Digital Marketing is a broad term but a powerful one. How you market digitally can make or break your business. Especially if you aren’t maximizing your opportunities through the various channels of digital marketing, to find which strategy works best for Y-O-U. Digital marketing encompasses all the marketing that businesses do over the internet, everything from social media to emails, websites, and anything that can reach you through digital technologies like your smartphone or tablet. In 2021, digital marketing is marketing.
Omnichannel vs. Multi-channel
First things first, you’ve probably heard of omnichannel marketing and its importance in any given marketing strategy. But why? According to a survey conducted by Aspect Software, omnichannel marketing is proven to increase a business’s customer retention rate by 91% year-over-year compared to companies that aren’t utilizing an omnichannel strategy. That makes a big difference. Omnichannel is customer-focused marketing that allows current and potential customers to seamlessly navigate each of your company’s touchpoints, which ultimately leads to conversion and frequently a loyal customer.
It may seem like omnichannel marketing is the way to go. However, multi-channel marketing allows each channel to function independently, simplifying the process for your business by emphasizing the information being marketed, while still bringing in reliable results. The most successful marketing strategies incorporate both an omnichannel and multi-channel approach. But if you’re just getting your feet wet, a multi-channel approach is an excellent place to start until you’ve got time to finetune your strategies to include an omnichannel strategy alongside it.
Social Media Evolution
In the last decade, social media has significantly impacted the way businesses create and carry out their marketing plans. 2021 is no different. Although there may be more social media platforms this year than ever before, the recipe for success is the same. But not in the sense that each platform can be marketed to in the same way.
As a digital marketer, you should understand each social media platform, the nuances and unique communication features that they offer, and use it to determine which platforms work best for your business. Working with a Social Media Specialist is a surefire way to elevate your digital marketing team to rock star status, which will allow you to build a strategy around the social networks best suited for your business. Adding marketing automation to the mix will increase efficiency and help grow your customer base to produce the best results.
Content is King
Consuming content is something we all do almost every day, whether it’s online streaming, turning on the T.V. or the radio, or scrolling through social media posts—content is king. How we consume content and the types of content we consume are ever-changing, but the fact is, we love content, and it has a direct influence on how we spend our time and money. A Clutch survey shows, “82% of consumers have made a purchase based on a company's online content marketing.” The reason being is that through content marketing, businesses can build authenticity and trust with consumers. “71% of consumers say they would be willing to spend more money to support products and services from a brand they trust.” According to the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brand Survey in 2018. Plus, in this study by Content Writers, companies find that content marketing is proven to bring in more leads than any other type of marketing.
So, what types of content marketing should your business be practicing to drive the best results? It turns out blogs and video content are the top contenders. Video gets 1200% more shares than images and text added together, and 45% of people watch an hour or more a week of video content on Facebook or YouTube, as outlined by SocialMediaToday.
Surprisingly, consumers crave long-form content. The average length of blog posts is getting longer, with the average marketing blog post running 1084 words. Studies show that long-form posts generate nine times more leads than shorter form posts. Video and blog content has proven to garner significant returns, but many companies still haven’t adopted a content marketing strategy. The investment of time is likely the reason behind the lack of content implementation. Hiring freelance content producers or working with a marketing consultation company is a hassle-free route to help your business take the leap from the minor leagues to the BIG leagues. Simply set your goals and watch the content do the rest of the work.
E-mail Education
Most digital marketers utilize e-mail marketing campaigns in their everyday marketing strategy. E-mails are an excellent way to reach out to your customers, but there’s a fine line between being a welcomed mid-morning read and flat-out spam. According to the Content Marketing Institute, in 2019, 87% of B2B marketers primarily used email marketing tactics to nurture their audience, of that, “90% of the most successful marketers prioritized educating their audience over promoting their company's sales message.” How can your business do a better job of educating your audience? Maybe through an educational video or blog post to share industry trends, or through a friendly email to let them know your business provides top-notch customer service. There’s no wrong way to approach fine-tuning your email marketing plan, the important thing is to find a marketing software that works best for your business and to be consistent so that your customers look to your business as an authority in the industry.
Rithom did an excellent job all around anticipating our needs and keeping us to a schedule. Tracy, their project manager, has been very responsive to follow up questions and changes to configurations. Bret has also been very responsive to our questions about capabilities in support of Salesforce sales.
The Time is NOW
Updating digital marketing plans doesn’t have to be a daunting task for your business. The simple tips outlined here can help guide you to improve your existing plan and continue to evolve with the changing times.
For more information on how to bring your digital marketing landscape into 2021, we offer a free marketing strategy consultation.
