In 2020, not a single marketing strategy is complete without a massive focus on online marketing. That said, the digital landscape is always shifting, and there’s still the chance that what worked last year is completely irrelevant today.
Digital marketing is integrated marketing, and it requires that we always remain flexible in our approach. It’s important to keep your eye fixed on the target while being adaptable to the strategies that help you reach it. While there are many effective strategies for internet marketing, there are few that have captured our attention as top performers for search engine optimization and brand growth.
To help you get the most out of your digital marketing, we want to share our favorite strategies to carry you through 2020 and beyond.
Adopt a Data-Driven Mindset
Big data is a big buzzword in digital marketing. It can come from many sources, including analytics from social media and tools that gather information from all around the internet, like DataHero and Optimizely. Big data is an industry that’s currently experiencing exponential growth, and smart businesses are tapping into the opportunities that the strategic use of data offers.
One of the reasons that we love using big data in marketing is personalization. For example, generic content marketing isn’t enough to win over your audience’s heart. The truth is, they can find bland, generic content anywhere. They’re expecting something more from the businesses they invest in, and data is the key that unlocks the secret of personalized content.
We’re not the only ones that think personalization is vital for marketing both online and offline. Take for example, that Facebook offers businesses the ability to personalize content by building lists of followers for retargeting. This is an excellent example of how big data can help your segment one large audience into smaller pieces and appeal to them through more profound levels of personalization.
Host Live Events and Video Webinars
Video is an active component of digital marketing today. The reason that we didn’t include video alone on our list of favorite strategies is that at this point, many businesses already understand the power of motivating video content.
Instead, we’d like to focus on our favorite ways of using video to generate growth – enter live events and video webinars.
Audiences love live events and webinars, and they’re excellent resources for engagement. This is the type of video content that establishes trust, authority, and authenticity for brands of all sizes.
Notice that part about brands of all sizes.
Small business sometimes shy away from holding or attending live events and video webinars because they feel like it’s out of their scope. Trust us when we say that smaller businesses are the ones that can really benefit from this type of video strategy. Video marketing produces a 54% increase in brand awareness and generates 66% more qualified leads per year.
Email Marketing Continues to Stay Strong
Email marketing is still hands-down one of the best ways to reach your target audience and boost your bottom line. When done right, it’s a low cost, minimal effort strategy for delivering your message directly into the hands of targeted customers.
One of the reasons that email works so well is that it’s personalized and it requires very little investment of effort from the consumer. Most of us in business check our emails at least three times a day, so you’re reaching customers through a marketing channel that they’re already naturally connecting with.
In other words, email doesn’t impede upon their time, and they know that an email from their favorite brand is almost always guaranteed to carry something of value. Take, for example, the difference between an anniversary email to celebrate a year of subscription from a brand they’re already interacting with and a paid ad from that very same brand on social media.
One offers personalized value while the other interferes with their social media experience and probably won’t contain anything that’s worth the interruption in their eyes.
Another reason that email is one of our favorite digital marketing strategies? It produces an average return rate of $38 for each dollar spent.
Cohesiveness Across Mobile Devices and Desktop Screen Sizes
Optimizing your marketing to reach across multiple devices, especially mobile, is essential for growth. Without it, there’s just no way to keep up a digital presence with the current surge of mobile devices.
It’s true that taking the time to create mobile-friendly pages, content, and ads is an investment of resources. But, it’s one that will pay off with huge returns in not only revenue but also the brand image.
Making sure your digital presence is cohesive across all the devices that your audience is on does several things for your brand. For example, this step alone is sure to boost site speed, which is a significant ranking factor for search engine optimization. It also makes your brand more accessible and allows each customer to consume all your different types of content marketing, no matter the device they’re on.
Leveraging Social Media for More Than Brand Awareness
Most small businesses today understand the value of a presence on social media. Considering that more audiences can be found on social media, regardless of demographics, this makes sense. It’s an excellent vehicle for content marketing, and it can exponentially increase your brand exposure.
In 2020, we’re looking at the other great ways to market businesses on social networks. One of the best uses of social media that we’re seeing is optimizing it for top-notch customer service.
Social media offers up the perfect platform for communicating with your audience, engaging and solving customer service issues in real-time on a channel that your customers are already using.
For example, say that a customer is having an issue and wants to speak with someone. We all hate making that phone call and then waiting on hold for an indefinite amount of time. It’s interruptive to our day.
But, by making customer service a priority on social media, customers can connect with you while they’re doing something they would be doing anyway – spending time scrolling through their feed.
There are lots of ways to boost your customer service game and build not only brand awareness but also a winning reputation on social media.
Connect with a Digital Marketing Agency That Wants to Be Your Partner in Success
We offer digital marketing services with an eye on the future. We’re always learning and looking for new, innovative ways to adapt and grow our approach to your business growth. In 2020, and well into your company’s future, we want to be your partners in success. Contact us today to learn more.
