Marketing Trends to Know Right Now
As a marketer, you have to be aware that the best ways to reach your target market are constantly changing. Lean more about the seven marketing trends below that are currently making waves, so your company doesn’t get left behind.
[more]1. Mobile is a Must
According to a study conducted by the Pew Research Center, a total of 64% of American adults own a smartphone—a number much higher among younger Americans, such as the 18-29 demographic of which 85% are smartphone owners. If your site isn’t already optimized for mobile, it’s time to make it a priority. Also, it doesn’t make sense for every company, but definitely consider whether you could benefit from also having an app.
2. Consider Social Conversions
You’ve had your social media pages up and running for years now, but if you’re not doing much besides talking at your customers, it’s time to make a change. You should be using your online platforms to not only engage your customers in conversations but also to generate and convert leads for your business. This demands that you develop both the right content for social and for the website, landing page, or article you drive to. For example, when someone a reads a blog post they found on social, ends up wanting more, and decides to sign up for your newsletter directly from the blog—you’ve done your job well!
3. Paid Advertising Still Deserves Attention
PPC may be going out of style, but that doesn’t mean all paid advertising has become obsolete. Alternative forms such as mobile video advertising and native advertising have the power to captivate and convert audiences.
4. High Quality Content is Key
It’s true that anyone can write a blog post, create a video or hold a podcast, but not everyone can do it well. Not only do you need great content creators — you also need those people to truly understand your company and what it stands for, so they can produce pieces that appeal to your niche. There’s a lot of content out there, so get yours on the radar by ensuring the people behind it are producing quality material.
5. Algorithms Won’t Stop Changing
Every marketer knows how maddening it is each time a Google, Facebook or other key algorithm changes. All your diligent SEO work is lost and you have to create an entirely new strategy to support the latest algorithm. Unfortunately there’s nothing you can do to combat this, besides anticipating and accepting it, so embrace this annoyance and move on.
6. A Rise in Storytelling
Overly pushy, in your face marketing tactics are a thing of the past. These days, if you want to make a sale, you need to explain how your product or service will add value to the customer. Connect with people by telling a story they can relate to, which subtly promotes your organization. If you want to get noticed, you’ll need to create a campaign that inspires emotion.
7. Increased Emphasis on Personalization
People want a marketing experience tailored to fit their unique needs. Segment your marketing efforts to target specific groups, to get rid of the impersonal mass marketing feel. With today’s technology, you can go beyond personalized fields to email messages to delivering targeted content in emails based on your knowledge of a user’s past behavior on your site or with other emails. Similarly, there are also ways to create a customized user experience on your website to offer people more relevant content options.
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