The new year is, quite literally, around the corner: just over two weeks away, in fact. It’s likely that no matter the size of your business, you’re getting your digital marketing decisions, including your budget, organized and ready to go for the new year.
To assist with this process, here are three up-and-growing sectors you might want to be aware of, as well as reminding you of two of the more tried-and-true methods that have either been your steady “bread-and-butter” or you’re just being made aware of them. The latter case might be especially true if you’re a freshly minted business owner.
Let’s get things going by starting with the newest trends first, shall we?
1) Streaming Social Video. While it’s true that YouTube has become the more established, and perhaps trusted, way of marketing among many entrepreneurs of all stripes, 2015 saw the advent of something called “streaming social video.” What is it, exactly? Sites such as Periscope allow the user to stream videos directly from their Twitter feed. The only difference is, the videos do not stay up permanently, as YouTube videos do, so constant creation is key to success here.
2) The Ongoing Evolution of Social Media Advertising. This isn’t just about being mobile-friendly, though that’s considered optimal for 21st-century businesses. But nor is this just about nodding in tacit agreement with the concept of advertising on social media. 2015 saw greater access to Instagram advertising, the ability to buy pins on Pinterest, and of course, more expanded promotional features from Facebook and Twitter.
In case you’re wondering: since buying pins on Pinterest is so new, Pinterest is chiefly working with select retailers who use specific commerce platforms such as Magento and Shopify. There is an opportunity to get on a waiting list if buyable Pins is something you might want to try. It’s especially helpful if you run an online retail store for clothing, accessories or gift items, where visual beauty is key to sales.
3) More is Not Necessarily Better. Content may be “king,” and people may be consuming more online content than before, but considering how many businesses are vying for your intended demographic’s attention, launching more and more stuff to read and view may actually backfire.
Especially if your content is simply echoing other people’s words and images. This is, essentially, the “me too” effect. You can jump on every social media site there is, but in reality, that may be an arbitrary, knee-jerk reaction to the feeling that you need to get your message out there as much as possible, as often as possible. Just like the eventual phenomenon of market saturation, you may be adding to what might be called “media saturation,” or “information overload.”
You might actually get your message heard louder and clearer by narrowing your focus and getting more specific with your content—creating less content with higher quality. In short, “Quality, not quantity,” might be the best phrase here to sum all this up.
Onto the classic strategies:
1) Strong Brands Rule. It’s easy to get entangled in the mire of everyone jumping on various social media platforms and saying the same thing. Even in the days before the Internet, the brands that “made it” were the ones that were clearly focused and defined with a very memorable voice that’s easily recognizable everywhere. Examples might include Coca-cola, Nike and Starbucks, just to name three. These brands are strong enough to maintain that clear voice that’s needed to thrive in the explosion of 21st-century social media. Your brand needs to be just this strong as well, so you might want to ask yourself what you stand for as a brand—either as a “solopreneur,” or as a larger company.
2) Email. While it is true that 2006 is long gone, email marketing is still considered one of the social marketing formats that deliver excellent ROIs. You simply need to remember the previous caveats and focus less on sending more mail and set your sights on sending quality mail. Create unique newsletters and have eye-catching subject lines to go with those newsletters. Your subscribers are more likely than not to keep something like this around, especially if the content is truly relevant to their interests. They’ll be more likely to keep your newsletters that way.
Better Integration Desired
What does this mean? It’s no surprise that so many of us are really busy—busier than we used to be. With the demands of up-to-the-minute Tweeting and Facebook posts, among other social media norms, entrepreneurs of all shades and stripes have longed for a way to put all these strategies together into one cohesive plan.
After all, time and money are precious when running a business. Your marketing resources are part of that preciousness, so it’s absolutely important that you figure out how all the aforementioned strategies, old and new, can fit together for you.
And it can seem difficult to keep up, thanks to the continual evolution of digital media. That evolution seems to go faster and faster with each passing month, let alone the passing of an entire year. So it pays to stay on your toes with your digital marketing plans, because they have increasingly become intertwined with your customers’ needs.
If you were a bit stumped before on how you can proceed with your digital marketing plan, this article likely has given you some inspiration on how you can develop a plan if you’re new to the entrepreneurial scene, or tweak an already existing plan and breathe new life into your business just in time for the new year.
