As our society keeps leaning in the digital direction, the digital marketing arena only grows its sway over the business arena. Still, that this influence always manifests in the same manner and capacity would be a horrible mistake.
Online marketing is a very fast-paced and rapidly evolving world where, except for the pull it has in today’s zeitgeist, very few things remain the same. If you want to stay at the head of the pack, you need to keep up with the latest trends and developments.
Let us take a look then at some of the ways to maintain such a level of flexibility and keep you ahead of the curve.
Keep an eye on micro-influencer marketing
At this point, we can say influencer marketing carved itself a very prominent place in the world of online marketing. According to data published by Hubspot, the companies that have engaged with influencer marketing have increased or maintained investments. However, this time we would like to point out the growing relevance of micro-influencers that have built smaller but incredibly engaged communities. Using this channel to hit targeted consumer groups with surgical precision will become an incredibly effective marketing venue.
Staying tuned with customer needs
After all, the online marketing industry revolves around the consumers’ needs and preferences. With that in mind, growing competition forces marketers to go beyond traditional market surveys and similar data-based insights and engage with consumers on a more personal level. Here lies one of the biggest values of social media. Asking simple questions like how they feel about something, what they like to do when they come out of bed, and what keeps them up at night can give you a well of information that will guide your marketing decisions.
Pay attention to technical SEO
The content is and will always remain the king. However, with more than 200 ranking factors on the table, we can’t escape the fact that Google is paying greater attention to how your website performs and what kind of user experience you are able to offer. So, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that experienced SEO agencies like Four Dots are putting greater emphasis on technical SEO. Casual technical SEO audits can go a long way in making your website’s performance snappier and keeping your pages at the top of the SERP.
A shift toward shorter content formats
This covers all types of content the users consume. For instance, the latest research indicates that now 19% of SERPs have featured snippets. Similarly, 90% of marketers using short-form videos plan on increasing their investments in the next year. These numbers are driven by the fact that modern consumers want to get their answers instantly and in the most digestible form possible. Expanding your online marketing portfolio with these shorter content formats will dramatically sharpen your competitive edge and keep you relevant.
Putting greater emphasis on social issues
With great online exposure comes great responsibility. Well, it is good to know that younger consumer groups like Millennials and Gen Z-ers are becoming increasingly political on a wide variety of social and political topics. The companies failing to express their stances on these issues can be seen as compliments or even reactionary. So, online marketers will have to keep this situation in mind and paint their messages with some much-needed agency. They don’t have to become too political, but some level of activism is to be expected.
Nurturing the culture of innovation
Innovation is brought by innovative individuals. So, if you want to stay in tune with the latest online marketing trends and keep your company competitive, you should put these traits in the very foundations of your company. They should be nurtured and encouraged from the very hiring process where your screening efforts will put greater focus on soft skills like creative thinking and problem-solving. If you fill in your ranks with individuals who are agile, engaged with the brand, and approach problems creatively, you will have a greater chance of winning this race.
Anchor your efforts with reliable assets like native ads
If you are not familiar with the term, native ads describe the sponsored content that seamlessly fits into the user experience and mimics the look, feel, and value of things users might search organically. While other technologies like VR and AR have seen ups and downs and still don’t make a sure bet, they are still worth exploring on a non-committal short-term basis. While you are doing that, though, more consistently performing venues like native ads serve as a perfect anchor to your campaigns. The key to success lies in balancing these approaches.
We hope these couple of suggestions gave you a better idea about the ways to keep your company more competitive and agile in the ever-evolving world of online marketing. As time goes by, this marketing sector is only going to grow its relevance. However, the industry we know today might not look like the one we will see tomorrow. The suggestions we gave above will help you go through these transitions much more effortlessly.
