According to Forbes contributor Jayson DeMers, more than ever, businesses are publishing original content for tactical benefits, like control over branding and improved targeting for growing an audience.
DeMers proposes that 7 online trends will dominate the coming year:
1.Content marketing through a variety of channels will increase.
Consumers find that businesses garner trust and establish authority through content. Yes, it’s still about building and growing the relationship with consumers. Those channels include blogging, social media, eNewsletters, case studies, videos and guest posts.
2.Diversify social media marketing.
Are the biggest social media sites still the best for your marketing campaign? While Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn remain the “staples,” new sites are emerging and some are surging, like Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest. Diversification may help build brand equity depending on your target market.
3.“Image-Centric” content will be the norm.
A picture may “launch a thousand ships” when words can pass on by. Typically, consumers are being hit with an ever-growing bevy of ads. They’re looking for easy-to-digest content that attracts and stimulates visually. Incorporating images or infographics with your text-based content could be a boon to your marketing.
4.Think “less.”
The adage that less is more holds true. Simple “on-target” messages will get more eye-time than in-depth messages. The simpler (and likely the more visual), the better. Consumers don’t want to be barraged with hype, they want info bite-sized and appetite-ready.
5.Going mobile.
If you’re not responsive to mobile devices or tablets, you’d benefit by getting responsive. According to Forbes, “87% of connected devices sales by 2017 will be tablets and smartphones.
6.Growth in ad remarketing.
Remarketing (or retargeting) places tags on websites that “follow” visitors and keep brands top-of-mind. Look for this tactic to grow and for metrics that will tell how it pays off in the long run.
7.The roles of SEO and social signals.
Search engines could begin to figure in the weight of social links as a kind of stamp of approval when determining organic search rankings. Businesses are encouraging consumers to share to build the social signals. While the chance that social signals will outweigh SEO is nil, it is something to watch as search engines evolve.
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It is our job to stay in tune with marketing dynamics, to help you grow your business with sound inbound marketing and staffing firm branding strategies.
We are experts at integrating Web copy, Social Media, SEO, email and blogging so you develop a strong, results-driven inbound marketing plan.
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