By Darren Gilbert

After all, while a marketing strategy should be in place, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t space for change if needed. With social media playing an increasingly important role in business, marketers need to be on their toes or face the possibility of being left behind.

Content marketing will continue to grow

In 2014, content marketing finally had its day. And with good reason as for too long, it had been sidelined. Now, with the proper foundation in place, 2015 is set to be even bigger. As more and more businesses come to grips with content marketing, you will see better uses of it. And this will, in turn, show business the benefit of investing more time and money.

Jayson DeMers, columnist and founder of AudienceBloom agrees. He writes on Forbes.com : “As marketers continue to see the benefits of their content strategies, money previously earmarked for search engine PPC, SEO and social media will be re-allocated to content marketing efforts.”

This essentially means that marketers will abandon traditional digital marketing tactics, believes David Wells, founder of Inbound Now. He writes, “Instead of relying on tested solutions, companies will pay more attention to customer experience and curate content in a more emphatic, client-oriented way.”

Expect more personalised brand experiences

With the idea of paying more attention to the customer experience, it makes sense that things will become more personalised. After all, as more businesses learn to engage with the customers, the business-client relationship needs to adapt into something similar to a close friendship.

“By offering personalized content during the last year, companies were able to increase the number of sales, lower the costs of operation, inspire users to stay longer on their websites and foster customer satisfaction,” writes Wells. Personalization is expected to become a widely adopted practice in 2015, leading to the growth of 1-to-1 marketing.”

Enlighten’s communications director, Tessa Wegert, refers to it as ‘hyper-personalisation’ which is apt. Brands need to invest in giving their customers a customised experience that is both relevant and worth talking about. Wegert writes: “Retargeting and location targeting will pair up in more marketing campaigns to deliver a cohesive consumer experience that anticipates and responds to the customer's every need.”

Jumping on the Real-time marketing bandwagon

The idea of real-time marketing should be part of any marketer’s vocabulary. After all, in today’s world where everything is instantaneous, it’s important that you can react as soon as possible. On the local front, Nando’s have managed to do it with their humorous print adverts. Or at least as close to real-time as possible.

Labeled as ‘reeactvertising’, and unfairly so, when done right, marketing in real time can allow a brand to revel in the spotlight. One only needs to think about Oreo’s Superbowl tweet in late 2013 during the blackout. Or even Kit Kat’s #Bendgate, which trumped Oreo’s efforts.

“Parodies notwithstanding, look for more RTM and live-tweeting as marketers continue to strive for social media relevance,” writes Wegert. Just remember, it’s not about just reacting to a news or cultural event. Rather, it’s about responding in a way that stays true to your brand.

What are your thoughts? Are there any other marketing trends that we need to keep an eye on in 2015? Tell us below.