Denise Cowan, Digital Marketing Manager at Belfast based digital agency, The Web Bureau,explains what Northern Ireland’s digital sector may have in store for 2013.
The digital sector encompasses many different products and services, all offering us new ways to communicate and engage with potential customers.
The sector is comprised of a mixed bag of business and individuals.
This includes:
entrepreneurs with new start-ups
established businesses who have diversified into digital delivery
and digital agencies who have expanded their product and service offerings
The individuals working in the sector also have varying skill sets. For example:
technical and IT sector professionals who design and build the technology
marketers, project managers and business owners who then use this technology to promote and grow their business
With such a diverse range of businesses and individuals operating within the sector and developments happening at such an unprecedented rate, it can be difficult to predict everything that 2013 will have in store for us, but these emerging trends will certainly have an impact and should be watched in 2013.
Responsive Web Design
PC sales will continue to decline in 2013 as tablet sales and smartphone ownership increase. For business owners this will fuel demand for responsive web design. This feature ensures that user experience is equally as satisfactory regardless of the device being used to view the website. The development automatically adapts website layouts for popular devices including PCs, laptops, tablets and mobiles.
More Apps & Gamification
Various new tech start-up companies will continue to launch in 2013, particularly those developing apps to meet the demand of content thirsty smartphone users.
More gaming start-ups, companies applying gaming techniques (such as being focussed on the challenge) to the world of work, are also likely to enter the market. However, it will be a few years before we can really see how successfully game mechanics can be used to build better businesses.
Mobile Marketing
As more of us are consuming information via our mobile devices, brands will focus on social media, apps, gaming and mobile advertising to build brand awareness online and grow their businesses.
Social Media Marketing
2012 saw the established social media platforms evolve. Facebook-ers were introduced to timeline fan pages and promoted posts, while Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn all created ‘cleaner’ looks. Their popularity will continue into 2013. Pinterest and its newly launched Business Profiles, will be one to watch in terms of brand awareness and supporting search engine optimisation (SEO).
Whilst many companies have been laying their ‘social media’ foundations over the past couple of years creating profiles, building an audience and testing content, 2013 will see a greater need to quantify social media’s return on investment. Enlisting the help of a social media consultant to develop a Policy Framework and a clear Social Media Strategy with measurable goals can support this.
Careful planning and frameworks will set out an effective and integrated approach to achieving the most from all active social media channels. Following this, a Content Schedule should be developed to focus on delivering quality content and maximising the levels of fan engagement.
Content Marketing
Content Marketing was a hotly debated topic in the second half of 2012. The increasing value attributed to unique and quality content as elements of search engine and social media marketing strategies has created a need for marketers to adopt a co-ordinated approach to digital content publishing. A Content Strategy is necessary to maximise the mileage you can achieve from a single piece of content, whilst tailoring the delivery of that content to a particular channel and its audience.
The popularity of digital video marketing will continue in 2013. Hot on Google’s heels as the most important search engine is YouTube and 2013 will see companies recognise the value in showcasing their products and services, uploading testimonials and interviews, and creating training sessions, all via video. Social media channels are then vital to push out this content to an audience.
Search Engine Marketing
As the Panda and Penguin algorithm updates were rolled out in 2012, the SEO landscape changed greatly. This year, the efforts of SEO practitioners will be focused on managing online reputation through Content Marketing (which replaces ‘Link Building’).
And following the revelations that social signals now hold greater weight within Google’s ranking algorithm, practitioners will put greater consideration to merging their SEO and Social Media Strategies.
Akin to this, the experience had by a search engine user upon reaching a website is of paramount importance to search engines. Therefore SEO strategies now require greater focus on optimising user experience and employing conversion rate optimisation tactics.
Good site structure will be key to this in 2013. With their digital and online success at stake, website owners cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to design, navigation, site coding and structure.
A scary but true fact. Perhaps scary enough for website owners to take notice and learn to avoid providers who promise the best website in the world for just a few hundred pounds!
For assistance to develop your digital strategy for 2013, emaildenise@thewebbureau.com or contact The Web Bureau by phone on 028 9073 1190.
No related posts.