What Does Your Digital Marketing Strategy Need in 2020?
Businesses can benefit a lot from having a clear and successful digital marketing strategy, regardless if they are big or small. It will help them achieve defined goals, be it increasing conversion rate or boosting brand awareness. It is something that they need to work on continually to be one step ahead of the competition.
You might ask why. Well, technology evolves and upgrades faster than you think, which is why there are so many changes that affect marketing campaigns.
As you revamp and improve your strategy in 2020, it is important to stay up to date with some of the latest and most effective trends in digital marketing. The infographic below provided by Serpwatch will keep you on the right track as you navigate through the ever-changing digital landscape.
So what does your marketing strategy need in 2020 to remain relevant and effective? Let’s take a look at five of the most significant marketing channels that change the game for many businesses.
Social Media
Social media has completely penetrated the lives of billions of people worldwide. Facebook alone has an average of 1.49 billion daily active users. That said, this platform can bring in millions of potential customers to your doorstep if you do your social media marketing right.
Most marketers employ the tactic of boosting their posts and running ad campaigns. Facebook and Instagram give businesses these options, enabling them to reach more users and increase conversion. If you want to solidify your social media presence, you need to ramp up ad campaigns and pay for them.
Fortunately, most social media platforms are not as expensive compared to traditional media. It is also more effective approach because your audience will be better narrowed down. You can customize ads for a specific target market and reach people who are more likely to buy your products or services.
This can be done by classifying ads based on demographics, gender, age, and location, among other criteria.
Social media marketing is a vital tool in any digital marketing strategy. Harnessing its power according to your needs and goals can be rewarding.
Organic Search
Some things may change, but the impact of organic search will remain the same, if not increase. Even in 2020, many people still use search engines for finding information and doing research. Most consumers actually surf the web to find out more about the product or service they are eyeing before making up their minds to purchase.
Putting your business out there is the best way to leverage this fact. By ranking high in the search engine results pages, your website will be exposed to millions of people every day.
Of course, it is easier said than done. Search engines usually tweak their algorithms to provide users with the best answers, so what worked two years ago might be rendered obsolete today.
In 2020, search engines favor fresh and original content that offers value to consumers. This means that more than the keywords and phrases, you need to make sure that what you are putting out there is relevant to your target market.
It is also recommended to optimize your website for local search, especially if you are a small business owner with a physical shop in your city. Through targeting potential local customers in your geographical area, you will be able to take advantage of those who are searching for products, services, and establishments near them.
In fact, according to statistics, 80% of consumers try to find information online on local stores, events, and locations.
Voice search is also common these days with improvements and innovations in voice recognition technology. Since people talk faster than they type, doing a voice search is more convenient for users who are always on the go and prefer instant results.
More and more people are using voice search, so optimizing your website for this trend is a sound SEO strategy.
Last but not least, mobile optimization is a great factor that can make or break your search engine optimization. Make sure your website is mobile responsive to cater for a large chunk of users who go online using smartphones and tablets.
Video Marketing
It is predicted that by 2021, most of the internet traffic will come from videos. As a form of content, videos are very effective in attracting and keeping users’ attention. Many people are consuming them every day, whether through video-sharing platforms, social media, or ordinary websites.
Videos retain higher engagement rates compared to other forms of online content. Before they buy a product or service, 50% of online users watch a video to get more information. Videos can be done in different forms too, catering to different types of audiences who will potentially become paying customers.
If you have not ventured into video marketing yet, now is the best time to do so. Incorporate more videos on your marketing campaigns across various platforms to boost engagement and increase conversion rate.
Content Marketing
Content marketing has been in existence even before the advent of the internet. Its effectiveness never wavered with time as it is still one of the most cost-effective marketing techniques. Content marketing goes hand in hand with SEO to drive traffic to your website and convert visitors into paying customers.
While SEO lets you show up in SERPs, content marketing is the reason users click on your site. It is this content that must meet the demand and expectation of the visitors by providing the information they are looking for.
Nowadays, longer forms of content are favored by Google and other search engines. This is why having a blog should be a top priority for small businesses. It is the medium for using content marketing to generate leads, boost brand awareness, support SEO strategy, etc.
When writing content for your audience, make sure that it is conversational, engaging, and useful. Avoid wasting their time by churning out pieces that do not meet their needs. Make it relevant to their searches.
Paid Advertising
Unlike organic search which costs next to nothing, paid advertising can be a gamble. However, if done right, it can yield a significant return of investment that will make every penny spent worth it. For many B2C marketers, paid search is cited for having the biggest impact on revenue across all digital tactics.
From Pay-Per-Click to social media advertising, paid advertising offers lots of opportunities for many businesses. It allows more targeted ad placements which increase chances of acquiring more leads and sales.
This makes sense if you look at the trend — 64.6% of users click on Google ads when they intend to buy an item online.
If you optimize ad campaigns to reach ideal customers, you will enjoy a higher revenue at little cost.
This year is no different from the previous years. Your digital marketing strategy needs constant updates to stay on top of the changing trends. It requires absolute commitment, time, and effort to remain successful and relevant.
By knowing these trends, you will adapt your strategy accordingly and hit your goals for this year. Start planning your marketing strategy and do it well.
