The first quarter of 2016 is done and the results are coming in. You are getting the numbers and they are telling you what is and what isn’t working for your business. Lots of businesses chose not to make changes to their digital marketing strategies with the start of this year because they believed those were providing them with good results. However, you are now realizing that this may have been a mistake because the digital landscape has changed considerably in the past few months and will continue to do so. That’s the beauty of the internet; nothing stays the same for long.
Digital marketing strategies have become more sophisticated with each passing day and are now executed with greater passion, discipline and accuracy. Therefore, it is high time for your business to identify the best digital marketing strategies that will work in 2016. After all, you don’t want to lose out your share of customers to your competitors, do you? It is best not to be left behind in today’s competitive market. You need to be aware of the best digital marketing strategies that can work for your business this year and they are discussed below:
Using more video
Yes, this idea is definitely not new by any means, but video advertising is becoming increasingly dominant this year because various avenues have opened up. YouTube videos are no longer the only way for you to advertise your business; now, social networks like Facebook and Snapchat are also offering businesses the ability of leveraging the power of video to reach more customers and direct them to their products and services. In addition, you need to understand that your videos should be customized for every platform individually; gone are the days when you could just share your one YouTube video on every social network. This is because the audience watching the videos can differ on every platform. For instance, LinkedIn is used by professionals whereas Snapchat is more for teenagers and young adults, and the same kind of video may not appeal to both parties.
Focusing more on mobile
We have been hearing this mantra since last year; mobile is becoming more important than desktop. But, how much have you tried to use it? Just step out to any public place like a café or even the checkout counter of a store. People are busy on their mobile phones while waiting for their turns. This is when you want them to be looking at you. A business no longer has to wait for its customers to sit down in front of their laptop to begin advertising and marketing. You need to focus on optimizing your mobile marketing in the best possible way like ensuring you have an app.
Offer value to customers
The words ‘discount’, ‘sale’, ‘coupons’ or ‘offers’ are magic words that can work wonders for any business. Even if you are selling soap, you are bound to see an increase in your sales figure if you offer your customers anything that allows them to save money. In fact, they tend to shop more than usual when they realize you are offering your products on a reduced price. You can come up with lucrative offers, discount deals or coupons that encourage customers to shop your products and services more. This strategy is helpful for all kinds of businesses; stores can sell more products by giving out coupons, gaming companies can sell more games with a G2A discount code, businesses offering any services can distribute voucher codes that will attract more customers, and the list never ends.
Take advantage of Siri
Electronic personal assistants like Cortana and Siri are advancing rapidly and are becoming capable on answering even the most tedious questions without difficulty. This means that user reliance on these assistants is increasing, which opens up a new avenue for businesses to explore. Since they become the virtual best friends of most users, you need to ensure that information about your brand, products and services can easily be conveyed to the customers via them. The whole point is to make it as easy as possible for your target audience to find out about you.
Personalization is key
You are going to be left in your competitors’ dust if you haven’t come to accept the fact that each and every single customer demands individual attention. You can no longer use the same standard lines, products or content for all customers. Everyone is unique and you need to incorporate their hobbies, interests and preferences in your marketing efforts for getting the maximum results. Social media is the ideal platform for implementing your personalized digital marketing strategies. They are an informal ground for you to communicate with your clientele and you can answer their questions and resolve their problems in a personal manner to keep them engaged and satisfied.
Email is not dead
There are thousands of businesses out there that made the mistake of believing email was dead and cut it out of their digital marketing strategy. This is a huge error on their part because email is still quite effective. However, this is only the case when you know how to use it right. You can no longer rely on your old practices because those kinds of emails only end up in the spam folder. Now, you have to get smart and create powerful emails with tempting call-to-actions that become irresistible to customers. Always be friendly yet professional in your emails and keep the promotional tone to a minimum. Otherwise, you risk ending up in the junk pile.
Use influencers
It is unclear how the trend of influencers gained popularity, but there is no denying that it is indeed so. Whether it is a YouTube personality, singers, artists, actors, fashion designers or even authors, there are lots of influencers you can use to your advantage. Fans of these people respect their opinion and value it a great deal. Using their popularity for promoting your products subtly is going to work wonders in expanding your customer base successfully.
A good combination of these digital marketing strategies will help your business a long way in 2016.
