Digital marketing is changing thanks to widespread ownership of smartphones, ever-increasing data and video streaming combined with a cultural desire for digestible and personalized content. Do you know which digital marketing trends will impact YOUR organization in 2018? How can you jump on some of these trends to get an edge on your competition? You’re about to find out…
Marketing Automation
It has been around for a while, but marketing automation continues to be a strong trend because it’s a great time saver for many businesses. More low-cost software is now available, making it more affordable to streamline efforts. When social media, emails and other digital marketing tasks can be automated, it really impacts the bottom line and delivers ROI because your businesses can identify, engage and track consumers. Simply, you learn what works and why because you have the best tools to do so.
Content Marketing
Last year, content marketing was found to be the most important technique for driving sales. This digital marketing trend continues. Consumers are smarter. They’d much rather engage with content marketing than an advertisement.
Content can take many forms including blog posts, infographics, audio and video. The most effective content marketing efforts are those that deliver relevant content to your target audience in the way they best consume it. Thus, efforts may require some research in order to provide the right information in the right way. Whatever you do, be authentic and remain true to your overall brand.
Video
No, video isn’t necessarily new, but it’s growing ever more popular with digital marketers. Why? Because it’s video is popular with consumers. If you’re going to reach your target group, nothing does it like a good video. In fact, four times as many consumers prefer to watch a video rather than read about a product.
Wondering what to shoot? Consider:
- Build relationships by building a video library with expert insight such as quick tips.
- Provide a behind-the-scenes look at your business or a corporate event you host.
- Create an exclusive promotion for anyone who watches your live video.
Whatever you do, remember videos should be kept short (two to four minutes). Any prepared script should be fit on a single page.
Mobile
In 2017, mobile users watched videos an estimated 28 minutes a day. That’s up 25 percent from the year before. Another 25 percent increase is expected again in 2018 due to consumers having higher quality devices and digital services supporting larger data loads.
It’s not just video that’s popular on mobile devices. Businesses need to increase mobile everything as part of their digital marketing strategy. Just look around; it’s no secret that people spend much of their day glued to their phones. Since 2015, search engines have been penalizing websites that are not mobile friendly. If your company’s website isn’t optimized for mobile yet, this is the year to do it because you’ve got to catch up.
Furthermore, mobile has become the most popular way to browse the web and it is estimated that approximately 70 percent of searches will come from mobile in 2018. Get your business out there so you can be found.
Marketing Personalization
Access to reliable data is ever increasing and making it easier to understand individual consumers within your target audience. Businesses that become problem solvers for their customers win them over. If you can do it in a personal way, that’s even better. With data about online user behavior, organizations can utilize marketing personalization to address specific user needs.
Research by HubSpot reveals personalized content performs 42 percent better than non-personalized content and marketers who deliver personalized web experiences are getting double the return in engagement and response.
Join us as we explore the top trends in digital marketing that we believe businesses should be paying attention to in 2018. We’ll explore these trends and provide some simple ideas for incorporating them into your overall marketing strategy. If your business is ready to evolve, give us a call. Start with a free website assessment.
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