ith 2015 fast approaching, we're all in turbo-planning mode as we craft our growth strategies for the year ahead. There's a lot to consider, but we can skip one topic: understanding the marketing trends and opportunities that will emerge in 2015.For technology companies, changing customer decision-making strategies are transforming technology marketing, leading companies to educate and influence through the lens of buyer needs and priorities. Below, we've rounded up the top four trends to watch – and what you need to know to exploit them most effectively.1) Buyers of technology services want to be educatedResearch by RAIN Group and Hinge shows a striking trend. In a study of competitions for selling professional services, winning companies consistently did one thing: successfully educate their prospects. In contrast, companies employee email list that lost their respective sales consistently ranked poorly for prospect education. In fact, education was the characteristic least often associated with these losing firms.SEE ALSO: 5 Reasons Why Thought Leadership Marketing Is Essential For Tech CompaniesWhat does this tell us? Buyers want to be educated. They want to understand how to best frame their problems and challenges, and they want to know how to choose the most effective solutions. Like everyone else, shoppers have become accustomed to finding quick, accessible and effective answers online.Companies that provide these answers through educational content are expected to build credibility with their audience, play a leading role in the rapidly changing industry conversation, attract new visitors, and shape how prospects conceptualize