With the start of a new year comes the new trends and the world of digital marketing is no different. This year’s focus is on pulling resources together to get the most from your client base and as content becomes even more key, sites need to be sure they are making content that follows the lifestyle of its viewers.
Video
The first trend for 2016 is a push for more video content. Think about the morning commute and the number of passengers glued to their screens streaming to pass the time. With the rise of a number of vlogging superstars, younger audiences are becoming more accustomed to sourcing their information from video. In response, many sites are investing more time and money to keep up with this whirlwind development.
Mobile
This leads nicely onto the second trend, which has previously been considered an ancillary function but will now be an absolute essential for 2016. By neglecting to make your website mobile, responsive marketers are losing out on a massive market, most notably the millennial generation who conduct most of their web use and correlating purchases on mobile devices. Creating a mobile presence is not as straightforward as converting your original site, but requires removing any potential pain points for users who will be even quicker to bounce to another site than on traditional desktop.
Content
It is no surprise that content appears on this list, but 2016 will see a refocus on creating engaging and unique content. After years of emphasis on packing in as many keywords and phrases as possible, there has been a seismic shift in copywriting. Now sites are looking for ‘white hat’ content that is creative and engaging, and unique to create organic traffic and reach across platforms. Content still needs to read well for search engine optimization but it needs to read well for your clients too.
Customer Experience
Overall, we will see a spotlight placed on customer experience in 2016 in the form of mobile optimization and content creation already mentioned, as well as the methods clients are advertised to and their data is collected online. Using a number of integrated tools marketers can now track a clients’ movement through their online presence, noting what content engages them and what subscription methods generate loyalty. Sites are also moving away from blanket pop-up advertising which users so frequently find irritating and off putting and opting for more seamless, strategic advertising.
Social Media
Already a giant in daily life, digital marketing 2016 will see social media form a significant part of all marketing campaigns. Already creeping into the email and print campaigns of some of the largest brands, serious marketers know the power of social media to generate traffic and promote brand awareness especially to younger audiences.