It’s easy to get left behind in the world of marketing. As the Project Runway host, Heidi Klum, would say it, “One day you’re in, the next day you’re out.”
Just months (weeks even) after a marketing strategy is proclaimed as the next big thing, a new marketing strategy will be on the rise, and you’ll find yourself scrambling to catch up. This dynamic behavior is due to the quickly changing buyer’s behavior and the changes in the technologies that they are using.
Modern marketing has positioned itself to be more targeted and accurate. Which modern marketing strategies are worth implementing? Here’s a rundown of effective modern marketing strategies you should implement to stay at the top of your game.
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Social Media
Majority of the developed world is on social media. Not to overhype it, but really, the access and reach to a large number of people is here. Setting up social media accounts won’t cost you a dime. But if you want to step it up and get a wider reach, you can always invest in paid or sponsored posts.
Why is this a trend now? Simply because people are spending more and more time on social media every year.
Then again, don’t think that social media marketing is a walk in the park. It takes careful planning and implementation to keep your following together.
Furthermore, identify which social media platforms are a fit for your business setup. B2B can work in Twitter or LinkedIn while for B2C, Facebook, Snapchat, and Pinterest might be your best option.
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Paid Ads
While this has existed for a long time, paid ads have evolved itself into a more catchy and attention-grabbing marketing strategy. The days of traditional and boring ads are over, and the name of the game now is witty and catchy.
If you can catch someone’s attention in a matter of 15 seconds (just how short Instagram videos are), all the better. More importantly, paid ads get better access to data and analytics capabilities, making it easier to evaluate your performance. Paid ads can be done through Facebook, Google Display Network (GDN), LinkedIn, Search Engine Marketing (SEM), Remarketing and more.
These can target people based on age, location, gender, interests, and web activity. Remarketing ads can even follow a buyer around online after leaving your website without making a purchase.
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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
Search engines, like Google, definitely have changed the way we look for things. Just like Paid Ads, SEO has been able to progress by leaps and bounds thanks to access to more data. SEO is the unpaid counterpart of SEM and refers to being “organically” placed on the first page and on the first spot of the search results. Who wouldn’t want that for their business?
To make the most of this channel, you’ll need to make sure your website is optimized by targeting the right keywords, integrating them into your content, making sure your on-page and off-page elements are up to par, and of course, tracking and improving consistently.
To learn more about SEO, check out our Handy Guide to Search Engine Optimization.
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Email Marketing
Email marketing is still very effective when done right. Remember to avoid being branded as the “spammy emailers.” Instead, you should always ensure that your email content is relevant and valuable to keep subscribers engaged. Once you’ve built enough trust, they’ll be much more receptive to your brand and easier to convert.
Be mindful that people nowadays frequently check their emails on mobile devices, so make sure that your emails are also optimized for mobile viewing. Avoid using small text (due to viewing issues) and high-resolution images (due to longer load times).
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Analytics
Look at your numbers. One way to analyze anything in this world is to quantify. Pointing where and when to improve makes it so much easier and more effective.
Unlike traditional marketing, digital marketing is highly-measurable. With the data, you can identify what your strengths and weaknesses are and use these insights in the pursuit of continuous improvement.
Here are just some of the biggest benefits of marketing analytics:
- Understand marketing trends and the bigger picture behind them
- Determine what works and why
- Measure the return on investment (ROI) of individual activities
- Forecast future results
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Content Marketing
Content marketing is the Beyoncé of the marketing industry. It is true that content marketing is crowned king. This is defined as the creation and distribution of helpful and relevant content to your target audience. This can come in the form of articles, blogs, eBooks, whitepapers, or a host of other content formats.
Content marketing can help increase sales, cost savings, and loyal customers. Gone are the days of old school marketing where self-serving brand messages are broadcasted to the masses. In the age of inbound marketing, brands need to produce valuable content to pull audiences in. Only once a level of trust has been established should brands seek to convert.
Time for Action
These strategies are all for you to try, whether you’re doing it by yourself or you’re looking to hiring a digital marketing company. Afterward, see which ones best work for your business and focus on them. Overall, modern marketing has shifted to a data-driven and customer-centric style.
Also, what marketing strategy works for you now might not work for you in the future. The key is always to be aware where the industry goes to not get left behind.
