Web Trends for 2015 | SO Marketing

2014 saw a variety of trends sweep the web, Kim Kardashian tried to #breaktheinternet, and Ellen DeGeneres ushered in the age of the ‘selfie’ with her globally renowned #oscars picture. Now, of course, everyone is wondering how to get ahead of the game this year, so lets take a look at the most popular web trends for 2015…Obviously, as a serious and grown up web design company, we’re not here to discuss the latest dance crazes, or the most popular fashion accessories. We’re interested, as web developers, in which way the ever changing digital landscape is going, and how this will affect both the digital marketing and website design industries.

What You See Is What You Get
If there’s one thing that current digital trends consistently point towards, it’s that attractive visual content garners the best reaction amongst online audiences. Images and short videos are great ways to establish brand identity and spread the word about new products, all whilst capturing the notoriously short attention span of online audiences. Apps like Instagram and Vine are already set to capitalise on this, with more and more international organisations and famous names alike using them as a branch of their online PR. This means that we will probably see more and more brands investing in professional, eye catching and often quirky visual elements.  We do think however that this shift towards more visual content online will work in tandem with rather than instead of traditional advertising channels like TV.

The Social Network
We don’t have to tell you that we’re currently living in the age of social media; with sites like Twitter and Facebook boasting several million visits per month each, it’s hardly surprising that every man and his dog (quite literally in some cases) now have social media profiles.  This in turn means that companies have vast, seemingly endless, streams of readily profiled audience members just waiting to be bombarded with marketing.

We, and a lot of other industry professionals, believe that 2015 will be the year companies really start to understand and utilise the power afforded to them by social networking sites. A handful of big names already do this, Aldi and Tesco for example have off-beat, personalised Twitter pages that hook audiences in with comedy and humour. As more and more institutions jump on this bandwagon, we predict that social media marketing strategies will only become weirder, as everyone tries to out-do, or more importantly out-think, their competitors.

Mobile Matters
Reports indicate that the number of smart-phone users has effectively quadrupled in the past five years, with more and more of us carrying access to the web around in our back pockets. Conversion and sales reports tell the same story, indicating that more digital users are converting through mobile devices now than ever before. What this basically means for the everyday business owner is that if their site isn’t optimised for mobile, they’ll quickly be left behind by their competitors. People no longer have the time or patience to sift through vast swathes of data; they want simple, clear web design that is easy to navigate.

It’s Personal
Digital users don’t like being treated as just another anonymous consumer, and now, because of the levelling effect of social media, they have the right to demand not to be. Reports indicate that some of the most successful digital marketing campaigns of 2014 tried to offer users a more personalised, individual experience. This could have been anything from addressing them on a first name basis in email marketing campaigns, to adopting an informal, personable tone on social media. In 2015 however this isn’t going to be enough, which means that using the web and consuming its advertisements will be an increasingly personal experience. This means more than just targeted advertising based on our online profiles; it means individual marketing campaigns that try to target smaller focus groups within the larger audience demographic, thus giving the impression of a more unique experience.

What the four trends we’ve discussed above really tell us is that it’s time to get creative with our digital marketing and web development. With so many companies out there trying to do the same thing as you, there’s an increasing pressure to think outside of the box when it comes to your advertising strategy. These are just a few points to help you stay ahead of the curve, pointing you in the right direction to make the most of your online presence as we move further into the New Year.