Digital marketing concepts constantly change. Technology and time do not move in lockstep. Chances are that your business is behind the curve with regard to your web presence. Even if your business’ websites performs well in 2015, it might under perform in 2016. How can you know? There are things every business should know about their websites and digital marketing campaigns. Here are Digital marketing concepts for 2016 and how your business can ride the tide.
Explore, experiment and learn from your Digital Marketing experience.
Just like life, the digital marketing world offers tons of surprises. Some of them are unknown and are worth exploring. The key to ultimate success in this digital world is to keep experimenting. Run multiple A & B testings on all your marketing campaigns. Analyze all data and stick to the ones that perform. Don’t be afraid to make mistakes; learn from these experiences. Afterall, mistakes are the best teachers!
Adapt or change bad Digital Marketing habits.
Habits are hard to break. But when there’s a need to turn a new leaf, these bad habits should go. Massive link building has been long dead since the Google Panda algorithm update. If you’re still using this technique, you may see all your efforts crumble in the coming year.
This does not mean that all link building is bad. But you must be more strategic and aware of the links that you are building. It’s better to get rid of old marketing practices and the embrace the new digital marketing techniques. As we have seen time and again, what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow.
Conversions matters: Focus on ROI.
For the past twenty years we have been learning about digital marketing and often focused on the wrong objective. Heck, we have been doing that since the beginning of time with marketing. Impressions, distribution, awards, etc. However, the goal for any business is to grow profits or build base. After all the testing and experiments, it’s time to focus on the serious side of marketing – the return on investment. Here’s our previous blog on how to drive a successful digital marketing campaign.
Marketing campaigns can get distracted by interim goals. Don’t let these shiny things get in your way. Know what your goals are for each effort and track to that goal. Do you want more website visitors? More online sales? More phone calls? More leads? More credibility?
Whatever your goal you must monitor and improve. Focus on the activities that bring in the cash instead of the distraction. Know the funnel, understand the behaviors and sales funnel to get the most return on investment.
Maximizing digital assets: social media and website.
While Social media streams are free and almost everyone is using them, you must determine how important it is to your business. I personally believe that business is built on relationships and social media gives you the ability to build relationships. But it requires effort. Take the time to build your own social media profiles, schedule timely feeds and posts and interact with your audiences.
The use of social media has been one of the most cost-effective methods for customer-relations and building brand awareness without investing much resources. If you are one of the lucky ones who can reach hundreds, thousands and even millions of users by making your content viral you’ll see a huge growth of followers and traffic. But does it translate to business?
One of the most unique examples of viral content that has driven huge business value is the “Squatty Potty” commercial. Without the viral content the business would not have gotten off the ground. With it, they have sold millions.
A website is an essential assets of every business owner. Since everyone uses the internet to search for products and professionals, it’s very important to have your website to promote your products and services. Making your site searchable through search engine giants like Bing, Yahoo and Google through use of acceptable SEO techniques.
Optimize your website and by creating content and developing an off-page marketing campaign. This is a daunting task but when planned and executed well, the benefits it brings are rewarding.
Think local to compete with global competition through Digital Marketing.
If you’re a local home improvement store, it’s not easy to compete with IKEA or Home Depot. But that doesn’t mean you can’t compete with these big companies. Search engines continuously try to provide searchers with the most relevant results and this means local and focused. If you work strategically to promote your store to your specific customer base, then you will be more relevant than the big guys. Just be as focused in your advertising and promotions as you are in your product offerings.
2016 Digital Marketing concepts require convenience and mobile accessibility.
People are on the move. They want convenience in every thing they do. If they want to find something, their smart phone is their best friend. If you want your customers to find your business, it’s important for your website and other digital assets to easily be accessible in mobiles phones or tablets. Be sure your website is mobile responsive to make it user-friendly for mobile users.
2016 is going to be a big year! With the dynamic technological advancements we are currently experiencing, every business owner should be aware of these concepts to be sure their business aren’t left behind. What marketing techniques are you currently using? Let us know by sharing your stories by commenting below!