobile is to consumers. You get it! Mobile consistently remains absent from most yearly strategies. Most businesses see mobile as a channel or medium that’s a standard function instead of a human-centric user experience. Year after year, as number of people who own and use mobile devices continues to increase, it is vital that business reevaluate their mobile efforts. Your business’ mobile experience doesn’t live in a silo. Thus, it is important to think about mobile as it relates to your customer’s journey. Should mobile be the first touch-point on a more complex customer journey? Will a mobile friendly site be enough? Or does your business and customer require a more robust app?

2. User Generated Content

User generated content (UGC) already takes a special role in your business whether you know it or not. 2015 is the time to focus on curating and encouraging meaningful content. Whether the focus is reviews, communal blog posts, engagement via social media or igniting a Reddit community, now is the time to pay attention. Consumers consider UGC 20% more influential and 35% more memorable than branded messages. They also are 50% more likely to find UGC trustworthy as opposed to branded advertising.

3. Storytelling

They say content is king, but placing content without a compelling story isn’t going reach consumers. Take a look at your content strategy and identify how you’re telling your company’s story. Industry leaders say that content marketing is becoming overhyped – but we believe that’s because it’s rare to find an organization that does it well. Find what’s interesting about your organization and start there. Build an entire campaign around an interesting idea, theme, or concept and you’ll have a compelling story that consumers relate to in no time.

4. New Pricing Strategy

Most eCommerce businesses never run a test on their pricing. While it’s a safe assumption that most customers always choose the lowest price, it’s simply an assumption. Studies have shown in certain merchandising situations consumers are more likely to choose a higher priced item. Throughout 2015 run a few pricing tests: remove the dollar sign, feature products that end with 9, create decoy bundles, and place price anchors on landing pages.

5. Holiday Planning

The 2014 holiday season isn’t over yet, but it’s never too early to put some attention on next year. This year Black Friday / Cyber Monday mobile sales were up 28% this year. Not only does this make a bigger case for #1 of this list, but it also further shows consumers have even more options. Outline your holiday strategy now and tailor it throughout the year, so your store has the infrastructure to stand out.