2015 marketing trend reports are a dime a dozen this time of year, though in reality many focus on fads, which by definition have fleeting popularity.

Fads are for gamblers.

Marketing trends, on the other hand, are generally slower-building, longer-lasting and ideally a result of factual supporting data.

As such, the RedRover Sales & Marketing team is predicting these 10 marketing trends worthy of consideration in your 2015 marketing strategy.

10) The new year will bring greater emphasis on tailoring marketing messages based on each generation’s unique preferences, due in part to the growing ease of audience segmentation through mass media and digital marketing (Web, email and social) channels.

9) Speaking of generational marketing, Gen Y’s buying power continues to rise, causing many companies to focus on something near and dear to the hearts of Millennials – causes.

Gen Y prefers brands aligned with causes in which they are passionate.

8) While companies used to focus on a single spokesperson, the current trend is distribution of this important public-facing role across a variety of key employees as a method for expanding a brand’s external thought leadership.

7) As if there weren’t already enough social media channels to consider in 2014, 2015 promises even greater fragmentation.

Fortunately, this means you will have the ability to target your messaging toward increasingly narrow audience segments for a more relevant, custom approach.

6) Expectations among consumers for greater marketing personalization will only grow stronger in 2015.

Think about how you can personalize your email, social, Web and direct marketing campaigns.

5) Marketing automation tools track a customer’s engagement with your brand across all of your digital channels, such as Web, email and social media.

The overly complex, expensive systems of years past are now more affordable and user friendly.

4) When you combine the ever-dwindling consumer attention span with growing inbox clutter, email campaigns are trending away from lengthy digital newsletters toward shorter sound bites with deeper content just a click away on a website.

3) Consumer expectations for real-time customer service and communication continue to rise.

Social media and website strategies will reflect this mounting demand.

2) Websites used to be designed predominantly for desktop usage, then altered to work on various mobile devices.

The reverse will hold true for many brands in 2015, as last year mobile Internet usage surpassed desktop usage.

1) 2015 will be the year of video as the preferred tool for brand storytelling.

While the strategic marketing plan elements that will drive the strongest returns for your company can only be determined with proper research, these key trends are worthy of consideration for your 2015 plan.

Lori Turner-Wilson is an award-winning columnist and managing partner of RedRover Sales & Marketing, www.redrovercompany.com, with offices in Memphis and Nashville. You can follow RedRover on Twitter (@redrovercompany and @loriturner) and Facebook (facebook.com/redrovercompany).