The verdict is in: a digital marketing strategy is no longer optional. Just in case you thought holding out a bit longer on pulling together a digital strategy was okay, now you know it’s not an option. In fact, digital marketing is expected to account for 33% of all marketing this year. With that settled, where does one begin?
Maximizing digital marketing opportunities is all about striking a balance between the latest fad and the next cutting-edge trend. What’s “hot” or “cool” won’t necessarily translate into the most effective marketing avenues.
Dave Chaffey polled readers with this question: Which single digital marketing technique do you think will make the biggest commercial impact for you in 2015?
Content marketing topped the poll for the third consecutive year. ‘Big Data’ retained second place with Chaffey predicting a potential for more data-driven techniques in 2015. Marketing Automation netted third place and Mobile Marketing rounded out the top four.
Let’s talk content
As more companies benefit from the value of great content, the need for company-wide content creation increases. In the past, the bulk of creation and dissemination of content primarily rested on the shoulders of a select department or person. Involving all departments, however, will produce the most relevant, customer applicable content possible.
While content may be king, not all “content” has to be written text. We are a visual people who enjoy video content as well as image-based advertising, explaining the popularity of YouTube. It’s an adult-world example of the Kindergarten activity “show and tell”. A mix of graphics or infographics and text is more appealing than a 500-word blog post. Baby Boomers may lean toward text only content, but younger generations especially gravitate toward more image-centric content.
Move over “Mobile-friendly” – it’s time for “Mobile-first.”
Mobile-friendly—the buzzword from 2014—has quickly morphed into a need for “mobile-first” consideration for every piece of content your company creates whether it’s blog posts, emails, or newsletters as well as anything social-media related.
As mobile truly becomes the method of the masses, more of your followers and subscribers will access your content via their mobile devices. The world’s addiction to these devices necessitates that companies prioritize mobile search, mobile optimization, and mobile conversions.
Focus on the “social” in social media
Who doesn’t want a piece of the social networking boom? With billions of people following, friending, liking, tweeting, sharing and perusing social media on a daily basis, the potential for reaching people with your marketing efforts is huge. But, those who focus primarily on the hard sell, pushing consumers to buy, buy, buy, will come up short in the end.
Instead, invest your time and energy in building community and attracting followers who you can then “woo” with practical, engaging content. Create connections that will promote your brand and establish customer loyalty, which in turn will create sales without alienating and frustrating consumers who’ve grown weary of the hard sell.
Make the time, energy, and money you spend on a digital marketing strategy count by staying abreast of the emerging trends. ASJ Partners can assist your company in making wise, timely marketing decisions.
Contact us for a consultation today.
Check in next week for part two of 2015 marketing trends.
