Digital marketing is an ever-changing landscape. From regulations around privacy to the introduction of new technologies, it’s more important than ever to stay on top of new insights. Here are the top ten digital marketing trends I have traced through the first half of 2022 that you can’t ignore as we prepare to move into a new year.
The Rise of AI
Artificial Intelligence continues to grow more advanced as it seems like every month there’s either a new article about possibly “alive” AI or a new digital AI friend for smartphones. If you haven’t utilized AI yet in your digital marketing efforts, now is the time to start. Two ideal uses for AI to convert visitors to your website into customers are
AI tracking that sends emails to users who visit and bounce with offers, or discounts based on their activity on your site
AI chatbots that can engage with visitors to answer questions and recommend products and services
Form Personal Relationships
While a clever AI can help you convert a visitor to a customer, AI will not keep them as customers. Build relationships with your customers through individual email communications and by responding to inquires and comments on social media. This simple engagement will help keep your current customers, lead to referrals, and draw in new customers from social media who might otherwise ignore ads.
Go Green
As the impact of climate change continues to grow, more and more people are looking for green solutions from businesses. Reduce your carbon footprint and talk about it! If you’re already utilizing green alternatives, highlight that on social media or in your newsletter. You’ll attract consumers who are looking for green companies and make yourself more attractive to businesses looking for green partnerships.
Cross-Platform
Don’t rely on a single platform to reach potential customers. Broaden your reach and you’ll increase your customer base. If you’re focused on social media, begin building email lists and create a monthly newsletter. If you rely on email marketing, pull out snippets from your emails to share on social media. On social media, post across platforms. Sharing across multiple social media platforms broadens your reach to more consumers. You can also increase engagement across platforms and improve algorithm performance (for example sharing your YouTube videos on Twitter or Facebook).
Video Killed the Print Star
Speaking of YouTube … video marketing has grown and become more sophisticated. As video marketing grows, diversify how you use videos. Don’t just rely on video ads (though they should be part of your efforts). Create a channel that offers video guides for your services, demonstrations, and even development vlogs. Videos create a value-add for your brand that will build awareness and business.
The Gig Competition
Thanks to sites like Fiverr, businesses can easily engage freelancers for quick and easy marketing projects. These sites also enable freelancers to offer more sophisticated services and build relationships with their clients. This means that small freelancers who left the job market in the Great Resignation have become direct competitors to larger digital marketing agencies. Pay attention to what freelancers are offering on these sites so you can highlight the value your company offers to businesses.
A value-add: Research freelance competition for your clients to see what freelancers offer and how you can make your clients stand out above their gig-economy competition.
User Experience
One way you can make your marketing company stand out from freelancers in the gig economy is by upping your user experience. Internet users demand more from sites. They want to find information easily. They want to quickly connect with a brand. They want someone to answer questions quickly. Create a user interface that will be more attractive to potential clients than what freelance gig sites can offer by,
Making information easily accessible
Optimizing your website for performance on desktop and mobile devices (ie, fast loading)
Make sure your HTTPS is secure so visitors know their information is secure
Utilize AI to provide fast, simple questions and keep staff available to answer email inquiries quickly
Privacy Is a Valuable Commodity
How are you collecting data and using it? How are you storing it and how are you securing it? Make sure your information collected is secure and let potential customers know that you’re securing their data. As cookies fall out of favor, thanks to both legislation and the security risks cookies pose to user systems, look for new marketing funnels to collect the information you need from consumers so that you can get the information you need to market effectively.
Influencers Are Game Changers
Influencer marketing continues to rise in prominence, especially thanks to sites like Instagram and TikTok rising in popularity. Influencers offer companies a unique opportunity to connect with potential customers. Their followings tend to be interest-based and loyal. Partnering with an influencer will let you tap into that market. It can also help you market goods and services that can perform better to niche markets where traditional advertising otherwise offers a low ROI.
Zero-Click Searches
Have you noticed how detailed Google snippets have become in searches? While this is good for users, who can get needed information without clicking on multiple links, it is bad for businesses that rely on Google searches to draw in customers. While many companies have begun to panic about these snippets, you can use them to your advantage by,
Using snippet features on your site to feed information to Google for Snippets
By structuring your information so that Google can pull enough to demonstrate your value, but not everything a customer may need to know
Remember, while snippets are useful for consumers, they’re still limited in size. Offer enough valuable information that a user will recognize that what you offer is reliable, but only enough information so that they will need to click your link to learn more.
Do You Want a Company that Will Take Advantage of Digital Marketing Trends for You?
It’s time to set up your digital marketing and get you ready for 2023. Contact me for more information and move your digital marketing to the next level.
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