According to a survey of CMOs, it was found that 2/3 of projects fail to use existing marketing analytics and only half of CMOs think that marketing analytics have contributed to their company’s performance. The most common reason for failure in this area is the introduction of any new initiative. Tom Claridge (strategy director at Fabric Worldwide), writes in his article about some tips on how to improve the Application of Marketing Data in any organization.  Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-data/5-tips-to-improve-the-application-of-marketing-data-in-your-organisation/1346

In2014 we have seen that marketers have started to make use of emerging technologies like 3D advertising. David Barker (SVP and Managing Director, EMEA Advertising Solutions for Amobee), writes in his article about the latest trends of Digital Advertising & Marketing Technology in 2015. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/5-predictions-for-digital-advertising-marketing-technology-in-2015/1350

In 2015 we will see the emergence of digital services like e-money accounts which is linked with debit and prepaid cards. It will be alternative to traditional banking throughout the world. It will emerge as a broader set of online and mobile payment options. Mobile payments and bio-metrics are also set to develop in 2015. According to a WorldPay survey, it was found that 49 per cent of European consumers would most like to see bio-metric payments emerge as a payment technology alternative. Businesses should ensure that they can offer the widest range of options and keep up with the market trends which in turn will help them to grow. Read more at:  http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/trends-in-the-payments-industry-for-2015/1351

Companies spend months preparing for the holiday rush. They undertake ad campaigns, data collection initiatives, and mobile commerce site optimization.  Jay Calavas (chief evangelist at Tealium) writes in his article about five ways that marketers can make the most of extended holiday  i.e. from 26^th December to end of January. Read more at: http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/26728/the-holiday-longtail-five-ways-to-extend-your-holiday-marketing-into-2015-for-greater-results

Gartner had predicted that digital marketing budgets will grow by 17 percent in 2015. Next year in digital marketing, it is predicted that there will be an increase in personalized product advertisement and increase in digital content, in addition to an increase in social media advertising. This procedure will increase semantic search. There will also be an increase in structured data which will impact search and digital marketing. Content will become more important than the website. Audience segmentation will become more important and digital marketing, social media and CRM will make the business of drilling down into who your customers are (and minute detail about their personalities) much easier. Visual storytelling, which has been a key digital marketing tactic, will continue to be a key approach for marketers looking to drive customers through decision making process. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/what-will-digital-marketing-look-like-in-2015/1336

Companies are trying their best to transform the online customer experience. Brands are utilizing self-service tools to deliver website optimization. Marketing teams are building new optimization campaigns with the help of AB & MVT testing techniques. Website optimization has become important nowadays. Today brands are optimizing content, offers and user experiences to drive the performance of their online businesses. The self-service optimization model enables organizations to board upon simpler campaigns and grow budget and team over time. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/articles/self-service-optimisation-keeping-it-strategic/1337

Social media has become an integral part of any business. It allows a business to promote and market its own brand and is a key element in assisting consumers in their decision making process. Social media pages increase recognition and companies can advertise to potential customers and clients by posting relevant content.  It was found that 71% of all internet users are now active on social media sites.  Companies nowadays are developing content marketing strategies, sharing blogs, infographics, and whitepapers. Customers and clients also interact directly with businesses via social media. It helps businesses to build customer loyalty and strengthen their brand image. Katie Alyward and Chloe Hutchinson-Brown (Northstar Research Partners) in their article link writes about the ways to track the reputation of any business and performance on social media sites:  http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/social-media-marketing/the-importance-of-social-media-within-a-business/1274

Nowadays apps have become an important in everyone’s life.  New generation apps is changing how we consume media, do business and how we behave. App economy is growing at a fast pace in the mobile value chain. In 2012 the global app economy accounted for 18% of the combined app services and handset market and it is forecasted that by 2016 this contribution will rise to 33 per cent of the combined market, equivalent to half of the handset market, and the app economy is predicted to be worth $143 billion by 2016. Paulo Rosado (CEO of OutSystems), writes about the rise of app economy in his article link: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-apps/rise-of-the-app-economy/1334

In any business social media is essential. Study has shown that on average a majority of companies don’t know how to measure their social media ROI. Businesses must have a clearly defined goal of what they would like to achieve from social media marketing and should update posts, tweets and pins relevant to their business goal. Right tools must be used for tracking social media. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/social-media-marketing/how-to-track-your-social-media-success/1331

 Messaging apps are changing the social media landscape. They are more than SMS. They might replace email, voice calls. Messaging apps brings together a defined group of people to address a question, issue or topic. Messaging apps allows us to behave naturally. In 2015 it is predicted that there will be an increasing volume of discussions in these micro-communities as more people will use apps such as WhatsApp. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/why-messaging-apps-will-change-social-media-landscape-2015-0

