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2015 just might be the year for small businesses. As technology providers offer better and more comprehensive services, expect small businesses to adapt to new trends in internet marketing and quickly evolve to fierce competitors.

Without further ado, here are 5 internet marketing trends for small businesses in 2015:

Bookings, Payments, and Scheduling Will Move Online

As smart devices become smarter, consumers also want more flexibility. That means fewer phone calls to make hotel bookings or doctor appointments because consumers would rather do it themselves online. What’s more, they want these things to be done with the same ease as buying products on Amazon.

There’s already notable growth in specific industries such as ZocDoc for medical practices and HotelTonight for hotels.

Reviews Will Have More Sway

Every business large and small already knows the importance of online reviews. But that importance will take a greater priority in 2015. According to market research firm Ipsos, 78 percent of consumers’ purchasing decisions are influenced by online reviews.

In fact, Google has been known to favor businesses with plenty of online reviews in local search, not to mention they’re becoming an essential ingredient for conversions on social media sites such as Facebook.

Mobile Friendly Websites

The more mobile penetrates, the more businesses change their mind about their beloved website. Expect many sites to be revamped and refurnished for more attractive and responsive websites that adapt and fit perfectly to smartphones, tables, iPhones and desktops.

Even Google applauds the switch to a more mobile friendly website, rewarding businesses that do with more search engine visibility.

Mobile Payments Go Mainstream

The world is waking up to mobile payments. Functionality is improving, security is being tightened, and features are growing smoother. But the real cause and source of applause goes to Apple. Within one month of launching Apply Pay, the tech giant registered a million credit cards within only 72 hours. And, these numbers only increase rapidly as iPhone users loyally upgrade their device.

Apple Pay’s closest competitor is GoogleWallet, but even they lag behind by miles. However, Google Wallet has two features that Apple Pay does not currently offer: the ability to send money to friends at no cost and the ability to upload and use gift cards. So expect GoogleWallet to gain more traction.

Video and Vblog Will Come To The Fore

Youtube ranks as the number one media site in the world. It’s the third largest searched website on Google and thousands upon thousands of videos are updated daily. As tactics have moved from blogs to infographics, expect videos and vblogs to provide their own content in order to drive viewers to another level of engagement.

While it won’t replace the former two, it will certainly be used in pursuit of other marketing goals.

To learn more about these trends, contact us today.