The world of digital marketing is one that is constantly changing. As it changes, businesses must adapt their approach to keep up with the evolving market. Knowing what the market demands in terms of advertising trends can be taxing, though, especially when you’re just trying to keep pace with creating effective marketing campaigns.
How can your business keep pace with today’s digital marketing trends? Consider using this handy guide as a starting point for understanding the way the market is heading – and how you can use that information to better your approach at advertisement.
The Phasing Out of Facebook: Enter Instagram
You don’t have to be a digital media analyst to notice that Facebook and other older social media websites like it have hit something of a ceiling for improvement and audience reach.
Because so many people have now adopted Facebook, there are fewer people clamoring to use it; its use has become more like a social utility and less like a trend, making it less exciting – and less profitable – as a marketing platform, as well. Likewise, stricter marketing standards have made advertising through Facebook more difficult than ever, a move that has led many businesses to abandon or downscale their marketing efforts on the site.
As older social media platforms like Facebook reach their peak and begin to decline in popularity and usership, you’ll notice that others begin to take their place on the upward climb. These other platforms – such as image-based platforms like Instagram – are enjoying ever-growing popularity and favor with a younger user base that is making them the choice for many savvy retailers and businesses in today’s market.
Because image-based marketing is so simple yet so effective, platforms like Instagram are highly effective for marketing. Single images are a great way to get consumers interested in a product. Interactive, clickable ads can redirect traffic back to your online shop. Online-only promotions are common on Instagram for followers, and the addition of features like “stories” has made sharing fresh, new, and exclusive content easier than ever.
The Immense Importance of Video
Video is a popular element of advertising and of digital content in general. YouTube and platforms like it are immensely popular, primarily because the gratification of watching something akin to television from the convenience of your mobile device or computer is something many younger adults and teenagers enjoy. Capitalize on this by featuring videos as part of advertisements and creating video content for your own channel on one of these platforms to reach consumers right where they are.
It is important to note that there is a major difference between using previously-filmed video footage on your website or as part of a marketing campaign and using live video. It’s also critically important to know why both are necessary for your business’s success.
Livestreams are a great way to interact directly with your consumers. This may involve answering questions, having conversations, or carrying out promotions. It’s also a great way to create an experience for your followers so they can feel like part of the brand rather than just a consumer. Balancing your live video efforts with prerecorded videos will help deliver the kind of modern marketing results you need to keep in touch with your customers and keep them satisfied.
Live Chatting Over Phone and Email
Today’s adults don’t look forward to phone calls or writing or reading longwinded letters or emails. This is reflected in the kind of communications they prefer.
Mobile platforms like Twitter, where communication is abbreviated to less than 280 total characters or roughly the length of a paragraph or less are immensely popular for sharing thoughts and ideas. More and more articles are bullet-pointed or abbreviated to the most important elements for easier reading. Phone calls are increasingly automated, to avoid long exchanges between actual people.
So, how can customer service continue to thrive in this kind of environment? How can you assure consumers that you will be there for them without being too present and making them uncomfortable? The rise of live chatting technology has made this more than possible – it has made it simple and effective.
When a consumer has a concern, complaint, or question, they no longer have to wait until daytime business hours to make a phone call and wait for endless minutes on a busy phone line. Now, they can chat live with remote agents around the world representing the brands they need to interact with or have their concerns addressed by a chatbot if those concerns are simple enough, and never have to break their own schedule to get assistance. It’s the convenient, modern way to make sure your customer is taken care of – and to build a loyal customer base.
Voice Recognition and Interaction is Where We’re Headed
It seems like almost everything is optimized for voice recognition and interaction these days. Think of all the commercials we see for technology that responds to simple commands and requests, controlling elements of our home’s functions or helping us add things to our schedules or make phone calls.
If you want to be part of that modern movement, optimize your technology for voice recognition. Use this technology in your mobile app or service screens and give your consumers one more reason to think of your company as on-trend and helpful.
Despite Digital Marketing Trends, Content is Forever King
No matter what kind of glossy presentation you have when it comes to your website, your mobile app, your marketing campaigns or your communications, the content they contain is still the most important element. Always be sure that you’re offering your consumers something meaningful and worth investing their time in when it comes to the content you’re sharing online or anywhere else. They’ll know if you’re not – and they’ll repay you with disinterest if you shortchange them on the content you offer.
Looking for help with navigating today’s digital marketing trends? Talk to the experts here at 4 Step Studio. We have everything you need to not only understand these trends but to make the most of them in your own practice and create the kind of marketing effort that your business will thank you for. Contact us today to learn more.
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4 Step Studio is an online marketing agency that specializes in website design and redesign, SEO, social media and more. Our team of experts focuses on helping small business get found online, while educating them on what will make them successful in the digital world. To learn more about what we can do for you, visit our website at www.4StepStudio.com
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