It’s no secret that online marketing has changed a lot over the past few years. The way brands engage with customers changes every year to suit how people use social media. So, whatever digital marketing techniques worked for you last year might not work in the same way this year.
Here are a few marketing trends to look out for in 2018 if you’re looking to increase your brand awareness and kill the social media game.
Adding social messaging into the equation
As more people communicate with their friends through messaging apps, there is now a big opportunity to use these tools to reach more potential customers. Whether you’re a restaurant taking table bookings via Facebook Messenger or using Twitter DMs to boost your online sales, any business would be crazy not to take advantage of social messaging apps.
Telling your story through videos
Banner Owl predict that video marketing will account for 80% of total internet traffic by 2020. So, if you haven’t been using videos as part of your social media strategy then it’s definitely time to start. Use video marketing to add more life into your social feeds and think about how you can translate your brand’s message from still images to videos.
Facebook users consume more than 8 billion videos daily. Not to mention that 82% of Twitter users say they enjoy watching videos on the platform. It’s therefore important for brand owners to consider how they can build a stronger brand by sharing relevant, original video content.
Staying relevant
Gone are the days when digital marketing was all about building the longest mailing list. In 2018 it’s all about making a connection with your audience and targeting specific people with your marketing campaigns. Whether you want to make more sales, collect more email addresses or simply build more contacts then it’s time to try a different approach to your online marketing.
Use your marketing budget to target people that are relevant to your brand and who you are likely to develop a lasting relationship with it. Targeting EVERYONE could just end up wasting you time and money.
Brand awareness is pricier than ever
If you had a feeling that your digital marketing strategy wasn’t reaching the right people, you should definitely explore different marketing options. Before you spend all of your money on Facebook ads, make sure that your posts are tailored specifically to the audience you want to build.
People are bombarded on social media and via email every day with messages and ads from brands. Make sure that yours are relevant, easy to read and interesting to avoid being ignored by potential customers. The bottom line is: make sure you’re spreading your message to the right people at the right time and in the right way.
Using multiple platforms
Your brand may be doing really well on Instagram, but you might not be paying attention to other platforms such as Facebook, Pinterest and Twitter. It’s no longer enough to dominate one single social media platform. Instead, use a variety of platforms to make sure you’re reaching different audiences and making new connections. Remember – engagement leads to sales.
Forget about sales
…well, don’t COMPLETELY forget about them. It’s easy to get caught up in the obsession with making a quick sale. Instead, this year is the year you should start looking at the bigger picture. The more you focus on your digital marketing strategy, the better it gets and the more you learn. Building your brand with interesting, fun content will help you build a long term faithful following who are more likely to be converted to customers.
As soon as you up your marketing game, you’ll have more success in building your brand awareness, which ultimately leads to more sales. Giving your audience the right amount of attention is likely to attract loyal customers instead of just relying on random sales.
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