Digital marketing today is evolving so rapidly it can feel hard to keep up with the twists and turns. Today one strategy is recommended and tomorrow it is something else. Yet while the methods may change, the underlying strategy remains the same — make a genuine online connection today and tomorrow you may make a new sale.
Digital Marketing Strategies to Take your Business to the Next Level
Make Everything Mobile-Friendly
Not only does Google’s algorithms award ranking points to websites and e-commerce shopping sites that are mobile-friendly, but nearly three-quarters of shoppers now turn to their mobile devices (smartphones and/or tablets) over laptops to shop even when they are already in a brick-and-mortar store!
There just is no substitute for providing a mobile-friendly shopping experience.
Action: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly on multiple operating systems (iOS, Android, Windows, et al) and devices (phones, tablets, laptops, desktops). If you sell internationally, you may also need to look at translating your website to optimize the shopping experience for your international customers.
Social Conversations Turn into Conversions
As Pinterest announced the launch of its new Pinterest Shop and Facebook announced plans to monetize its new purchase, Instagram, all marketing eyes are on the big social media platforms to see what happens next.
But what is known is that the day is quickly coming when anyone, anywhere who aspires to sell something online can pop it into their social media feed and watch it get snapped up.
Action: If you haven’t paid much attention to social media, now is the time to get cracking. Reserve your company name before someone else does, brand your feeds and start the conversation so you will be prepared to sell via social media.
Payment Methods are Changing
Gone are the days when the only way to make an online payment was to enter your credit card data. Today, customers can pay with everything from Paypal to Bitcoin, direct bank draft to Google Wallet. Part of this shift comes as a result of certain high profile data breaches (most notably Target’s REDCard) and part comes as an effort to liberate shoppers from carrying multiple cards or worst of all, cash.
Many brick-and-mortar retailers are already accepting Apple Pay, Google Wallet, PayPal and other card-less, cash-less payment forms, so the sooner you adopt the same approach, the stronger your sales are likely to be.
Action: Take a look at what payments you currently accept and what you are missing. Then get to work to fill in the gaps so you don’t lose customers.
Online Micro Advertising Gives the Best Bang for the Budget
Here again, social media along with Google Ads is beginning to truly dominate the advertising and marketing arena with low cost, highly targeted and measurable micro ads that can fit any budget.
In other words, the days of working with an ad agency account manager to buy big ticket print and television ads are over for good. Today anyone with an extra few bucks in their wallet can put up an ad online and start interacting with prospects.
Action: Are you spending your available marketing and advertising budget in the most effective way possible? By analyzing which social platforms your target market gravitates towards and using Google’s free tools to create the most effective keywords and ad sets, you can begin generating inbound traffic for just pennies a day.
These are just a few of the many digital marketing trends that are forever reshaping the world of global e-commerce. Taking your sales to the next level will depend on how early and how well you embrace these trends.
Lee Flynn
About the Author:
Lee Flynn is a freelance writer. Through small local workshops and articles, Lee trains and teaches others on home preparation, healthy living, food storage techniques, and self reliance.
Have You Designated ‘Digital Executors’ for Your Online Accounts?