We know that the world of technology changes rapidly, so here at Senior we feel it’s important to keep our finger on the pulse and look out for new ideas. Most experts and technology pundits have had a say and we’ve put together our list of the top 5 digital and technical movements we’ll see in the coming year and what you can do to keep up!
Multiple device design
The speed at which mobile and tablet internet browsing has grown over the last 5 years has been unprecedented and in 2015 it is predicted that the number of people using alternative methods of internet viewing will completely overtake the desk top. This teamed with the news that Google and other search engines will favour sites which are created with Responsive Design in mind (you can read more about that here) will mean that your website should move with the times too! Luckily Senior now offers this for all our web builds as standard.
Advanced technology introduced to a younger audience
It is being speculated by many that children of primary school age will soon be taught to ‘code’, meaning computer programming will be introduced to most schools around the country. According to some sources, at Key Stage One, when children are aged between 5 and 7, they’ll be taught how to create and debug simple programmes and ‘use technology safely and respectfully’. By the time they leave school aged 16, students will have been taught everything from designing and writing programmes to understanding algorithms and the different hardware and software components that make up computer systems.
This isn’t a new idea, it’s been talked about for a few years now but it looks like 2015 is the year that this will become the norm throughout the UK. This means that your system needs to be as sophisticated as possible to keep up with a new wave of highly skilled internet users.
For every Google search, 2 Youtube videos are watched
This is quite a statistic to get your head around, but essentially what it means is that it is estimated there are 3.5 billion Google searches a day taking place around the globe, and 7 billion videos watched. This can be utilised by your company for marketing purposes, as it could mean that someone is much more likely to watch a video from your company than to search for you.
Many organisations and businesses now, no matter what their product or service, are using video platforms to engage with their potential clients and customers. A video can send a much more powerful message than a simple advertisement and the use of Youtube and other video hubs means that your message to your audience can be ‘sharable’ and appealing.
On the other hand, this also means that you’ll have to work much harder to make sure you’re driving traffic to your site. Both these points mean you might have to find a digital agency that can do this for you, like Senior!
Social media grows in power
Social media is a powerful tool for business marketing and has been for a while. It’s the number one best way to keep up with what’s happening around the globe and, more importantly, how people feel about it. Social media can help you target your specific audience and only spend your time and money putting out information useful to them.
2014 saw social media aid the general public in taking more control over what’s happening in society, and in 2015 this is said to accelerate; with pundits predicting that social media will have a huge influence on voters in the upcoming UK general elections later this year. Networks are the first port of call for most of us in receiving news and opinions about important world events, so it’s vital to keep a check on your online presence. There’s no doubt that it’s a powerful tool, and if used properly, can be startlingly effective for businesses and organisations too.
The gap between consumer and business bridged
Over the past few years it has been easier for consumers and audiences to communicate with the business or organisation from whom they have bought a product or acquired a service. In most cases the simple ‘contact us’ button taking one to a generic email address has disappeared and been replaced with more direct means of communication. This is helpful for a company in a number of ways, firstly it means you can keep in the know about the needs and tastes of your target audience, but it also means you can offer support to your clientele much quicker.
2014 saw Senior launch its ‘Live Chat’ module, a device which was adopted by local private school Abbotsholme. It has enabled potential students and parents with queries to guarantee a response and conversation with a team member dedicated to helping them. This is something that is easily adoptable for any organisation or business and has proven time and again to be effective. View here for more details.
It’s important to keep an eye out for changes in technology, and there are many sources you can rely on for a helping hand in this area. If you’d like to chat with Senior about any of the above predictions, or see how we can help you keep up to date, feel free to get in touch through our Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin or just drop us a good old fashioned phone call. 2015 is set to be an exciting and ground-breaking year for the digital world, and for Senior too, so watch this space!