Digital marketing has been growing in importance. Even if you haven’t gotten the results you want from your digital marketing strategies so far, the new year provides opportunities. Big trends are changing the way business works online – and there’s never been a better time to leverage those changes.
Let’s look at some of the biggest digital marketing trends for 2016:
1. Content is Still King
Content marketing, which first became prominent in the B2C world, is having a greater impact on B2B every day. Inbound marketing is becoming increasingly popular, and will continue to be the driving force in marketing in 2016. What’s the core of inbound marketing? Simply, using informative content to bring customers to you instead of spending large amounts on traditional ads that attract customers into your funnel. Informative content builds trust and helps prospects take action on your offers, increasing the lifetime value of your customers and enhancing the revenue of your Web traffic.
2. More Companies Will Invest in Social Media Ads
According to Forbes, it’s no longer enough to rely on organic traffic from sources like Google to drive your online business. Just under a third of all people on Earth are now present on sites like Twitter and Facebook, making the networks a crucial resource for marketing. Thanks to social media’s remarkable growth rate – combined with aggressive efforts to monetize platforms and restrict advertisers’ organic reach – social PPC campaigns will become a permanent marketing factor for many firms.
3. Visual Content Will Be More Important Than Ever
It was not that long ago when the 500-word blog post was the default approach to content. As both consumers and B2B decision-makers migrate to mobile platforms, however, the nature of content is changing fast. Increased bandwidth and lower attention spans – the average person gets distracted in eight seconds! – have changed the game. People read only about 20% of the words they encounter online. It’s been predicted that 79% of all Internet traffic will be video by 2016. There’s no denying the fact that visual content is taking over digital marketing.
The Brave New World of Content Will Emerge in 2016: Are You Ready?
All three of these trends have been gaining steam for a long time, but 2016 is poised to be a breakout year in many ways. The way people consume media is changing: Brands need to adapt to these needs to remain fresh and relevant in the new millennium.
If you feel like your brand is under-prepared for change, don’t worry: Many of your competitors may be feeling the same way. Whether your company is a one-person show or a global enterprise, finding and embracing new competencies will be critical to success!