As far as marketing goes, you need to use an eclectic mix of techniques if you want to be successful.
As far as marketing goes, you need to use an eclectic mix of techniques if you want to be successful. Even old-school methods that you think are dead are still useful to this day. After all, not everyone goes on Facebook or uses the internet. Still, there are certain techniques that you can’t afford to omit because they are so effective. All you will achieve by dismissing them is losing ground to your competitors.
The thing about marketing is that it never stays still. As a result, what was an effective tool can become obsolete. It is important that you keep up to date with all of the changes if you want an effective marketing campaign. With that in mind, you need to learn about the top trends of this year. For now, they are all you need to succeed in 2016.
Mobile-Friendly Website
Having a desktop website isn’t enough because mobile technology is taking over. A few years ago, the mobile community lagged behind by quite a margin. But, they have been growing steadily over the past couple of years, and they are now a huge force. In fact, most people browse the internet on their smartphone or tablet device. As the community is so large, you need to accommodate them into your marketing strategy. There isn’t a business on the planet that can afford to miss this opportunity. As such, you need to ensure that you have a different site for mobile users. That means the site should be more condensed and fit a smaller operating system. Otherwise, the mobile users will go to another site that is easier to navigate.
Customer-Driven Applications
The mobile community is growing so large that mobile-friendly websites aren’t enough in 2016. To take advantage, you also need an app. People are that impatient nowadays that they don’t want to waste any time browsing sites. What they want is to make a purchase at the click of a button. Applications are great for that because the app logs it once a person stores their data. And, the data stays there until they clear their cache or erase the information. Also, you have to think about the brand awareness possibilities. For starters, the app will be on the App Store or Google Play for millions of people to see, and that is a major marketing tool. Then, the app will stay on their phone reminding them of your services. All they have to do is look at their phone to see your brand and browse your products.
SSocial Media Marketing
Social media marketing isn’t anything new, but it is still important. At the moment, a big chunk of the world’s population has social media accounts for a variety of platforms. If you put the major ones together, you are looking at billions of users. Even if you only tapped into a small percentage of the overall number, you would be looking at a massive revenue stream. The only thing you have to do is understand how to use social media properly. Lots of businesses try their hands at Twitter and Facebook marketing strategies with little success. The reason is that they are making mistakes. The key is to form a relationship by conversing with your followers. The social media community is like a family, and you want to become a member. If you do, they will trust and interact with you more effectively.
Insight-Driven Strategies
Insight-driven strategies are very simple. In basic terms, you take small but useful pieces of information and incorporate it into your strategy. These pieces of information can vary from gender to interests to job titles. However, they have to give you an insight into the customer, hence the name. Once you implement these features, you can target your base more effectively. It works because it is more relatable for the customer. They see a marketing ploy that they can relate to in some way, and they make a connection. Marketing strategies have to target the audience that you need to target, and insights are the way forward. In the past five years, streams of data have been popular. In 2016, the small insights will make all of the difference.
Video Marketing
It is amazing how many years have passed without business taking advantage of video marketing. Of course, a few have tried their hand at it, but none has gone the whole hog. 2016 is going to be a lot different, and YouTube is to blame. YouTube is one of the biggest social media platforms on the web with billions of visitors. And, it provides companies with a chance to go viral. As long as you get the video right, you will be able to reach people as far away as India. The reach of video marketing is quite phenomenal, which is why it is becoming more popular. Also, videos help you gain trust with your customers. Consumers love to see a face so that they can tag it with a name. To them, it makes you more accountable and legitimate.
Email Personalization
Like social media marketing, email blasts have been around for a long time. However, the goalposts are moving this year. Instead of generic blasts, customers expect a little bit more personalization. They don’t want a ‘dear customer’ email that goes to millions of other people. They want their name on the top of the email instead. The content will also have to be relevant. Expectations are raising with regards to emails, and you will need to raise your game.
Fraud Protection
You might not see fraud protection as a marketing technique, but it will affect your strategy. Because you correspond back and forth, you need to make sure your messages are safe. Customers know the dangers of phishing, and they don’t want to get caught up in the scam. As a result, they will ignore and avoid your direct marketing methods if they think they aren’t secure.
Marketing will change next year. But, for now, these are the most important techniques at your disposal.
