5 Digital Marketing Trends to Act On in 2018

by Krista Scarlett | May 17, 2018

If You’re Not First, You’re Last.

With so many studies on the latest digital marketing technologies and tools to use, it can be overwhelming trying to keep up with the trends and knowing which ones to pay attention to. To help you sort through all of the confusing jargon and sophisticated strategies, we’ve broken down our top five digital marketing trends to implement in your 2018 marketing plan.

Paid Social Media Advertising

According to eMarketer, Facebook ads accounted for 30 percent of all advertising revenue in 2017, and the average cost per click for Facebook ads in 2017 was $0.64, according to AdStage. These stats alone show the power and popularity of paid social media advertising. Not only are people spending hours of their time interacting with their friends on social media, but they’re also engaging with brands to find out more about their products or information on their business. Companies that dedicate a portion of its marketing budget to sales ads on Facebook or offering downloadable content on Twitter, for example, are taking full advantage of the low ad costs and high engagement rates. According to eMarketer, paid social media spending has increased by 33.5 percent since 2014, and those numbers are expected to grow continually. If you’re not currently placing ads on Facebook, Twitter, or Linkedin, now is the time. If you’re looking for a starting point for social media advertising, check out our blog post on tips for stepping up your Facebook marketing strategy.

Mobile Optimization

Now that mobile devices are the preferred device for internet access, businesses are focusing their marketing strategies solely on mobile optimization. According to Aumcore, nearly 70% of consumers between the ages of 18-39 use their smartphones to research products before they buy them. The user experience you create during this research phase can significantly increase sales and brand loyalty. Take a look at our blog post on why mobile optimization is important and how to do it.

Customer Experience Marketing

According to a Salesforce survey, 65% of businesses say they would switch vendors if a seller doesn’t personalize their customer experience. Consumers crave attention from their favorite brands, and when they get the attention, they proudly share it with anyone who will listen. On the flip side of that, when a customer has a bad experience with your company, and it isn’t resolved, it can spread like wildfire. One tweet about a bad customer experience can result in a PR crisis and end up in a Buzzfeed article about the worst brands to do business with. Tailoring your marketing strategy to incorporate more customer interaction and a damage control plan will not only strengthen brand loyalty with current customers, but it will also help to draw in new customers that aren’t getting the same amount of attention from competing brands.

Native Advertising

Have you ever visited a blog or news website and saw an ad between the paragraphs? This is called native advertising or “in-feed,” non-disruptive advertising. An ad sandwiched between paragraphs might seem disruptive, but actually, that ad is delivering content that the viewer is already interested in. This happens through browser tracking and keyword targeting. By understanding what your audience is interested in the most, you can create targeted ads that appear on websites that are relevant to your brand and within your target demographic. A few years ago, this technology was primitive at best, but since then, companies like Facebook, Twitter, and Google became major players in native advertising. This influx of ad targeting technology and fierce competition has helped native advertising become a more popular and cost-effective marketing strategy. The targeting capabilities and low costs are too good to not include in your marketing strategy.

Conversion Rate Optimization

Conversion rate optimization, or “CRO,” is a hot topic in the digital marketing world right now. CRO focuses on how to get your online audience to convert into a lead through your website, and then get those leads to convert into paying customers. A conversion is considered a goal that a website visitor completes. This goal can consist of downloading an ebook from a landing page, signing up for a newsletter, etc. To optimize for higher conversion rates, you need to understand what you’re optimizing, why you’re doing it, and who you’re doing it for. Research and analysis of the buyer’s journey on your website and the user experience of that journey is the key to successfully optimizing your conversion rate. CRO is a form of non-disruptive, inbound marketing, which focuses on attracting qualified leads with marketing touch points that your audience finds interesting. Check out our blog post on the powers of inbound marketing.