Statistics have shown that total spending on digital ads is expected to surpass television ads in 2017 for the very first time. This means that the digital ad industry has a very positive outlook and for good reason as digital marketing can be quite beneficial. However, this is only true in the case if it is done right. While businesses have been implementing digital marketing for some time now, not all of them have been able to get the hang of it. One of the top reasons behind this is the fact that digital marketing is constantly changing and evolving. New trends emerge every year and they need to be incorporated effectively for getting the desired results.
Digital marketers have to constantly update their skills set, learn from the industry practices and trends and reach the latest researches to know how to market their products or services digitally in an efficient manner. Some of the most effective digital marketing strategies that a business can opt for are:
- Focus on a data-driven strategy
In the last few years, businesses have been focused on working and embracing data-driven strategies. This has been declared as one of the most important and evolutionary step in the history of marketing because you can understand the data you accumulate, get what you desire and then use it for achieving certain business objectives. Therefore, a data-driven strategy is considered the first step for getting a decent return on investment on your digital marketing strategies.
Monitoring digital media for information, managing the lifecycle of content and analyzing the performance of different digital channels can be immensely effective. You will need data analysis and measurement tools for this purpose. Market research can also be conducted for gathering data through social media campaigns, marketing tools, mobile surveys or even open surveys. Deciding on the type of data to be acquired depends on the decisions that need to be made with it.
- Engaging content is priority
Modern trends of search engine optimization have moved on from quality content to producing engaging content. Maximum visibility will be given by search engines like Google to those images, articles and stories that are of the best quality and also receive greater engagement. However, this doesn’t mean that a business only focuses on the quality of the content; it has now become necessary to migrate to engaging content. This is due to the fact that there is plenty of content to be found in the digital world and you want to have something that engages your clientele.
Engagement for images, blogs, videos and articles means that people see them, read them, like them and then share with their network. The content needs to be constantly refined through the feedback of the audience. Also, don’t just focus on taking advantage of organic reach. Instead, you can also choose to optimize your reach by sponsoring updates and also disseminating your content via different channels such as social media, blogs, podcasts, emails and websites.
- Make use of visuals for storytelling
In 2016, we have seen video become one of the most popular aspects and there is no denying that it can prove to be extremely useful in terms of digital marketing. Whether you wish to develop videos and graphics for your social media or blog and website, they are undoubtedly an important marketing tool that can be used for driving engagement and achieving the desired business goals.
As a matter of fact, videos are all about effective storytelling and using captivating communication channels for projective the value of your product or service. An excellent example of visual importance is the popularity of feature images and infographics. Moreover, images and videos can assist in greater visibility and business development because they have their own search index in YouTube and Google. Thus, businesses need to work on creating unique video content and visual storytelling and infographics.
- Mobile remains the focus
If you have to decide on one factor that’s common in all types of marketing, it will be mobile. It has become one of the most crucial marketing factors that can have a huge impact on web development, design, content creation, user experience as well as promotion. Mobile has gained importance because by the end of this year, approximately 2 billion people will be smartphone users. Already, 92% Americans and 80% internet users own and use a smartphone. Furthermore, the changes in mobile algorithm by Google has made ‘mobile friendliness’ an important factor in determining search engine ranking.
This indicates that mobile marketing has to become a major priority for all businesses. Businesses seemed to have realized this as mobile already accounts for nearly 64% of the total digital ad spending in the US. In addition, it is expected that mobile ad spending will grow by a whopping 38% this year, which means that the importance of mobile in digital marketing cannot be understated.
- Never ignore personalized marketing
The success of any kind of marketing depends heavily on effective targeting and nothing could achieve this better than personalized marketing. The key to ensure the success of your content these days is to ensure that it is in accordance with the needs and preferences of your targeted persona. In simple terms, digital marketers have to ensure that the personas and profiles they come up with are right on target and this involves considerable data and research.
Most important, the personalized experience holds a great deal of appeal for customers as the product or service is actually tailor-made for their needs. This is also applicable to the marketing content, which is delivered to the customers through different channels.
In a nutshell, modern digital marketing is all about providing users exactly what they want and doing it in a way they are bound to love and appreciate. Marketers need to understand the buyer’s journey and come up with touch point that will help them in reaching out. You need to have a killing strategy and implement a great implementation for achieving your digital marketing goals.
