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Into the future: BKA Interactive’s digital predictions

Bka Interactive’s chief executive Barb Anderson says the corporate website is now a critical marketing hub and having a great digital strategy means keeping tabs on the fast-paced changes happening in the digital world. So here’s a list of trends she sees prevailing and developing in 2014.

Less is more

When it comes to content, keep things simple. Nothing highlights this better than a recent survey by Google which found users judged a website within 1/50th and 1/20th of a second. Anything visually complex was a big turn-off.

Businesses are competing for customers’ time in parts of seconds, therefore simplification, focus and speed of delivery will be more important than ever before. It is vital that every aspect of design is kept simple, both in terms of how it works and how it looks.

Content is king

Google is constantly changing its search engine optimsation (SEO) algorithms in order to deliver better quality search by promoting real content above content simply created for SEO benefits. It is more important than ever to give the end user dynamic, quality content and invest in and implement a good organic SEO strategy.   

Keeping things mobile

With many using smartphones or tablets, we now live in an age where businesses run 24/7. Companies need to keep this top of mind and ensure their websites—and budgets—are adapted to accommodate this growth.

There will be more, and varied devices as the relative cost of ownership decreases. Delivery to this continuing variety of devices will increase the cost of development, or lower the quality. It can’t go both ways. It will be difficult to tell who is using what, when and where, but when designing any site, this must be one of the most important factors to consider.

Trust

In order for large organisations to remain competitive they will risk using the internet as a platform for business in spite of the fact that high profile security breaches occur. Pushing business processes online is more convenient, faster, can be more cost effective and allows for easier sharing of data. This will lead to more internet payment systems, more crowd and social funding, and more start-ups in the financial arena.

Location is now irrelevant

Cloud-based tools are becoming increasingly available and are quickly gaining more acceptance in day-to-day use. Google Cloud Playground is a great example. It allows you to store your documents, photos, spread-sheets, and presentations—anything you create—in their secure cloud environment. It is convenient because you can access your files from any device with an internet connection. And with these cloud-based systems locations and time zones are no longer relevant.

The biggest thing since cable

Not only is digital video content here to stay, it’s getting bigger by the day. The barriers that used to exist, such as poor connectivity, expensive data and even the quality of videos being uploaded, has now diminished. Consumers are embracing this platform. A few years ago it would have been unheard of for a TV show to be released online, now this is a popular phenomenon. Companies must embrace this visual medium to ensure their future brand visibility.

Master social media

The social media landscape is set to change again and at a rapid pace. It is essential that digital strategists continuously monitor and adapt to/update these online channels. We will see a more diverse range of channels as SEO from social channels becomes more important. Social media marketing will need to be smarter, enabled by better analytic tools and services.

  • Barb Anderson is chief executive of BKA Interactive

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