Mention digital marketing and you are constantly reminded of the changes that happen every day in this industry. We have crossed six months into 2021, and in this Covid-19 crisis, digital marketers are on the constant lookout for new strategies, tactics to gain customers for their customer's products and services. As per industry experts, 2021 is the year when the industry removes the dead dud marketing strategies and embraces new technologies to approach customers and boost sales. This article on "Future of Digital Marketing?" throws more light on the concepts.
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Digital Marketing in the Future
A. Shoppable Posts
The Covid-19 pandemic has brought the never-before problems of social distancing and lockdowns in many parts of the globe. With customers on the lookout of easier ways to shop, digital marketers thought of the brilliant concept of Shoppable posts. So, when a customer browses a social media platform, he/she comes across a shoppable post (product/service) with the link given in the bio. The customer finds it easy to tap and buy the product or opt for the service. For example: the Clothing brand, Anthropologie uses the same technique to attract customers. Many brands are soon to follow the cue and shoppable posts will become the future of digital marketing strategies to boost marketing campaigns.
B. Programmatic Advertising
The marketing team finds it difficult to place advertisements on all channels that give valuable information regarding products/services frequented by the target audience. Programmatic advertising solves this challenge as it offers customers personalized advertisements on their favourite channels at specific places based on their interests/behaviour. Companies that make use of programmatic advertising are - Expedia (tourism), BuildDirect (Home Improvement) and AirAsia (airlines). Programmatic advertising can be called the future of Digital Marketing, as it focuses on the Share of Attention of customers and can make way for the best advertising campaign. Yes, did we forget to inform you that it gives the best ROI?
C. Interactive Content
Digital Marketing experts are always on their toes to retain the loyal customers of their company, by various methods. The idea is to make customers not only shop but also interact via polls, online quizzes, signing for gift vouchers, and more. Yes, digital marketers will face a hard time creating content not only in words but also in web design. The website as well the social media posts should not only interest the target audience but also outsmart the competition. They also have to take care that the content matches the brand and objective of their organization.
D. Voice Search
There was a time when customers who opted for purchases on E-Commerce websites were above 25 years of age. Cut to the present, even children and teenagers have become regular customers of online shopping offers. And, they purchase a product or opt for service via the Voice Search method. With IoT-enabled apartments becoming famous with households, content managers along with the digital marketing team have their hands full in making the website/product content optimized for voice-friendly requests by digital assistants for the future. They need to focus on long-tail keywords, and also need to have deep knowledge of the target audience.
E. Influencer Marketing
The concept of Influencer Marketing is not new, as movie stars endorsed products/services in radio and television since the 1940s. However, the name "influencer marketing" stands apart. An individual with a huge following in social media platforms (for example, Instagram) is approached by brands to market products. But there are challenges, as the general public has become aware of the multinational corporations signing these influencers for large pay checks. So, there is corporate distrust, and the target audience makes a decision based on the influencer's credibility. This concept will stay grounded and will play a vital role in the digital marketing field.
Conclusion
True, there are other technologies that play a prominent role in digital marketing such as Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality, Artificial Intelligence, Chatbots and more, but we have focused on only the other four in this article. Digital marketers in the years to come will have to successfully include the emerging technologies in their strategies. This is to not only reach the target audience with precision, but also outsmart the competitors.
Digital marketing agencies play a big role in helping personal brands and businesses make their mark online. Without the help of digital marketing, it would be difficult for a business to achieve its full potential - in terms of customer reach, relevancy in the industry, and branding.
Brands do not grow overnight. They require marketing and advertising to establish their presence in the industry.
Growing Your Brand with Effective Digital Marketing Agencies
Similar to traditional marketing strategies, results from campaigns from digital agencies can be dramatic. Blogging can bring in 67% more leads compared to brands that choose not to do so. Conversion rates are also higher through online marketing efforts compared to traditional advertising campaigns.
Effective Digital Marketing Agencies are Adaptive
Most brands invest in digital marketing agencies looking for immediate results. Afterall, they are paying for such services to improve their lead generation and brand recognition. However, a true effective digital marketing agency does not only deliver fast, they can also deliver accordingly even during changes in the marketing environment.
A responsible agency will immediately adjust their marketing campaigns and inform their clients during significant changes in the digital marketing climate. They continuously test their own assumptions and provide high value to their clients, helping them get ahead of the competition.
They will never stop testing and reworking campaigns and strategies to boost your brand's ROI and maintain a balance between the marketing efforts and the results that come together with these campaigns.
Creates a Balance Between Advertising and Content Creation
Advertising is an effective marketing strategy to connect to people for your business. However, advertising involves cost. The more people you want to reach out to, the higher your expenses will be. Although it is an essential factor required to market your business, there are other options in generating organic traffic and leads to your website without having to pay for advertising - content marketing and link building.
If a marketer fails to mention the importance of link building and content creation for your brand, you can say that you are with the wrong partner to help you with your business. Content marketing is an essential area in digital marketing that fuels brands with "free organic traffic" from the web.
In marketing company hk a generation that relies on the internet as its main source of information - for news, brands, ideas, and knowledge, failure to tap into content marketing is a waste of resources. Getting listed in search engines, for free, is only possible through content marketing and link building efforts.
Communicates Regularly
Successful online marketing agencies do not limit themselves with regular reports that they facilitate to their clients. On top of the reports that they do, they communicate regularly with clients, informing issues that require immediate attention or approval from the client's side.
A partner agency will have a hard time running a campaign for a client if they are not equipped with the right methods in communicating with their client. There should be a personal rapport between the team and the clients to ensure a smooth flow in the whole marketing processes. Communicating through digital means can be complicated at times, thus building and establishing relationships that would remove these communication barriers is a must.
Digital Fluency and Strong Problem Solving Skills
Different clients require different types of marketing campaigns and strategies. Fluency in digital marketing, in all its aspects, whether in print, television and social media is a must. Mastery in the use of technology, together with the latest tools of the trade should also be one of the prerequisites brands should look out for when dealing with internet marketing agencies.
The people behind a digital marketing agency should be able to adapt changes in the internet scene as well as technological changes in marketing and advertising efforts. If your digital marketing partner fails every time Google releases a new update, you might want to re-evaluate and consider looking for a different team to help your brand.
Working within deadlines, recognizing and dealing with problems as they develop and quickly placing things in order during unexpected issues are strong points every successful marketing agency poses. Without problem solving skills, it would be difficult to help a brand achieve their goals and build a strong online presence for the brand.
As a brand, take time to find the right people to trust for your digital marketing needs.Working with successful digital marketing agencies helps fast track your goals as a brand. Find one similar to your work culture to easily build a good working relationship and rapport with their team. With due diligence, you'll be able to find a digital marketing agency that works for you.