How will digital marketing evolve in 2018?
Are you wondering how digital marketing will change this year? Someone once famously said, “It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.” This is especially true in the fast-moving, ever-changing world of digital marketing. Fortunately, some digital marketing trends are still quite clear. We believe it’s important that every business that wants to reap the benefits of having an effective online presence in today’s digital world should take particular heed of these 5 digital marketing predictions for the year ahead.
1. Mobile will be more dominant than ever.
There is absolutely no doubt that mobile has become core to the digital marketing environment. If your business website, and your overall digital marketing strategy, isn’t yet optimized for mobile then 2018 is the year you simply have to ensure your online presence is optimised for mobile. It’s no secret that consumers everywhere are glued to their smartphones, so you need to make sure their experience of your online presence is compatible with their favourite device. Even the various search engines will penalize you if your website isn’t mobile-friendly. Talk to the team at Auckland digital marketing company Net Branding about ensuring your business website is a responsive website so it displays and responds well on whatever type of device customers use to access it.
2. Live video will continue to soar
Live video will continue to soar especially the consumption of mobile video. People love watching live video – after all, the vast majority of people would much rather watch a live video than read a blog post, which is why, according to Facebook, live video gets three times more views. Live video is great for things like giving customers a behind-the-scenes glimpse into your business or introducing them to your employees – all great ways to build trust and make their interaction with your brand a more personal one. Live video is also great for showing off sales displays or doing product promotions, or for advertising an exclusive sale or promotion to anyone watching your live video.
3. Having a social presence will be a must.
Having a social presence will become a must. In fact, it’s simply no longer possible to avoid having a social media presence. Digital marketing is all about establishing a rapport and building a relationship with customers and potential customers, and there’s really no better platform for doing so than social media. Social media enables you to quickly and regularly engage with customers and followers to show that all-important ‘human side’ of your business, which will increase sales and brand advocates. Check out one of our earlier articles on how to boost your brand using social media.
4. Local search will continue to rise in importance.
There will be a rise in local search. Local is where it’s all at – and it will become more important for any business that relies on local customers to ensure they can be found by these customers in local search. By the way, the increasingly local focus in search results gives local (often smaller) businesses the chance to compete very effectively with much bigger brands. So why not take advantage of this ‘leveller of the digital marketing playing field’ by making sure you optimise your local SEO strategy with a Google My Business presence – in fact, read our recent article to find out why no business can afford to be without a Google My Business listing.
5. Content marketing will be crucial.
In the digital world consumers are far more consumer savvy and less likely to be swayed by advertising tactics than was previously the case. In fact, most people want to learn about a business by researching it online or reading an article or peer review about it than by checking out one of its advertisements. By replacing the traditional (often no longer effective) sales pitch with helpful information, content marketing has become one of the most low-cost, effective ways for building awareness of your business, generating leads and driving traffic to your website. If you would like help to create a content marketing strategy that’s tailored specifically to the needs of your business, then talk to the team at Net Branding. In the meantime, check out our earlier article on why every business needs content marketing.
So there you have it – 5 digital marketing predictions for 2018 that we believe will ensure the success of your digital marketing efforts in the year ahead if you keep on top of them.
Need digital marketing support in 2018?
With the digital world changing so rapidly, it’s kind of hard to keep on top of it all by yourself while still trying to run your business. The good news is that, if you don’t have time, you can easily outsource your digital marketing activities to the digital marketing experts at Net Branding, Auckland’s full-service digital marketing company. We’ve been successfully providing businesses throughout New Zealand with end-to-end digital marketing support for many years – and we’ll continue to help our clients stay on top of the digital marketing curve throughout 2018 too.
We’re just a phone call away – so get in touch today!
