The holiday season is here again and with it comes numerous lists. If you are a digital marketer then you know you will be receiving numerous articles on “trends to watch out for in the realm of social media marketing”. This will definitely take a lot of time to handle. Thus to make it easier we have compiled a list of the most important. Below find an update on the top 10 digital marketing trends of 2016.
1) Social Media – From Ugly Duckling to Swan
Google is increasing its alliance with the two biggest social media players (Twitter and Facebook). Because of this, online marketers have started taking notice of the importance of the social connection. Due to these alliances, is the increasing importance of the company’s social media presence. Sometimes back, Bloomberg was quoted as saying that soon tweets will be visible on Google search engines as soon as they are posted. This will play a big role in helping social results to influence search engine results.
Facebook on its part has improved targeting ad features by introducing powerful data centered features that excite marketers. The introduction of custom lists, behaviors, and actions are quite welcome. Social media has also become the number one media through which customers complain or thank service providers. This makes sure that companies are always on their toes to offer solutions to any complain before things get worse. Thus, it is important for you to be active on most social media channels, build trust with others, and let people know what you are up to.
2) Now You See It, Now You Don’t – The Rise of Ephemeral Marketing
Snapchat at times is called the temporary social media and has become the online leader in ephemeral marketing. It has become a useful tool for generating excitement on new products, services, and features and is driving certain marketing actions such as discounts and promotions. Many companies have turned to capitalizing on the younger generation (millennial) who visit Snapchat to access exclusive content.
3) Content Remains King
In digital marketing, you will be surprised to note that if you do not have original, relevant, regular, and brand promoting content you will slowly lag in behind others. This is because 90% of consumers find custom content important and 78% believe companies that invest in custom content build positive relationships. Importantly, content marketing is up to 62% less costly when compared to traditional marketing. With good content, you get to build brand loyalty and trust as well as help to define you as an expert in your field. Thus, with good and quality content you stand a step ahead of your competitors-invest in good quality content.
4) Location Based Marketing Technology
If your organization regularly hosts major events, then location-based marketing using fancy technology is the thing for you. With RFID, marketers can make use of applications, cards, and Wearables with unique identifiers to improve their social presence. The best thing about location marketing is that it is not limited to events, it can be used locate devices in order to detect available prospects with particular establishments or products.
5) Relationship Marketing
Focusing on long lasting client relationships or creating loyalists is the epitome of relationship marketing. Companies that invest in this are loved by many and their customers help to promote their brand awareness. One of the best companies to utilize this is Coca-Cola. Creating brand advocates helps companies to increase their social presence as most of the awareness is passed on by the loyalists.
6) Marketing Automation
For best lead generation, companies must realize that marketing automation plays a major role. Marketing automation tools help to manage most social actions from blogging to customer retention. To learn the different types of marketing automation tools out there please read “Marketing Automation Best Practices for Success by Carlos Hidalgo”
7) Virtual Reality
3D technology will continue to take center stage especially in the gaming industry. However, virtual reality will become more popular in other fields and this will make life easier. For instance, you will not have to leave your house to survey your dream vacation home; all you will need to do is use available technology and take the tour from the comfort of your living room. In this same way, companies will use these same tools to bring their stories and products right where you are.
8) Wearables and the Internet of Things
Wearables will continue to change the way business is done, as companies will utilize them to target their clients for their geographically designed content. People will also use them to share content thus improving the social landscape. With Wearables, you will be able to master the art of targeted marketing.
9) Video or Bust
Video streaming will become an important aspect of marketing as more social media sites improve their video settings. For instance, with You Tube being the second biggest search engine after Google, using videos will play a big role in getting your products to the consumers. Thus using services such as Periscope, Facebook, and Snapchat will put your business ahead of your competitors.
10) Optimized for Mobile
Optimizing your content for mobile will be a great boost for your business in 2016 as mobile browsing has surpassed desktop browsing. In addition, many apps are being developed for mobile use only and this means you should design your content specific for mobile.
Verdict
Hope that this content is of help. Please let us know which social media marketing strategies or trends you think will dominate in 2016. Please do not forget to share.
