Digital marketing is the cornerstone of 21st century marketing. As social media evolves, search engines get smarter, and the internet becomes more integrated into our daily lives, it's important for businesses to stay on top of the hottest digital marketing trends.
“Marketing is primarily a digital field,” says Natalia Kuberas, Marketing Manager at Custom Goods. “Consistent social media engagement, a functional and optimized website, and targeted advertising are the keys to making your business visible in the digital age.”
As 2024 approaches, let's take a look back at the digital marketing strategies that are on the rise, with all the signs of continued success.
1. Post consistently on social media
Social media is the hub of discovery and relationship building in the digital age. Many people check social media daily, if not multiple times a day. Posting consistently on social media will help your business be recognized and remembered by your audience.
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“Social media is at the heart of a strong marketing strategy,” explains Ryan Lotman, co-founder and CEO of OSDB. “Building brand awareness and a positive reputation requires posting consistent and engaging content.”
Posting consistently allows consumers to engage with your business frequently. That way, when they shop, they'll think of your business before your competitors.
2. Partner with content creators
Trust is essential to a strong marketing strategy. Customers need to trust the legitimacy and quality of your business to consistently engage with what you offer. By partnering with content creators, you can establish trust with audiences who may not have known about your business before.
“Content creators are key to building trust and reputation on social media,” said Maggie Brown, founder and CEO of Recess Pickleball. “They've already established a relationship with their audience. Once they support your business, your audience can incorporate your business into that relationship.”
In addition to expanding the reach of your marketing campaigns, partnering with content creators allows your business to build a strong network of reliable and consistent customers.
3. Post content that encourages engagement
Posting product photos and flashy infographics alone isn't enough to bring steady traffic to your profile. To stand out from the crowd, make sure your content is engaging to your audience and brings value to their feed.
“Content that asks questions or directly calls to action tends to get the most attention,” says Greg Hannley, founder and CEO of Soba Texas. “Attractive content is better caught by algorithms, which means your content not only gets more interactions from your audience, but also gets pushed to more people.”
Before posting to your business's social media pages, ask yourself, “Is this content engaging, educational, or inspiring? Will this post bring value to my audience?” If so, you're on the right track to building an engaging online presence for your brand.
4. Set up your social shopping page
A social shopping page is a digital storefront integrated with a social media platform. Social shopping has grown significantly in popularity because it allows an efficient process for finding and purchasing products in one place.
“The nature of social commerce impacts shopping behavior and product discovery,” Prism Bag co-founder Rachel Autumn Lee told Forbes in 2022. “A seamless, single path to purchase from social media apps allows for faster purchases and easier sharing.” Talk to friends about new products. ”
Set up social shopping pages to promote your products to a wider audience while creating an easy shopping process for your customers.
5. Optimize your website to improve speed and usability
Your website is the centerpiece of your business's online presence. This will be your reference point for the rest of your digital marketing, so it's important that your website is set up to run quickly and easily.
“A company's website is one of its most powerful selling points, demonstrating trustworthiness and professionalism,” explains Max Schwartzapfel, CMO of Schwartzapfel Lawyers. “A website that is fast, easy to use, and beautiful shows that you care about the customer experience and is an effective way to demonstrate your aesthetic strengths.”
Consider running an audit on your website to ensure there are no broken links or large files that slow down or interrupt the customer experience. A streamlined and intuitive website experience is key to customer engagement.
6. Build a consistent brand identity across platforms
Brand identity is the element that identifies and differentiates a brand in the minds of consumers. It's important to develop a consistent and clear identity across platforms so your customers can easily recognize your business.
“Consistency is the key to building a strong, recognizable brand identity,” says Andrew Chen, chief product officer at CommentSold, a company that helps brands expand their reach with Shopify Live Selling. “Your business needs a clear visual identity, tone of voice, and overall aesthetic that is unique to you.”
Taking the time to develop a consistent and thorough brand identity can go a long way in increasing brand awareness. In a noisy and crowded digital space, it's important to make your business stand out with a clear, eye-catching brand identity.
7. Optimize your website for search engines
Search engine optimization drives organic search traffic to your website. You can optimize your website for search engines by using relevant keywords on your pages, creating intuitive URLs, and having an easy-to-use navigation system.
In a 2022 Forbes article, Jeff Crane, senior director of sales and marketing at Kingstar Media, said: It's a way to drive traffic, leads, and sales. ”
SEO is a key component of a successful marketing strategy. Ranking on Google or other search engines for relevant search queries can help you attract new consumers looking for what you have to offer. Additionally, it is a highly effective free marketing tool.
8. Retarget shoppers who abandoned their carts
Shoppers who abandon their carts are great leads for future engagement. They've already shown interest in your business by adding items to their cart, and a little nudge can motivate them to come back again.
“Abandoned carts are lead gold,” explained Roman Peysakhovich, CEO of Cleango, a company known for its commercial cleaning services.
Retarget abandoned cart shoppers with direct mail or personalized messages asking them to come back. Consider offering small deals to lure these customers back to your business.
9. Analyze consumer behavior and engagement
Looking at the numbers on consumer behavior and engagement is an often forgotten part of marketing. However, understanding your consumers is the key to building a successful marketing strategy, and you can't understand them without analyzing the data you have at hand.
“It's important to understand your target audience, what they want, and how they find it,” said Amanda Howland, co-founder of ElleVet Sciences. Masu. She says, “By taking the time to analyze consumer behavior and engagement trends, you can fine-tune a targeted and effective marketing strategy.”
To better understand your target audience, consider looking at analytics data such as the keywords you're ranking for and the most popular pages on your website.
10. Create targeted ads
Targeted advertising is personalized advertising based on consumer behavior. This allows advertising to be personalized to each consumer's unique patterns and interests.
“Everyone has unique interests and needs. Targeted advertising helps create a personalized marketing strategy that focuses on what a company offers that consumers actually want.” ” said Asker Ahmed, Director of iProcess Global Research.
Targeted advertising helps consumers feel noticed and gives them a better understanding of how your business fits into their lives. For example, consumers who frequently watch and engage with cat videos are more likely to engage with a pet supplies business through a targeted ad featuring a photo of a cat than through a generic ad featuring another pet. Masu.
11. Reach your audience with direct mail campaigns
While much of marketing focuses on acquiring new customers, it's also important to engage and recognize customers who are already shopping with your business. Sending updates and special offers to frequent users via email can be a useful marketing tool for building a repeat customer base.
Cody Candee, Founder and CEO of Bounce, said: “Not only does it increase brand awareness, it also motivates repeat customers and creates a sense of value for those who have purchased before.”
You can show returning customers how much you value them by reaching out to them directly with special offers and updates.
Attract new business with powerful marketing strategies
A strong marketing strategy is key to attracting business. These tips and tools will help you stand out more from the crowd and promote your online business. Consider tweaking your digital marketing strategy this year to identify new initiatives and opportunities for your business.