A Look Back at 2014

As expected, mobile usage continued its upward ascent in importance as more and more people began using their mobile devices instead of traditional desktop computers. As such, we continued to gain significant knowledge and experience about how mobile users interact with websites and web applications. Google even revealed that mobile-friendliness was a factor in organic search ranking, adding even more significance to this already critical factor. Obviously, we know that this trend will continue into 2015 and well beyond, and we’re excited to continue creating great mobile experiences for our clients.

Even though content marketing isn’t a terribly new concept, we definitely saw it continue to rise in significance during 2014. As consumers seek to find new and interesting content to consume (many times on their mobile devices), we’re always striving to find new and interesting ways to keep our clients relevant and visible. As with many things in our industry, this is a really exciting (and constantly-changing) space, and we’re thrilled to be a part of it.

This was the year for analytics! We all know that data has driven marketing decisions since the beginning of time. But data has become especially critical when it comes to social media marketing, and most of the major platforms recognized that this year.

While Facebook already had some strong insights for non-user pages, they really upped the ante this year, giving real-time insights to posts and shares.

Twitter took note of this, and in August they gave all users access to analytics dashboards which provide an in-depth look at impressions, engagement, and success of a user’s tweets.

Pinterest may have introduced analytics in 2013, but they really stepped it up in 2014. While a business account is required in order to view this data, the analytics you’re getting are really great.

Instagram needs to catch up in this category, however, as users still have to use a third-party tool such as Iconosquare or SimplyMeasured to find out how posts are performing.

We’re data lovers here at Torx, so we can’t wait to see what the coming year will bring for social statistics!

From a technology standpoint, 2014 was also a very exciting year. We saw 4K (Ultra HD) TVs become increasingly more available (and affordable), wearable devices like Google Glass, AppleWatch, and the slew of health/fitness trackers (Fitbit, Jawbone Up, Nike FuelBand, etc.) continue to become more mainstream, and electric cars continued their march towards social ubiquity. And, of course we must mention how the “Internet of Things” seemed to really accelerate during 2014. It seems now that nearly any device in your home can be connected and controlled from your smartphone. This is both intriguing and somewhat scary given the privacy issues that also topped news headlines this past year. We’re already anticipating the next revolution in connected devices, which is hopefully when our personal servant robots will arrive.

Overall, it’s always gratifying to look back on a year filled with so many advances and innovations in the technology and marketing world. We’re eager to see what 2015 brings. Here’s to a strong and prosperous 2015 for all of our clients, partners, and friends!