The digital marketing world is an ever-evolving landscape. Over time, there will be tools and trends that may warrant a reassessment of your current marketing strategies. For example, Google’s removal of the right sidebar ads forced businesses to increase their bids for target keywords or increase their AdWords activities to improve their Quality Scores.
Of course, these changes can put businesses ahead of the curve, but only if they can adapt well and fast. If you want your business to compete, you’d better make sure your strategies and information are all up-to-date.
Here are the top five trends you should know about to remain competitive this 2016:
Livestreaming with Meerkat & Periscope
When used correctly, videos have been regarded as one of the most engaging content types. It can deliver detailed information fast – without wearing out the interest of the audience. As technology improves, marketers find new ways to incorporate videos with their content strategies.
Today, live video streaming, or just livestreaming, has been phenomenal when it comes to engaging a target audience. With platforms like Meerkat & Periscope, it’s easier to develop and execute your own livestreaming campaign. You can use this for holding live Q&A sessions, live product demonstrations, and interviews with influencers. You may also use livestreaming to give your audience a behind-the-scenes look at your company.
Integrating Voice Search for SEO
In all areas of digital marketing, SEO or Search Engine Optimisation has been one of the most vulnerable to major changes. This is all thanks to Google’s game-changing algorithm updates and their desire to bring in the most refined and relevant results. Fortunately, you should manage to stay in a favourable position if you’ve established the essential foundations of modern SEO, including but not limited to quality links, social integration, and onsite optimisation.
With the rise of mobile searches, the use of voice search became another prominent trend. Why is it relevant? Remember that people use different terms when using voice search. For example, a traditional search engine may receive a short query like “chiropractor in London”. But with voice search, the query will be something more conversational (“Where can I find a chiropractor in London?”).
There are a few things you can do to optimise for voice search queries. First, you need to adopt long-tail keywords to match the queries being used by voice search users. You should also optimise your content strategy to cater to “what, who, where, how, and why” questions while also having a conversational tone to improve user experience.
Real-time Marketing with Snapchat
Exclusivity is a special component that can improve the engagement of users when it comes to promotions. It is also responsible for the magic behind Snapchat – a social media app that allows users to send images and videos. The catch is that other users can only see these “snaps” for up to 10 seconds. It may sound weird, but Snapchat has successfully developed a culture that appreciates spur-of-the-moment opportunities.
This is why advertising in Snapchat will probably be a big thing this 2016. People long for exclusivity, and online brands can deliver this by launching limited offer ads. Although most anything you offer on Snapchat will have exclusivity, you can further increase the sense of urgency by including time-limited discounts.
App Development
The dominance of mobile devices brought forth many of the digital marketing trends in the past few years. By now, you should be aware that mobile responsiveness in a business website is critical for establishing consistent user experience. A more recent trend, however, is the rise of the mobile app development industry.
By having an app, online businesses can keep their brands in their audiences’ minds 24/7. SaaS businesses can also make their services always within reach. It helps build value, improve user experience, and establish your brand’s authority. The good news is that there are now app development services available to small businesses. This means you no longer have to spend a fortune to have a fully working app.
User-Generated Content
User-Generated Content or UGC is seen as the most compelling content type, and it’s likely to remain that way throughout 2016. UGC lets the audience become the marketers of your brand. When successful, it helps build trust, reach out to a bigger audience, and foster customer loyalty.
There are a few proven ways to generate UGC for an online business. Most of which is done with the incorporation of social media. You can hold social media contests, re-share the existing posts of users, and register your business in review websites such as Yelp. In addition to exposure, UGC will also give your business social proof.
Conclusion
The world of digital marketing continues to lean towards consumers. It’s always been about providing the best experience and communicating through a platform that is most convenient to them. As an online business, you have no choice but to adapt and be flexible when it comes to your digital marketing strategies. This will keep your brand relevant in a highly competitive and ever-changing industry