Firstly let me begin with that if you want your business to keep up with todays technology, you have to have a set digital marketing strategy in place. No amount of tips will work if you are trying with no plan or consistency. Boring lecture out of the way now we can begin. We as a people are racing through this digital world, and this isn’t going to change anytime soon. In this digital universe new fads and latest shooting stars are born faster then the blink of an eye.
Some of the stick around shining brightly, while the other simply fade away. Consider the Pokemon Go craze that went absolutely nuts throughout 2016. While it hasn’t exactly disappeared, it has slowed down some. But it gave marketers a great insight into the huge possibilities of the users fascination and hence interaction with augmented reality. Augmented realty basically meaning merging silly animations with your real world.
I use this example of the mobile app Snapchat, obviously because of the insane strong hold its had in the social media world since 2012, but also for its utilisation of another very strong marketing tool, expiring content. But what I mentioned before, we live in a “one day you’re hot, one day you’re not” digital landscape. What consumers want and these rapidly evolving technologies, are intertwined more than ever before. So if you want to stay relevant and in the game you simply have to develop a sound marketing strategy with a massive eye on technology. So enough banter, lets now take a look at our 3 biggest digital marketing trends for 2017 to help you along hopefully.
These days we are being bombarded with information 24/7, so it no wonder we are rapidly becoming more about the “visuals”, because of the speed of information transfer. Visual information gives people a quick and clear understanding of all this information, and that is what they want.
Did you know that our brains process visual information 60,000 times faster than text. On top of this staggering stat, 90% of the info transmitted to our brains is visual. So it doesnt take genius to realise that through this we can very quickly envoke emotion very quickly and most importantly, memorably. Enter: the huge importance of visuals to establish your brand’s identity with logos, infographics, animations, digital marketing, photos and website design etc. The list goes on but I think we all understand where this going and it isn’t going away in the near future. Check out this infographic by NatGeo. It is seriously one of the best I have seen. You can almost immediately make sense of the Manhattan’s skyline in a few seconds, its so clean.
Basically, the driving desire behind the current demand for visual content is engagement and connection. It’s this consumer appetite for more engagement, that has highlighted to marketers to the new consumer thirst for interactive content. Interactive content means the user is getting involved through active participation.
In a way, all these new forms of content like polls, contests, voting, animations and infographics are creating a new level of connectivity to the all around user experience. By inviting the user in, companies are asking us to become part of their brand, and thats what is realy exciting. Interactive content is taking connectivity to a whole new level, and they are in turn creating “brand loyalists”, rather than simply “users”. This is definitely a strategy that is leading the way in 2017 and will continue well into 2018. Check out this BuzzFeed quiz for an awesome example of how to increase traffic and enhance user interactivity.
Another variation of visual content is you guessed it, videos, and few have greater influence in the marketplace. Video holds immense power to connect with consumers and transfer massive amounts of info, evoke feelings and action within a matter of seconds. Video content is so much on the the rise that since 2015, video content has accounted for 50% of mobile phone usage, thats is crazy, and it is still very much on the rise. It is very much this “live element” that can add a personal and human component to our brands. And of course along with this comes increases feelings of honestly, trust and connection with our consumers.
So obviously brands are now “going live” to heighten these positive emotions. Businesses are now able to promote ahead of time and then connect in real-time with their consumers. Consider some companies who are already doing these “Behind the Scenes” videos for example. They are simply live streaming their events and inviting consumers to comment in a live debate, making the consumers feel involved and part of the whole branding process. In most cases your consumers will promote your events or products for you, given you provide a designated hashtag. This live video marketing can be so successful, we strongly suggest you look into it.
A web site that is professional is paramount now given the competitive market we live in, and tenfold for small businesses looking to get a leg up. A website cost for small business is measured by the professionalism you wish to present. The look and feel to possible clients can mean the difference between an order being placed or them going elsewhere.
If you are happy to just have a point of contact for clients, then a simple website it best. But if you want to stand out from the crowd, a standard template with stock images and recycled content will not do.
Offer something or an experience that your competitors do not. It’s not just about the design at first glance, which really detracts from your professional look. In addition, it has to do with inferior functionality. This includes colour selections, cramped text and error-riddled content. Research suggests that sub par website design can detract from marketability and your company reputation. This leads to a reduced ability to improve conversion rates.
Many variables drive price. Especially the reality that responsive interactive design is only on the increase. Currently there are more than 230 potential display sizes. Therefore more and more money hours are being spent to ensure a high quality website design that is practical and reactive across all visitors devices.
Enhancing visitor experience pays off. 63% of activities caused by mobile searches happen within one hour of the hunt. Web sites that are not simple to browse, with regards to the apparatus used or don’t load correctly, will make consumers to go elsewhere. Of course all this is meaningless if your website is not in front of peoples eyes.
Sites must be built in a way so that the option to be SEO’d in the future is always available. The conventional website cost for small business price in todays web market is around $2500 to $3000.
“According to Moz.com, studies have found that 76% of users consider the most essential aspect in the design of a web site is being able to locate the things that they need”.
It’s true that you can get a site that is free to build yourself or pay to get a cheap one outsourced overseas. But it’s a shortcut not recommended. Very often these options leave you unable to optimise and leave you wallowing on the lower search pages.
Calculate the cost of being nowhere in the search engines to your business? Do not let yourself get behind the eight ball, particularly in those crucial early building and infrastructure stages. A mediocre existence on the internet by choosing not to go with professional will kill your opportunities of growing your business into the future.
Here at DC Digital agency, our charges are based on $85/hour and we usually charge between $1200 to $2500 for sites. This is an extremely competitive price in today’s market. The average being around $120/hour and sites costing between $3000 – $5000. Please do not hesitate to call or email for a quick chat about your business.
E marketing (email marketing) is known to be among the most powerful advertising channels . Exactly why is a powerful email marketing strategy so significant? An awesome email marketing strategy, as part of a business plan and your total marketing strategy, will help you promote your services and product. Together with using the e-mail channel, it will create the greatest opportunities for achieving your targets and making a profit. A powerful email marketing strategy transforms thoughts into activities. People reading your campaign should be compelled to interact with you and subsequently contact you.
1. What is the E marketing strategy you are planning to reach your desired targets?
2. Email marketing strategies: How are you going to reach them?
3. Activities: How are you planning to deliver on your online strategies?
Your email marketing plan will need to have a powerful bond between your strategy and the activities you’re performing in executing this plan. E marketing places your message in the face of plenty of prospective clients, and has the potential to get a very large reach/ audience. It’s really simple to start a campaign off and can begin with so little. E-Mail marketing allows you to segment and to target your messages on an individual degree. There are threats, but they are little and the prices are comparatively low, while the potential upside remains huge. Expand your personal marketing strategy in the form of email marketing and rediscover the power of networking persistence. While we do not manage e marketing campaigns we highly recommend the practice and advise you implement one as part of growing your audience.
Compile a “to do list” for every single marketer, and for every single potential marketer and place it at the very top of your agenda in your online marketing strategy.