Every year, new trends emerge to help you improve your digital marketing reach. Algorithms change, technology improves, and you need to stay on top of the latest trends to make sure that you're getting the best traction possible in the coming year.
The new year has opened the door for some innovative trends storming into digital marketing. Here's why these trends are not only viable but essential in today's complex marketing landscape.
Five Trends You Need to Cultivate in 2018
If you are not yet on board with inbound marketing, a lot of the trends in 2018 and beyond will use this technique. It's more effective than traditional outbound marketing (think billboards, commercials and newspaper ads) because you're targeting a specific type of customer likely to be interested in what you offer. With inbound marketing, you're reaching your target audience, rather than throwing content out there and hoping any viewer will follow the bread crumbs.
Here's our roundup of 2018 trends to watch and use.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging has long been touted as an excellent way to build traffic to your own site and leverage yourself as an expert. Blogging on its own is a fantastic way to bring in traffic to your site. With guest blogging, you amplify the impact because you're reaching an expert's audience and drawing them back to your site. There are few content marketing strategies that reap the same benefits as guest blogging.
Long Form, In-Depth Content
This sounds counter-intuitive. People have short attention spans. Many marketers and small business owners assume that also means that they don't want to wade through lengthy blog posts. But their assumption is wrong. Long-form content, 2,000 words or more, will help you build credibility and rank higher in search engines. Because we also know that people do lose focus easily, delivering that content the right way is key. Use short sentences and quick, concise paragraphs. Use images. And break up the content with headers and bullet lists that help readers easily skim material.
Live Chat
Live chat and automated chat boxes offer you another way to personalize your marketing to each customer. This offers a great boost in customer loyalty and helping new viewers down your sales funnel.
Personalized Content
In 2018, personalized content is the key to not only attracting your customer but building a relationship with them. There is a growing selection of tools, such as personalized web content that is triggered if a visitor meets certain criteria, that can help you understand what your customer needs and message to them specifically.
Mobile Optimization
Mobile optimization has been on the list of trends for several years. But even if you have optimized your site for mobile users, you should take another look to make sure the user experience is as clean and satisfactory as possible. The percentage of visitors using a cell phone to browse the internet is only increasing with each year.
Interested in Improving Your Digital Marketing Strategy?
Our team has a track record of going the extra mile to improve our clients' digital marketing strategy, tactics and results. If you're interested in new solutions to help you develop an inbound marketing strategy or to improve your current marketing efforts, contact HexaGroup today.
