From traditional marketing, the world has shifted to a more globalized approach and is now in the age of digital marketing. From the name itself, digital marketing makes use of various digital technologies such as the internet, mobile phones, electronic billboards, and display advertising to promote a particular brand and service. For the past few years, it has been one of the most effective strategies companies have used to attract digital users and convert them to potential customers.
Digital Marketing has become an essential tool in modern day businesses because of its accessibility. Digital media such as social media platforms have continued to show signs of growth in the various sectors of society which is why digital marketing has found a home in them. Today, people don’t only have access to all kinds of information, but they also get to interact with their friends, family, and other potential customers. Moreover, the accessibility of companies has encouraged more people to communicate with them their wants and needs which have built a sense of trust and bridged the gap between consumers and organizations.
As all things must evolve, so does digital marketing. Over the years, the field has been through a lot of changes to continuously improve and keep up with what the market wants. This is why it is necessary for companies to know how to boost their digital marketing strategies and campaigns for 2016. According to reliable sources, these are the top trends marketers will see this year:
Fewer Words, More Interaction
Throughout all the years online marketing has existed, most people have relied on content marketing. This means that companies have invested in creating and publishing various online tools, including web articles. These articles tackle everything under the sun such as entertainment, sports, music, relationships, health, DIY, and much more. While other people think these articles were made for fun, these media content were actually carefully planned and strategized by companies to subtly promote their products and services.
Despite the success of online articles, experts say that there will be less need for them in 2016. This is because, over the years, a large volume of online content has dominated the web, making it harder for marketing campaigns to stand out. Instead, people will be leaning towards more interactive web content such as quizzes, videos, podcasts, and infographics. Although they take much longer and more effort to produce, these interactive content attract more people because they are easier and quicker to understand.
Collaborate & Get Influencers
This year, there will be even more marketing campaigns available online, making it more difficult for companies to reach their target market. The biggest problem companies will face is standing out and getting their brands noticed by the right people. One good solution for this is to collaborate with other companies that basically have the same target market as your company. This helps to get the word out about your brand. At the same time, your company will be affiliated with other known brands, making it easier for people to identify yours.
Another solution is by hiring and working with influencers. Influencers are people who are either public figures (ex. celebrities, politicians, musicians) or ordinary people with a lot of followers. When companies get these people to tweet or post about their brand, this is also a form of digital marketing. More often than not, followers of influencers are easily “influenced” to try the same brand as well.
Show them the Money (SEO)
Nowadays, relying on social media platforms to advertise and prioritize your content for free isn’t enough. With so many other brands trying to get their content noticed, it is almost next to impossible to get yours out there. It has been said that for each Facebook post, it only reaches around 16 percent of its fans. Tweets also only reach 10% of followers. This is the reason why sometimes, it is better to set a budget to pay for ads and prioritization.
Have Multiple Sources of Traffic
Google, the most popular search engine, is not enough to get your website the traffic it needs. Don’t rely solely on SEO because lots of other websites are vying for the same goal. You need to come up with a strategy to bring more customers to your website. You could do this by:
- Creating Promos
- Giving Away Freebies
- Putting Up Contests
- Signing Customers Up For Online Newsletters
Encourage Customer Engagement & Communication
Nothing builds customer trust more than making your marketing campaign as engaging, personalized, and interactive as possible. People want to have the assurance that brands care enough about their customers to pay attention to them and give them the best customer experience they can have. Some of the ways to achieve this are by regularly replying to comments, posting different interactive content, making your page attractive, and asking customers for feedback.