Social media is very important nowadays. According to a research done by Pew Research Internet Project, the following statistics was found. They are: 74% of online adults use social networking sites, 19% of online adults use Twitter, 71% of online adults use Facebook and 21% use Pinterest. So, businesses must leverage social media. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/leverage-social-media

A recent 2014 North American Call Center Survey has revealed that approximately 78 percent of today’s call centers are premised-based and 70 percent considering a move to the cloud. It was further found that 52% of consumers utilize three or four channel platforms (phone, email, video, text, chat, social media) when looking for customer care. In recent studies it was found that 67% of customers prefer self-service over speaking to a live representative. Salesforce and Forrester Research group found “Personalizing Customer Service Interactions” is among the top key trends facing customer service organizations. Robert Killory (Chief Customer Officer, 3CLogic), writes in his article about the top customer service trends facing contact centers for 2015. Read more at: http://www.callcentertimes.com/Home/tabid/37/ctl/NewsArticle/mid/395/CategoryID/1/NewsID/899/Default.aspx

According to PwC's Sixth Annual Digital IQ Survey, it was found that collecting, analyzing, and leveraging customer data is a concern for 72% of business organizations, just 44% have taken action to address it. Customer data comes from many sources, like websites, email, social media, mobile, customer service, data warehouses, and more. Collecting, analyzing and using these customer data is a challenge. Marketers should leverage data effectively. Data management and analytics enable marketers to use data effectively.  Businesses need to gain competitive advantage by taking strategic decisions with customer insights. Further, self-learning marketing automation technologies combined with CRM tools allow marketers to set up relevant promotions or information to customers. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-data/the-right-path-to-big-data/1327

In today’s world, it is important to grab the attention of potential customers and using videos is one of the ways to grab attention of customers. One can tracking video viewing activities of prospects, and thus can gain better insight into who are leads and thereby increase conversion velocity. Tyler Lessard (CMO of Vidyard, a video marketing platform), writes in this article about what to expect from video marketing in 2015. Read more at: : http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/26719/2015-will-be-the-year-of-video-marketing

According to a research by Formstack, it was found that 88% of marketers know that a customized web experience can boost their ROI, but only 6% plan with personalization in mind. They also found that personalized emails boast 25% higher open rates and 51% higher click rates. Veronica Maria Jarski (Opinions editor and a senior writer at MarketingProfs), writes in her article about why businesses should include personalized marketing in 2015. Read more at: http://www.marketingprofs.com/chirp/2015/26743/why-personalized-marketing-will-dominate-in-2015-infographic

Proximity marketing tools are an innovative new method for retailers to understand the needs and wants of their customers, as well as buying patterns. In retail technology space it was seen that there has been an increase in footfall in-store and ROI. With the advancement of technology, it will be seen that retailers will create proximity marketing networks that they can roll out across their stores. Some of these networks are private - communicating to their own customers only - whereas some of these networks are open, i.e. in a shopping center environment. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-features/predictions-for-proximity-marketing-2015/1310

According to the Radicati Group’s Email Statistics Report, 2013-2017, it was found that there were 3.9 billion email accounts in 2013, which is set to rise to over 4.9 billion email accounts by the end of 2017 and in a recent research, it was also found that one in every six emails sent by brands are lost before they even reach their intended recipient. Mark Ash (Director of Teradata Interactive), writes in his article about ten ways to avoid commercial email censorship. Read more at: http://digitalmarketingmagazine.co.uk/digital-marketing-lead-generation/ten-ways-to-avoid-commercial-email-censorship/1315

Nowadays, images overlaid with text— called Internet memes—are a popular way for brands to reach their audiences. A study has shown that our brains are more efficient at processing images than words. It was also found that 75% of Americans have used emotive to communicate to others. Elizabeth Victor (brand adviser for iSentia, a media monitoring, analysis, and Intelligence Company), writes in her article about how to take advantage in marketing in the age of images. Read more at:  http://www.marketingprofs.com/articles/2014/26678/how-to-use-internet-memes-to-market-your-content-your-products-and-your-brand

Cause marketing is a fresh approach in marketing. It has become important because it increases trust and loyalty from customers, which in turn is helping in more sales. According to a 2013 corporate social responsibility study done by Cone Communications and Echo Global, it was found that 91% of global consumers are likely to switch brands to one associated with a good cause given comparable price and quality. To know more, follow Jim Belosic (CEO, ShortStack.com)’s article link: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/3-ways-cause-marketing-can-help-your-brand

Consumers see social media platform as more than an advertising platform. So, it has become one of the ways to create customer loyalty and in turn creates a community through social media and PR. According to Social Habit, 32% of social customers expect a direct online answer within 30 minutes and 42% expect a response within one hour. Nowadays consumer needs are getting higher and brands have to adapt to this social change. Brand loyalty is important as consumers want to be listened to. Brands should also have an online presence, create loyalty schemes, and recognize that their target markets come first. Read more at: http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/why-social-media-and-online-presence-important-brand-loyalty