The last few months of the year are a perfect time to review your business’s digital marketing performance for the past year and determine your goals, strategies, and “game plan” for the year ahead. When developing these strategies, it’s important to not only take inventory of the patterns and trends of your own website’s marketing data, but also the trends of the digital marketing world as a whole. We’ve done some of that work for you in this article — read on for a quick recap of the best content marketing tips for the coming year.
#1: Implement Display Marketing / Dynamic Remarketing
For years, PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising has reigned as the top choice for paid digital advertising. However, in recent years, display advertising has emerged as — arguably — a more popular, more effective format. This is thanks to the sudden increase in dynamic remarketing, which is a sub-category of display advertising.
What is dynamic remarketing? Well, have you ever Googled a certain product or visited a particular website, and then noticed digital advertisements for that product or website everywhere on the internet? That’s dynamic remarketing! (The term “re-marketing” refers to the way these ads display to users who have visited the website at least once.)
The reason this form of marketing can be so effective is because it helps ensure that your ads are display primarily to those who have shown some level of interest in your business. While pay-per-click advertising is still a great choice for introducing your business to new potential customers, display advertising that utilizes dynamic remarketing has become the most effective way of converting those potential customers into real customers.
#2: Pay Attention to Changing Audiences on Social Media Networks
Imagine a typical Facebook user. Did you think of someone over the age of 55? Because it turns out that since 2017, most age groups are using Facebook less and less, except for those over age 55 — whom now represent the largest demographic on Facebook by far, with more than double the number of users between the age of 18-24.
Now, consider your impression of a typical Snapchat user. Maybe you’ve already caught on after the last question, but nevertheless, it turns out that Snapchat is most popular among the 25-34 year old age bracket. Snapchat’s popularity among this demographic skyrocketed in 2018, with an increase from 2.8 million users in 2017 to 5.9 million users in 2018. Long story short, Snapchat is no longer just for teens — young adults are using Snapchat more than anyone.
Generally speaking, Facebook still boasts the largest overall audience by far. However, the important takeaway here is that users between the ages of 25-34 are increasingly drawn to Snapchat, while older users are signing up for Facebook by the millions!
#3: Adapt Your SEO for Voice Search
As we covered in last week’s blog post, searches performed using voice commands (for example, “Hey Google, where’s the nearest Italian restaurant?”) will soon become the most popular method of looking up information on the internet. What does this mean for your SEO? Well, users phrase their searches differently when they are spoken out loud versus typed into a search bar. Instead of typing, “sporting goods store duluth mn,” they might say, “Alexa, where is the nearest sporting goods store?” or, “Google, where can I buy a new hockey stick?”
As these examples illustrate, voice search encourages users to phrase their queries in a question and answer format. As such, incorporating a “Frequently Asked Questions” section, offering additional details and context regarding your physical location (e.g., “Conveniently located near Duluth, MN, Superior, WI, and Two Harbors, MN” vs. “Located in Duluth,”), and adding content that presents your business as a problem solver and solution finder are all great ways to ensure your site is ready for the voice search era.
Not sure what your website might need to ensure marketing success in 2019? A great way to get started on determining your goals and strategies is with a FREE site audit from Faster Solutions! Just submit your domain and contact information, and we’ll prepare your free, no-obligation report with our personalized recommendations. Click here to get started!
