And while we’re on the topic of annual strategies, since the new year (and new budgets!) are almost upon us, we think it’s important to review some of the current digital and inbound marketing trends around the online world. Being aware of these will help you to close out the 2017 year with a bang, and set you up to be as successful as possible in 2018 and beyond.
It’s All About Mobile
The rise of Mobile has changed everyone’s shopping habits. A report by Google states that 82% of smartphone users now turn to their devices for help making a product decision:
What they find online can influence their decisions right down to the very last minute before a purchase. After reading something on a smartphone, nearly one in four shoppers has changed his or her mind about buying something while in the checkout line.
While some businesses may be threatened or worried about this, others have jumped onto the trend bandwagon and have been smart about letting their shoppers shop how they want to shop:
“We think one of the biggest opportunities that we have in retail is for our customers to leverage their phones as a shopping assistant when they’re standing in the store,” says Sephora’s vice president of interactive media, Bridget Dolan. To assist shoppers in these moments, Sephora designed its app to pull up product ratings and reviews when an item is scanned. “Having access to this information is that perfect new moment for customers to find everything they’re looking for and get advice from Sephora.”
In addition, it’s been found that 65% of consumers have mobile shopping apps on their phones, and 66% have made purchases through those apps. So if you have been thinking about launching a mobile shopping app for your business, or need to make updates to your current version, now is the time!
Focus on Video
Video marketing is continually standing out as one of the more effective ways to reach your customers. Visual content stands out more than other types of media, is easier to digest and preferred by many, and also allows viewers to connect deeper with the content and build familiarity and trust with any people within the video.
In fact, HubSpot has reported that 43% of people want to see more video content from marketers and 51.9% of marketing professionals name video as the type of content with the best ROI. So yes, it is indeed low-hanging fruit but it does still come with warning that, in order to be successful, you have to follow some guidelines. We’ve previously posted some tips (in our own video format!), but here they are again
- Determine What Style Video Will Resonate With Your Target Personas: Make sure you understand your audience and are curating content that will be the most entertaining, informative, and relevant to them. For B2B marketing for SaaS, for example, focus on creating demo videos of your software in action.
- Keep Your Video Short and Simple: Videos that are 1-2 minutes in length with often be all that anyone has patience for, even if they are filled with action, animated shorts or humour. After 2 minutes, there’s usually a sharp drop-off of viewership.
- Develop a Compelling Script: Like any story, it’s important for your script to have a beginning, middle and end. It’s key to have an introduction to your video topic, followed by 3-5 points of interest, and then a summary at the end, pointing to a Call of Action, so viewers can easily understand the next steps they should take. Make sure to ask yourself, “what do I want my audience to feel, think and do” while watching your video content, and this will help you in writing your script.
- Test What Works: Before you commit to a formal video production budget, try shooting a few test videos to see how they turn out. Are they helping to increase conversions on your landing pages? Are people watching your videos and better finding you across the web? Which types of videos are attracting more views, or more shares? Introduce this new medium to your overall inbound marketing strategy and see how it works first before investing in more expensive types of video production.
Be Social!
Social media can still have a profound effect on shoppers’ buying decisions. According to Salesforce, 30% of Gen X and 48% of Millennial consumers report using social channels to discover products to purchase. And with the rise of video mentioned in the point above, social media is becoming more and more visual with video content, especially with Live Feeds, Instagram Stories and Snapchat at the top of everyone’s viewing list. Promote your products or services with live or pre-shot video segments, and share discount codes or sale campaigns across all platforms. 69% of Facebook users finding discount codes will share that information with friends.
Find ways to make your content more visual and social, and you’ll see those likes, follows, shares and interactions start to increase.
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Setting up your marketing strategies for both the holidays and to enter the new year can be a challenge, but one that is possible to perfect with time, experience, and testing. Keep your customers top of mind for every idea you brainstorm, and that should help you decide where you need to invest your efforts for now and going forward. Happy almost new year!