BRANDING   |   POSTED ON 11.11.2014

With the close of 2014 fast approaching, it’s a great time to sit down and determine your branding and digital marketing strategy for the new year. Liquid Creativity has sourced the top 4 branding trends to watch for 2015.

1. Be authentic

In 2015 a brand’s marketing success will be equal to the authenticity it portrays. Your audience wants to feel that they are part of your brand – let them. Engage, provide valuable content, offer them the opportunity to be a part of your journey. Limit the salesy talk and self-promotion and build real relationships and connections. Your market has the potential to be the best brand ambassadors you ever imagined.

‘The best marketing doesn’t feel like marketing’ – Tom Fishburne

2. Mobile Responsive

As predicted, mobile browsing has continued to grow at a fast pace and that isn’t likely to slow during 2015. Mobile ad spending is predicted to dramatically increase so it’s imperative that your brand’s website is fully mobile responsive or you’re just going to miss out on all those opportunities to engage, extend your audience and make sales.

‘The predictions around mobile marketing will finally start to come true next year, as will the need to match users and increase click-through rates’ – Ben Sharp, AdRoll

This is going to be a particularly important aspect for local businesses since these mobile browsers that conduct local searches are more likely to take action.

‘Adapt to your customer’s needs. They expect it’ – Scott Abel

According to eMarketer:

• 50% of consumers who conducted local searches via smartphones visited the store within a day

• 18% of local queries on smartphones led to a purchase

3. Measure in terms of revenue

2015 will see branding and marketing become more accountable for the revenue and leads it generates. This will see a closer working relationship between sales and marketing teams in order to achieve the overall same goals for your brand. Automated marketing tools will prove a critical means of setting benchmarks and measuring the performance of brand positioning and marketing efforts and all in real time. Invest in developing processes and acquiring technology/skills/experts that will ensure that your branding is reaching its full potential. If you don’t – your competition will.

4. Segment your market

Consumers are becoming more and more savvy and know exactly what they are looking for so, 2015 is time to stop treating your market as a whole and determine strategies to specifically suit each different segment of your market. The way that you speak to Gen Y is different to how you need to speak to Baby Boomers. If you target audience spans various demographics, locations or other segmentations, branding needs to be adjusted accordingly – consider how you communicate with each segment, what strategies will appeal to them, where they are, how they make decisions and where they shop.

The end of 2014 should herald an audience evaluation – what’s working and what’s not in terms of brand design, brand identity and formulate a digital strategy that will appeal to each segment of your target market.

In 2015 branding will be all about honesty, transparency, individualised communications and understanding your brand’s performance in real-time. Engage technology and be mobile enabled to be where your customers are. If you need brand development help to get set for 2015 contact your local brand agency Liquid Creativity today.