DIGITAL MARKETING TRENDS
Our Experts Weigh In
Marketing is one of the business functions most dramatically changed by innovations in technology. There is seemingly no end to the possibilities for creating and nurturing customer relationships over the internet. But with so many options to choose from, how do you decide which technology is right for your business? We asked a number of marketing experts what budget-friendly strategies they recommend for small and medium sized businesses. They share their success and ideas with you in the next four articles, which cover new marketing trends, social selling, live stream video, and automated marketing.
Welcome to the digital marketing age! If you’ve made it this far, it’s because you know something about staying abreast of trends and making yourself visible. In a world where digital noise is only getting louder, your best option may be to reject the earplugs and start making some noise of your own. Here are some exciting new marketing technologies to help you set your business apart from the crowd.
Marketing Automation Platforms
An automated marketing strategy saves you hours of time and increases your efficiency and profitability by concentrating and shortening your sales cycle. Platforms like Mailchimp are free to join and make it possible to capture leads, track trends, and Many of my clients produce short e-books full of useful information for their customers and then offer copies for free as an opt-in to their mailing list. Automation lets them follow up on every download with a thank you note as well as additional offers. While you may have to pay for automation features on most platforms, the possibilities for adapting workflows to fit your goals are endless.
Mobile Sites and Apps
Mobile commerce is one of the most significant and continuous digital trends. It comes down to this: mobile-optimized and responsive websites are the ones that are capturing customers. Remember to give your customers the ability to purchase your product or service without leaving your site to ensure you capture every possible sale.
Integrated apps on your mobile site enhance and simplify the consumer experience and set you apart from competitors who are still operating in the dark ages. Imagine you’re a fitness studio that offers an app with tips, photos, and videos on how to maximize your beach workout. Integrate a check-in and registration option and you’ve achieved digital domination. focus communication with new and existing customers at the click of a button.
Content and Retargeting
No marketing campaign is complete without content. The evolution of technology makes it more important than ever for small businesses to create organic content and make sure it’s reaching the right audience. The latest facet of content marketing, retargeting website visitors, tags them when they visit your website and targets your advertising directly to them in the future. With a snippet of code on your website, visitors will automatically see your ads when they are on sites like Facebook. I’ve seen this shortcut reduce marketing costs for countless clients. Retargeting will help ensure that your ads are well placed, draw repeat visitors, and increase brand recognition.
Data-Driven Marketing
Even if you have all of the pieces of the marketing puzzle in place, you can’t realize its full potential if you don’t use analytics to prospect and to measure customer engagement. Basing your marketing efforts on concrete data helps not only in measuring your marketing efforts and meeting your goals, but it also helps build and improve your customer relationships.
Paid Search Marketing
Paid search marketing is constantly evolving with new ways to target your pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns. Programs like Google AdWords can put your business directly in front of your target audience at exactly the moment when they need you. Consider, too, the fact that local advertisements are cheaper and can put you in front of a focused audience. Increasing your visibility doesn’t mean you have to lessen your impact.
Pokémon Go
However you personally feel about this craze, we can learn a lot from Pokémon Go. It’s a prime example of the demand for augmented reality; but it’s more than that. As a cultural phenomenon, Pokémon Go gives everyone a chance to take part in the same dialogue. Don’t overlook marketing your small business as a Pokestop, for example, as a viable path to heightened visibility. After all, everyone wants to be at the epicenter of the next big thing. Why not unite in the fact that we are all part of the same great evolution? (Pokémon pun intended.)
Technology has certainly changed the way we do business, and embracing advances in digital marketing is a critical part of securing your business’s future. These new marketing tools provide numerous opportunities for building and enhancing your customer relationships. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
