You’re reading this, so you probably already know that digital is taking over marketing in more ways than one. First it was SEO…now it’s SEO, PPC, online PR, social media, paid social media, influencer connections, blogging, content creation strategies, video strategies…the list never stops growing.
If you’re marketing-savvy then you’ve already started planning your digital marketing action plan for 2016. Digital marketing is so dynamic now it’s impossible to have just one person working on your initiatives. But what we do know, is that it’s imperative to ensure you are actively and strategically engaged in digital marketing to remain competitive in your industry.
So what do you need to do to make sure your business is competitive in 2016? Check out some of the points below:
Build Your Identity through Social Media
The future of marketing lies within social media. Social media allows you to connect to an audience that is looking for you and wants to connect with you too. Use that connection to your advantage. Being active on Twitter and Facebook is not enough any more. Your involvement needs to be strategic and that takes planning.
Start Pushing the Limits and Thinking Outside the Lines
If you’re looking to get noticed digitally, you need to bring something different to the table and start going a little out of bounds. Coming up with clever campaigns is worth the investment. Think Kmart’s Ship My Pants video campaign. Their witty idea brought attention to the brand that was more or less seen as the much less hip version of Target or even Wal-Mart. As long as you’re not offending anyone, getting more aggressive with marketing online is the way to go!
Get In a Relationship
We’re not talking about your personal life. Connecting with influencers is a great investment to step up your marketing game. Influencers are heavy with social media, have thousands and thousands of followers and fans who are obsessed with everything they do. The thing is, getting an influencer to post your stuff on social media isn’t as easy as it was two or three years ago. You have to invest money and partnership into your influencer strategy, but it can result in tremendous ROI.
Find a Balance
The current optimal target audience is the millennial. Everyone wants to be able to reach out to them and make them love their brand. The thing is, the millennial is kind of a crazy audience. One minute they’re shooting their potty-mouths off over trending topics in pop-culture, the next their snapping photos of their sophisticated coffees on their desks at work. So, you kind of have to cater them in between all this. They want the right amount of real-life and professional at the same time, or they don’t want it at all.
To be really competitive in 2016 you have to get serious about your online marketing. Businesses are starting to think outside the box more, and go beyond the minimal efforts, especially when it comes to digital. The biggest players in digital strategy in 2016 will be social media, content and video content. Now is the time to start thinking about implementing these components into your digital strategies.