A Sustainable Approach to Digital Marketing in 2016

The very landscape of today’s digital world makes it nigh on impossible to overstate the importance of digital marketing

The very landscape of today’s digital world makes it nigh on impossible to overstate the importance of digital marketing. We may well all be connected, but how often are we on the same wavelength? That alone is the defining factor with which to measure the success of your business. Digital marketing strategies have long taken precedence over more traditional techniques. The best and brightest of the business world understand this. And, armed with this knowledge, use it to reach their target audience on a personal level.

Indeed, the industry leaders aren’t just doing their utmost to get their name out there. They’re creating connections. They’re able to craft a compelling story that makes their brand identifiable. The result is clear. Ongoing and sustained success.

Of course, the way we approach digital marketing is an ever-changing scenario. Techniques seem to evolve more rapidly than we can keep track of. Those behind these practices are constantly coming up with innovative and creative ways to increase their reach. Not only that, but they’re able to analyze their strategies in order to deem which is the most successful. It’s this information that allows them to hone in on their approach and thus, increase their capacity.

It doesn’t matter whether you’re the chief of a global empire, or a plucky start-up operating out of your bedroom. The principles remain largely the same. Either way, the opportunity is there for you to make a significant impact on the market. And what kind of entrepreneur doesn’t want to leave a lasting mark on their industry? You, too, can forge a homegrown success, if only you execute the right techniques.

Below are just a few of the most effective marketing strategies that you can adopt in 2016. With these at your disposal, you can easily make a splash in the world of business, no matter your resources.

Content Marketing

In all likelihood, you’ve probably heard those buzzwords dropped by marketing executives. At least a dozen times. But what does it really mean? ‘Content’ has become a little bit of a catch-all term, but the underlying principles are clear as day. It’s about being able to communicate your brand’s story in an engaging and effective way. It’s about conveying your message in a manner that will leave your audience with no option but to sit up and take notice.

The scope of ‘content’ can reach just about as far as your imagination will carry you. From effective visuals to cleverly crafted copy, your content is what defines your brand’s identity. Where content marketing differs from more conventional tactics is that it doesn’t rely on persuasion. Funny, you might think. Isn’t all marketing geared towards a call to arms? Sure, but subtlety is key.

Much like a bar will serve food in order to get you to buy drinks; content marketing is designed to get you through the door. Once you’re there, that’s when the real magic starts to happen. But, before that, there must be a focus on easing you gently in the right direction. Think about it. How many times have you caught yourself perusing your social media platform of choice before stumbling on a blog post? What happens after you finish reading that article? They’ve already engineered themselves to get under your skin. Now you’re there, and you’re looking at what else they have to offer.

It’s an effective strategy, but one that is largely based on trust. Your audience can spot manufactured content from a mile away. Your focus should be on gaining the trust of your desired consumer base. Content marketing should be built on dynamic, compelling, and genuine stories that give your reader a reason to stick around. Of course, your content strategy can only be measured by certain metrics. You have to find a way to get the word out there. Which brings us to…

Social Media Marketing

It should come as no surprise that social media marketing strategies are held in such esteem. You’d be pretty hard-pressed to find someone you know that doesn’t actively engage in at least one social media platform. Indeed, Facebook is used by more than half of the world that is accessible to the internet. Other platforms, such as Twitter and Instagram, are concurrently growing in magnitude.

Social media are tools that are designed to keep us connected. That, of course, can come in the form of peer to peer, but it’s just as useful as a business to consumer sales tactic. B2C marketing is not a new revelation. It’s been around since the dawn of marketing. The practices may change, but the principles remain the same.

One of the reasons that social media is so accessible as a marketing tool is that it gives your brand a human element. People want a product that they can relate to. What better way to pinpoint that relation than by creating tangible and personal connections? On top of all that, it’s also incredibly easy to measure its success. Most of the popular platforms come equipped with analytic tools so that you can see how well (or not) your posts are received.

It all goes back to that some premise that we mentioned earlier – effective communication in your storytelling. As if that wasn’t enough reason to start texting and tweeting, try this on for size. Exposure to the social media environment gives you hands-on experience with emerging trends. And pearls of wisdom from the industry’s top thought leaders. What are you waiting for?

Mobile Optimization

A whole lot of our browsing habits tend to come from our handheld devices. In this day and age, we’re all connected at any given time. You’re far more likely to find people exchanging status updates than engaging in any meaningful face time, for better or worse. No matter what you think about the significance we’ve placed on our smartphones, they present an opportunity.

If you’ve gotten so far in business, I’m going to go ahead and assume that you’ve built yourself a rather substantial webpage to go with it. If not, why not? You should know better. The internet is lending credence to the idea that anybody can forge a success of themselves. Mobile integration, though, has emerged as a key component of online marketing.

A responsive web page catered towards mobile users is just the beginning. Marketers have spent decades trying to identify their target audience. For the most part, they’ve done a pretty damn good job of it. However, an assumption can only get you so far. Real-time data and cold, hard facts can help you paint a complete picture of your ideal consumer. With a location index and targeted marketing, you can gain a better comprehension of your customer’s profile.

1. Who they are.
2. What they want.
3. Where they’re going.

Questions that could only ever be the subject of guesswork can now be given legitimacy. And context is the key to all of that. Gaining an understanding of your customer’s behavior and preferences allows you a fine-tuned strategy.

Focused Marketing

You’re likely familiar with the concept of retargeting to some degree. I’m going to presume that you’ve already got a pretty good understanding of Pay-Per-Click advertising. For a while there, PPC – along with SEO – was considered the cornerstone of digital marketing. They have, however, had to evolve in order to stay relevant. Now, cookies are being used to determine a consumer’s browsing habits.

Given that conversion rates remained low from the first impression of any given ad, retargeting was necessary. Now, users are being fed the same ads repeatedly. In most cases, perseverance pays off. The more your products appears in front of any given set of eyes, the more it becomes etched in their subconscious thinking.

Consequently, they’re more likely to buy your product. Retargeting (or remarketing) is a powerful tool for maintaining your web presence. And isn’t that the very idea behind digital marketing? To keep your product at the forefront of your audience’s thinking? And best of all, re-targeted advertising requires little effort from you.

Digital marketers are finding more ways than ever to improve their reach in an organic way. For the most part, it appears that the much maligned black hat SEO techniques are rightly fading into obscurity. The focus is now on sustainable marketing practices. The techniques you can see above are just a starting point that you can reference to form your overall strategy. If executed correctly, I guarantee that you’ll experience a discernible uptake in your fortunes.

Do not for a second, however, think that you are limited in your approach to digital marketing. Quite the contrary. There are more ways than ever to effectively introduce your product to your target audience. Let alone actually pinpointing what your target audience looks like. There has never been a better time for a small business to build themselves from the ground up. Knowing which techniques to deploy is only half the battle, though. The rest is down to you.

Good luck and I hope this guide will help you gain the results you’re searching for.

A Sustainable Approach to Digital Marketing in 2016 was first seen on Mompreneur Media